//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Back to School // Story: Settling In // by pchn00 //------------------------------// Chapter 5: Back to School “Now listen here Jennifer, y’all best be up and in th’tub if yer plannin’ on takin’ a bath b’fore school. If Ah gotta come back up here Ah’m buckin’ ya out.” With an exaggerated groan the girl swung her legs out of bed. “Fine m’up!” Running a hand through her hair she followed the farm pony out of her guest room. “Can’t believe I gotta go to school…it’s so early!” Applejack just chuckled at the dismay in the sleepy teen’s voice. To hear it, it sounded like she was being marched to an execution. “Just git yer butt clean then git it downstairs fer breakfast.” Grumbling all the while she stepped into the bathroom giving another tremendous yawn. If she’d been a bit more awake, or a bit more observant she’d have noticed the shock of bright red mane peeking over the edge of the full tub. As it was, she was neither of those things. Unclasping her bra and kicking off the shorts she slept in she stepped over the rim and sighed as she felt the hot water, slowly sinking down. It wasn’t until she was fully seated that she felt her feet bump into a small furry body. Blinking blearily she gave a yelp to see Applebloom in the tub with her. “Mornin’ Jenny!” Instantly she jerked one arm across her chest. “Applebloom! I what’re you doing in here?!” The filly tilted her head. “Takin’ a bath, same as you!” Gradually the shock was wearing off. Of course Applebloom wouldn’t see anything wrong with sharing the bath with someone else…she and like, everypony else in town trotted around naked all day. Why should she care if she was sharing the tub with a naked human? With a sigh Jen let her arm fall, and giving a shrug she sank down in the tub a bit more. “D’you mind if I turn the shower on? Pony tubs are a little small for me.” “Sure! Sometimes Ah take a shower with Applejack or Big Mac! Ah think it’s a lot more fun than some silly old bath! I keep tellin’ Applejack Ah’m old enough to shower by myself.” Jen felt around the tub and pulled the plug, standing up and turning the shower on. Now THAT felt nicer. The head was taller than Twilight’s too, to accommodate the gigantic stallion living in the house. The filly sharing the shower with her seemed delighted at the novelty of getting to shower like an adult. Jen glanced at her from the corner of her eye, seeing the filly using her as a buffer for most of the spray. Soon Jen was tilting this way and that, hitting Applebloom with more water. Before long both were giggling and making a game of it. “So…ya excited t’start school with us?” The human grabbed a bottle of shampoo (apple scented of course), and started lathering her hair. “A little bit. Gonna miss getting to lie around all day.” “Aw school’s fun though! Miss Cheerilee’s th’best an we git t’spend all day with our friends!” That brought a smile to Jen’s face as she rinsed her hair. She remembered a time when she was excited to go to school. Then came middle school and its cliques…which got even worse in high school. Maybe today would be more fun than she first thought. “I suppose that’s true.” “Course math’s been super hard. We’ve been doin' fractions an I don’t really like them.” This caused the girl to wince. She was expecting like, basic addition, subtraction…maybe times tables. Fractions weren’t something SHE was particularly adept at either. “Well I’m sure we’ll make do.” She ducked abruptly and caught Applebloom by surprise, hitting the filly full on with the spray. The little pony gave a yelp and swatted Jen across the backside with her wet tail…something akin to being snapped by a towel. Jen shrieked in surprise and snatched Applebloom up under the forelegs, holding her in front of the spray. The filly squirmed and squealed. “Uncle! You win you win!” With a smirk of victory Jen dropped the filly back in the water and turned the shower off. “Alright let’s get dried off. I gotta get dressed.” Jen always marveled when she watched one of the ponies do anything with their hooves aside from walk on them. Applebloom tugged a towel down off the rack and used it to dry herself adeptly. Jen took her own towel and did the same. “How d’you guys do anything with those hooves? When I tried I just…made an idiot of myself.” Applebloom shrugged as she tugged open the door. “Dunno, practice Ah s’pose.” She trotted out leaving the door wide open. Jen made a dive for it…too late as a cheery red stallion lumbered by. He turned his head to glance in the bathroom, and saw a naked human girl turning about as red as his coat, frozen like a deer in the headlights. “Mornin’.” Was all he said as he walked passed and headed downstairs. “M…morning…” Jen sighed. She grabbed her clothes off the floor and made her way to her room, not bothering to cover up or shut the door as she dressed for the day. It WAS her first day in a new school, so she supposed she should try to make a good impression…even if no one else was dressed didn’t mean she couldn’t dress nice. She wore one of the silk blouses Rarity had crafted, and slid on the matching skirt. Of course she kept the battered sneakers. Her eyes fell on the Sword of Harmony propped against her bed. After slipping it on her arm she grabbed the backpack she got the other day and poked back into the bathroom. With a little smirk she brushed out her hair and tied it back into a ponytail. The Apples were already seated at the table, tucking into the huge breakfast their grandmother had cooked up. Jennifer wasted no time in doing the same, piling her plate with the buttered biscuits, eggs, and hotcakes. “Shoot y’all look like yer fit t’head to the Grand Gallopin’ Gala in that fancy get up. Bit much just fer school don’tcha think sugarcube?” Jen gave a little shrug. “My folks back home always insisted on making a good first impression. Dressing the part was a good step in that direction.” The elder of the family slammed a hoof on the table. “Well it’s good t’see young’uns with such good manners nowadays!” With a smile Jen started to clear the table, but Applejack nudged her away. “Not t’day, y’all gotta git. Y’all got some learnin’ t’do. Git smarter you two!” Applebloom had a hug for the rest of her family, before the two set out to the town. Winona and Isabelle were already tearing around the snowy apple orchards barking happily. “Applejack’s rightcha know? Y’sure look real pretty in them fancy duds.” Jen waved the compliment off. “They’re really not that fancy…but thanks Applebloom.” She didn’t want to admit it but she was starting to feel a little nervous. Which was silly…she was like ten years older than all the other students…and human to boot. She didn’t care if everypony liked her there…right? As they approached the school house Jen could hear the happy chatter of the foals as they milled about before their teacher drug them inside. A familiar pair of fillies came charging toward she and Applebloom, the latter rushing ahead to meet them. “Hey girls!” Sweetie Belle took notice of the resident human first. “Woooow did Rarity make those for you?” “Oh…yup! Except for my shoes she made everything I own.” Jen laughed a little. “Still don’t see why you wear all that junk every day.” Scootaloo regarded her curiously. Jen could only shrug. “It’s hard to explain. Back home no one’s naked in public. I know I’m gonna have to get used to it eventually but it’ll take time. It’s not so bad when I’m a pony myself though.” The fillies clearly didn’t fully comprehend…but they recalled their visit to Jen’s world and the necessity to be clothed there too. Jen spotted another pair of fillies approaching, and she put on her best ‘I’m not a big scary monster’ smile. Until she saw the looks the Crusaders had on their faces. “Hey blank-flanks! What’s the deal with her? Is she a new member of your silly little club?” Jen took an instant dislike of the smirking pink filly with the obnoxious tiara. She was familiar enough with catty girls back home…and was a little disheartened to find they carried over into the world of ponies. The snickering filly beside the pink one was easily recognized as a flunky. “Why don’tcha just leave us alone Diamond Tiara? We ain’t botherin’ y’all none.” Applebloom was standing nose to nose with her. “Yeah get lost Tiara! And take your little friend with you. You don’t want us letting Babs know you’ve been mean to us next time she visits do you?” The little pegasus grinned. This seemed to steal some thunder from the taunting filly. “I…I’m not afraid of her! You’re lucky we have better things to do! Come on Silver!” Jen watched the pair trot back to the school yard. She looked down at the fillies around her ankles. “…what the heck is a blank flank?” All three exchanged miserable looks. “It means we don’t have our cutie marks yet?” The unicorn supplied. “…so?” “So? SO? Whaddya mean so? Getting your cutie mark is like…the most important thing in the world!” Jen raised her eyebrows as Scootaloo’s outburst. “I thought Twilight said it was just something that happens naturally when uh…a pony discovers their natural talent?” “Mmm. Ah think this might be like yer clothes thing. Like…a difference in culture!” Applebloom seemed proud of the big words. “Huh. Maybe. Still I think you girls are making a bigger deal outta this than you should…” Jen made her way to the school house, the fillies trailing behind her. Though if it was a big enough deal they were getting teased about it maybe the cutie marks were more important than Twilight had led her to believe. The interior was every bit as pleasant and cheery as the exterior. Colorful drawings lined the walls, bright happy inspirational posters were hung in-between them here and there. Jen frowned a little looking at the tiny desks, but she figured she could just sit on the floor if worse came to worse. That’s when she spotted the huge one in the back; it was clearly not intended for the little foals. “I hope you don’t mind being in the back Jennifer, but you’re a bit taller and I like my students to see the board clearly.” Looking over her shoulder Jen saw her new teacher stepping out of the office door next to the black board. “Oh uh…no that’s cool Ms. Cheerilee, I don’t mind.” The magenta earth pony smiled at that. “Well good! Why don’t you wait right here. I’ll call the class in and we can do the introductions.” With a shrug and a nod Jen leaned against the wall by the board. She couldn’t help but grin seeing Scootaloo take a seat in the back row without prompting, Sweetie front and center with Applebloom beside her. It wasn’t too surprising; the earth and unicorn fillies definitely seemed more into school than their pegasus friend. Slowly little fillies and colts began to filter into the class room. Most giving Jen a wide berth, but those few who had taken part in the game at the park the other day gave her a friendly greeting. She gave Dinky a smile as the little unicorn filly filed in, who returned it full force. Soon their teacher entered, shutting the door behind her. “Alright my little ponies. Today we have a special new student joining our class. Please give a warm welcome to Jennifer Pie.” The little ponies all exchanged confused looks…though some stomped their forehooves in applause (mostly the crusaders and Dinky). Jen couldn’t hide a little grimace. “Er…it’s Jennifer Allen actually…the Pie is just a sort of…technicality. And I like just Jen.” “Oh! I see my mistake. I’ll make sure to fix that. Now before we get started, does anypony have any questions for Jennifer?” The girl wasn’t terribly surprised to see almost every hoof in the air. With the exception of Applebloom’s. “Uh…” She nodded to the chubby blue unicorn colt…Snips she thought his name was. “Shoot.” His hoof dropped. “Do you really eat ponies?” It seemed this was the question on about half the classes mind as most of the other hooves lowered. “I can honestly say I never have, and never will eat a pony.” She almost rolled her eyes at the chorus of relieved sighs that echoed from the class. “Aren’t you like…OLD to be coming to school?” Jen grimaced seeing it was the little pink monster who was teasing the crusaders earlier. “Well…yeah I guess. Where I’m from the uh…foals go to school until we’re eighteen. So I’d still have a couple years left.” “Why? Are you all stupid or something?” This brought a round of snickers from some of the ponies; their teacher seemed less than amused. “That’s enough of that Diamond Tiara. You should know better. Just because somepony has a different way of doing things than use doesn’t mean she should be teased for it.” The filly managed to put an apologetic look on her face (one that Jen was sure was practiced to look as genuine as possible). “I’m sorry Ms. Cheerilee.” She picked out Dinky’s hoof among the ones still raised. “What’s your question Dinky?” The unicorn beamed having been picked out by name. “Is Pinkie Pie REALLY your mom?” That brought the ghost of a frown to Jen’s face. “No…she’s just filling in for my mom since I don’t have one here in Equestria.” “So…isn’t that the same thing? Filling in for your mom is the same as BEING her right? She does all the mom stuff?” Jennifer sincerely hoped Pinkie didn’t start doing all the ‘mom stuff’ she’d received back on Earth. “I guess. I’ve been staying with the Apple family until Pinkie’s house is done but in a couple weeks I’ll be living with her. So maybe then?” There was only one hoof still raised, a scrawny little pegasus colt. “Uh, go ahead.” “Did you really have a sword fight with Discord?” Now everypony was leaning forward in their seats to hear. “Well…yeah.” Every pair of eyes widened in amazement. “It wasn’t a big deal…plus I almost died.” She lifted her shirt to show the scar across her stomach. It definitely produced the intended effect. A faint chorus of ‘wooooow’ or ‘ooooo’ rose up from the classroom. Jen smirked a bit seeing even Diamond Tiara and her little flunky looked impressed in spite of themselves. “I only won cause my sword summoned a knight to help me. She’s the one who really beat Discord. I just bashed him in the face and gave him two black eyes.” She crossed her eyes for emphasis and this brought a round of laughter. “Alright I think that’s enough questions for Jennifer. Why don’t you go pick up some text books from the cupboard there and find your seat, then we’ll get started.” With a nod to her teacher Jen walked to the cupboard and pulled it open, finding neatly arranged stacks of books. With a questioning glance back to the teacher she began to select one of each. Seeing the approving nod she took her load and settled in her desk in the back. It was surprisingly comfy, and she wondered where it had come from. “As I’m sure everypony knows Hearth’s Warming is coming in just a couple short weeks! And since Jennifer is so very new, I thought we’d spend the time from now until then doing review.” Every little pair of eyes lit up at this. For the studious ones it meant a chance to keep knowledge fresh in their minds. For those less concerned with academic pursuits it meant a couple weeks of easy classes they didn’t have to pay full attention to. For her part, Jennifer was absolutely riveted during the history lessons. Never being a big fan of the subject back home…here where it was all magic and monsters it was like a fantasy novel. Save that the events actually happened. Eventually she raised her hand, interrupting the lecture. “Yes? You had a question Jen?” She nodded a little, swallowing when every pony turned to look at her. “Well…not about the lesson I’m getting all that alright. But uh…what’s Hearth’s Warming?” Now the glass all broke into laughter assuming she was joking. Seeing the red flush into her cheeks Cheerilee cleared her throat sternly. “Hearth’s Warming is the holiday we celebrate to remind us about just how important friendship and cooperation is between the three pony tribes. You’ll start to see decorations being put up soon. In fact this gives me a good idea. I want everypony to write a report this week about what Hearth’s Warming means to them. We’ll give oral presentations at the end of the week. It’ll be like all you little ponies are Jen’s teachers for the day…so I want to see a lot of effort go into them!” The little foals seemed torn. On the one hoof…a report was due. On the other they were just told THEY got to be the teachers for the day. A muted chorus of excited mumbling rose from the class. When noon rolled around Cheerilee proclaimed it was time for lunch, and every little pony rocketed from the classroom as fast as their legs could carry them. Jen approached her teacher’s desk with a frown. “Uh…is it ok if I leave school grounds to get something to eat?” “It’ll be alright this time Jennifer, but try to remember to pack a lunch tomorrow.” “Yes ma’am sorry…where I’m from if we don’t pack lunches we could buy one in the school cafeteria.” Her teacher seemed surprised. “Really? When you have some free time I’d love to sit down and have a talk about what your schools are like.” “Oh uh…sure that’s fine. I dunno how much help I’ll be but I’d be happy to tell you whatever I can remember. I’ll be back soon!” She waved and sprinted from the school. Of course the foals watched her with curiosity…it wasn’t normal for a student to just take off. She noticed Dinky sitting a little apart from the others, not eating and with a little frown on her face. Fortunately Sugarcube Corner wasn’t far from the school and she was at the bakery in no time. Pinkie was behind the counter and seemed at first surprised, then a little upset. “Jenny are you skipping school?!” “What? No! No I just didn’t get a lunch from Applejack so…I kinda need food.” Pinkie’s mood did an instant one eighty. “Oh! Why didn’tcha say so?! Let’s see what we got!” Soon the counter was laden with all sorts of pastries and confections…Pinkie’s enthusiasm ebbed when Mrs. Cake poked her head out of the kitchen and cleared her throat meaningfully. “Er…right…um…how’s a nice…cucumber sandwich sound?” Well THAT was a surprise. Normally Jen would have to demand something that wasn’t some form of cake. “Can you make it two? I’m uh…super hungry.” “Sure thing Jenny-bean!” Soon enough Pinkie pranced from the kitchen with a paper bag containing the sandwiches, and to Jen’s delight a thermos filled with the home made lemonade. “Thanks Pinkie! I’ll come by after school and tell you how the day went!” Snatching the bag and thermos she was back out the door and down the road. She plopped on the ground next to Dinky and took out both sandwiches, offering the filly the spare. “Hungry?” By now most of the foals had finished eating and were onto the playtime of their lunch break. The little filly nodded eagerly accepting the offered sandwich. Jen smiled and poured some of the lemonade into the cap of the thermos setting it aside for the filly. Then began in on her own lunch. She still missed things like a hot roast beef or turkey sandwich at lunch…but they had some fresh fruit and veggies here, that was for sure. “Thanks Jen…momma forgot. Again.” Jen just nodded absently. “I’m surprised Ms. Cheerilee doesn’t have something on hand in case this happens.” Dinky shrugged her little shoulders. “If we ask she goes out and gets us something, but I feel bad making her do that all the time.” The girl frowned now, wondering just how ‘all the time’ this really happened. “Well maybe I’ll just pack a lunch for two from now on.” “Oh you don’t have to do that! She doesn’t forget THAT much. But holiday times she gets SO busy that it gets worse than usual. Once Hearth’s Warming is over she’ll be back to normal.” The filly smiled as she finished her meal, sipping the drink curiously. “It’s sour!” Jen laughed now. “Yup, just how I like it. Why, no good?” Dinky shook her head. “No it’s tasty! I just wasn’t expecting it.” With a shrug the girl wadded up the paper bag and capped the thermos. “I’m gonna go back inside and read some more of that history book.” “Mmkay! See ya in a few Jen!” The filly bounded off to join in one of the games that had cropped up, as Jen made her way back inside and cracked her book. Cheerilee watched her enter, and was silent for a few minutes. “That was very nice, what you did for Dinky.” “Huh? Oh it was nothing. I just had Pinkie whip up an extra sandwich.” She laughed. “Oh I don’t know.” The mare made her way around her desk to take a seat beside Jen. “Thinking about somepony else is never just ‘nothing’. The Mayor stopped by to talk to me about your…daycare was it?” “Oh that! Yeah I just…” Jen shrugged. “Back home the kids…that’s what we call our foals…their ages don’t just run around unsupervised all day. I mean you ponies don’t have the dangers we have back home, but I still see the little guys getting into all sorts of trouble. It’s not uncommon where I came from for both parents to work, and there was usually a time gap between kids leaving school, and parents getting home from work.” Cheerilee was nodding to show she understood so far. “So some adults back home, usually volunteers if I remember right would set up a daycare system. Often it was run through the schools. Basically they did fun activities and stuff to keep the kids occupied until their parents came to pick them up.” “Oh my! How clever, like foal sitting but for a group? It seems like such a simple concept but nopony that I can think of has ever considered that. And believe me some of the little ones could certainly use a bit more supervision.” Jen had a pretty good idea of three particular fillies her teacher was thinking of. “Right! Well that’s why I brought the idea up with the Mayor. I’m supposed to write a few words about it and it’s gonna come up at the town meeting this week. I guess everypony will vote or something?” Cheerilee nodded again. “Yes when something like this comes up that’s usually how it’s done. It’s a bit trickier than most proposals since it’s directly dealing with the little ones. I for one think this is an excellent idea, and you’ll have my full support. In fact…have you decided where exactly this daycare is going to be?” Slowly the girl shook her head. “No ma’am, not yet. I was hoping to talk to Applejack or Twilight about it. They seem like they’d know a good place for something like this.” With a nod of her head Cheerilee beckoned Jen to follow her to the window. Pointing a hoof toward the back of the school grounds she indicated a dilapidated looking…well Jen had to say it looked almost like a miniature church or steeple. “What about there?” “…bit of a fixer upper.” The earth pony laughed at that. “Well I suppose it is at that. But it’s been owned by the school since before I took it over, so that makes it mine technically. Nopony’s been there to worship in…I don’t know how long. So it’s just sat there for years and years. If you want to put the work in, it’s yours.” “Wow Ms. Cheerilee I dunno what to say! Of course I’ll take it…I mean I dunno anything about construction and stuff but I’m sure I can find somepony to help out!” “Actually, why don’t you ask Applebloom?” Jen raised her brows at that. “Applebloom? What’s she know about stuff like that?” “Oh a good deal in fact.” Cheerilee made her way toward the main doors. “She rebuilt her sister’s old club house. It’s basically the same idea just on a bigger scale. She has a real talent for that you might say.” She winked, indicating a joke of some kind that Jen didn’t seem to get. “Jennifer how much do you know about our cutie marks?” The question caught the girl by surprise. “Uh…Twilight said ponies get them when they find like…their special talent?” She had always thought that was both weird and an obscure description. “That’s correct, if a bit vague. Everypony has something they were born to do. Our destiny if you want to be a bit dramatic about it. Now that’s not to say that a pony with a cutie mark of say, a hammer and nail couldn’t become a dancer…but generally we feel happiest when we do something that correlates with our marks. Now if you got a cutie mark in something like gardening, you could still enjoy art or music or anything else. We all have hobbies…but our marks are what make us unique…special. Most jobs you’ll find out in the world hire based around cutie marks as well.” Jen was slowly nodding, processing what she was learning. “So…if I got my cutie mark for like, drawing…I could still do something else. Drawing is just what I’m the absolute best at?” Her teacher smiled. “Exactly!” “Hm.” She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. On the one hand it was an interesting idea…and would certainly make planning one’s future easier. On the other, it rankled with her a bit and seemed to oppose the idea of free will in a way. Cheerilee announced lunch was over and the rest of the class began filing in. When the math lessons started Jen shrunk down in her desk a bit futilely trying to avoid her teacher’s gaze. Naturally she zeroed right in on Jen…who could only shrug helplessly at the shockingly complex formulas on the board. “Did you never learn fractions in your school Jen?” Cheerilee sounded a bit concerned. Jen shrugged. “No uh…we DID…but I was like…nine or ten. And I haven’t really had to do anything with ‘em in a lot of years. Back home we have little machines that do math for us.” Her teacher went from concerned to surprised. “I…see. Well that’s interesting. But we don’t have anything like that here.” Jennifer had a sneaking suspicion that whatever her eventual cutie mark turned out to be, it would not fall into a field requiring her to learn advanced (to HER basic fractions were advanced!), mathematical equations. “Well I’ll do my best to catch up ma’am.” She gave a wan smile. Cheerilee seemed mollified by this and resumed the lesson, handing out work sheets to her students to fill out. Jen resisted the urge to peek on her neighbors’ paper…and when she couldn’t do that any longer she wasn’t terribly surprised to find most of Scootaloo’s taken up by doodling. The day seemed to be going pretty well…until toward the end when Cheerilee wasn’t looking she felt something wet splat against the side of her head. Eyes wide Jen slapped her hand up and came away with…a spitball? She looked incredulously to her side to find a snicker Diamond Tiara tucking a straw away. Shooting a glance to make sure her teacher was sufficiently distracted Jen leaned in close to the smirking filly, speaking in a harsh whisper. “If you ever so much as look at me sideways again I’ll yank that stupid crown off your head and feed it to you…you got me?” As if only now realizing the newest subject of her bullying was about three or four times her size the filly’s pupils contracted sharply and she nodded rapidly. Satisfied she was sufficiently cowed Jen leaned back in her seat…only to find a widely grinning Scootaloo gazing at her adoringly. “That was AWESOME.” Jen just shrugged. “You gotta take a stand with bullies and they’ll back off. Also it helps I’m enormous and carry a sword around.” She grinned back at the filly. Both girls jumped in their seats at the sudden “AHEM.” Coming from the front of the class. Turning to face their teacher they found her looking less than amused. “I’m not sure how it’s done in your old school Jennifer, but in MY classroom we pay attention and save conversation for after class. And I KNOW you know better Scootaloo!” The pair caught in their angry teacher’s line of fire both mumbled apologetic ‘yes ma’am’s’ and shrank down in their seats, much to their classmates delight. The foals seemed to be warming to Jen’s presence as the day neared its end…when it became apparent that despite being nearly as tall as their princesses, she was just another filly. The last hour of the day was time set aside for independent study and refreshers…so naturally most of the foals used that time to goof around and chat. Jen however had her nose buried in her history book, and kept flipping from the index to another chapter. Eventually she raised her hand. “Yes Jennifer? You have a question about something?” Jen nodded. “Yeah I was looking up about Equestria’s holidays. I found the Summer Sun Celebration, Celestia’s Birthday, Princess Appreciation Day…and was wondering when we had holidays for Luna?” This brought all the conversations to a grinding halt, and all the foals looked from the human girl to their teacher now. Cheerilee tilted her head. “Well we have Nightmare Night of course.” The human furrowed her brow. “Right…I saw that one. When everyone dressed in costumes and acts terrified of her. But I mean…that’s not exactly a flattering holiday.” Now the little ponies were mumbling…some nodding amongst themselves. Cheerilee herself seemed to be growing a bit flustered. “Well it’s a little complicated…I’m sure you’ve heard of Nightmare Moon from Pinkie Pie.” Jen shrugged. “Sure, I heard the story. And they got rid of the evil that had possessed Luna and turned her back to her old self. But I mean…isn’t history just going to repeat itself if everypony keeps treating her like…some kinda boogie man?” While nopony else may have known what a boogie man was (now the boogie MARE they were scared of), they caught the gist. “Yeah Princess Luna was really nice! How come she doesn’t get NICE holidays?” “Well I…I don’t know my little ponies. It’s been a very long time since Princess Luna was living among us…I’m sure SOME important ponies are talking about this. We just have to trust that it’ll work itself out.” The class seemed more than a little surprised at their teacher NOT having the answer to a question. She looked relieved when she glanced at the clock. “Look at that! It’s time for everypony to be getting home! I’ll see you all bright and early tomorrow!” Of course this brought a chorus of cheers from the foals who wasted no time fleeing the building, all except Jen who was more slow to leave, a thoughtful frown on her face. She didn’t immediately go to Sugarcube, instead heading for Twilight’s library. Her knock was answered by Spike…she still thought it was weird you had to knock on the door of the supposedly public library. “Oh! Hey Jen, lookin’ for Twilight? She’s in her lab downstairs.” “Thanks Spike. Is it cool to go down?” At his nod she set her heavy bag by the door and traipsed downstairs. “Hey Twilight? You here?” Jen had expected some kind of alchemy lab like the ones in Harry Potter…she did NOT expect the high tech machinery and gadgets filling the bottom of the Golden Oaks. “Oh! Jennifer good timing! I actually wanted to see you!” Taking the last couple stairs in one step Jen arrived at the bottom. “What about?” “Well! I thought it would be a good idea to gauge what your mana reserves were at, so we could get an idea of how to proceed on your magical training!” Twilight seemed excited…Jen was staring blankly. “Er…right…human. Mana is the energy a unicorn draws on to use our magic. It fills the air around us as an invisible sort of energy we can draw on. Each unicorn has a uniquely sized mana reserve. It’s best to think of it like…a drinking glass! Every unicorn can fill their glass to a certain extent. The more we can fill it, the more powerful magic we can do. This doesn’t necessarily indicate what sort of spells we can learn, simply how powerful said spells are when cast.” “Ok that makes sense…so how do we figure out how…full we can make my glass?” Twilight indicated one of the complex looking machines. “With this! We attach a node to your horn and have you channel energy through it. The indicator here will tell us how much potential you have. In the old days we used to have archaic ways of doing it…like if you could hatch a dragon egg or something.” Jen raised an eyebrow at the oddly specific reference but shrugged it off. “Sure sounds easy enough, I wanted to talk to you about something too.” “Well then this works out well for everyone! Go ahead and have a seat here, while I warm up the Mana Spectrometer!” Jennifer did as she was asked, fiddling with the node while Twilight flipped all manner of switches and buttons, causing the machine to hum to life. “I was absolutely fascinated by how you humans circumvented a lack of magic with your technology, and it’s inspired me to create all sorts of machines. Of course they run on magical engines but still…the basic principle is the same.” Jen didn’t feel the need to point out that by making machines that run on magic the principle was literally the opposite of the original intent. “So I was reading about Equestrian holidays today.” “Oh? I have some excellent books on the subject if you want more in-depth study.” Jen rolled her eyes…she was sure the unicorn had in-depth books on EVERYthing. “And was wondering why Princess Luna only got Nightmare Night…while Celestia has like six holidays in her honor.” The unicorns frantic movements slowed as that sunk in. “…that Jennifer, is an EXCELLENT question. I dare say this very subject could have contributed to her becoming Nightmare Moon in fact.” Without looking Twilight seized the node from Jen’s hand with her magic and attached it firmly to the girl’s horn. “I suppose she may have had other holidays in the past though it seems unlikely, I’ve never come across mention of them in my books.” Jen nodded looking crossed eyed up at her horn, the node trailing a wire from it to the machine. “Well how does someone go about uh…starting a holiday?” “Hm. Well I suppose most had small beginnings of course. I mean SOMEpony had to be the first to come up with Hearth’s Warming or Feasting Day. Then they just sort of expanded from their point of origin, to the point where they were national holidays.” One last dial was turned and Twilight looked over to her guest. “Go ahead and channel some magic. You don’t have to do anything specific, just focus on pushing energy through your horn.” “So…technically WE could start one in Princess Luna’s honor?” Jen closed her eyes taking a deep breath. She thought of the feeling of using her Find It spell…even if she didn’t actually use that specific spell. The warm tingles started to flow through her body and out her horn. A vivid green line snaked from the node along the wire, and the needle on the indicator began to climb. “Well…well yes. Yes in fact we could! Oh what an exciting idea! We could start our very own holiday right here in Ponyville! Oh but what would it be about? What would we call it?!” Twilight was bouncing with excitement now...neither girl paying much attention to the machine, even as Jen kept the mana flowing. “Well it’s winter, and if the seasons are similar to the ones on Earth the winter solstice is coming up in a bit yeah?” Twilight gave a nod. “Well…what if on the longest night of winter, we have a Winter Moon Celebration. We can make a whole big deal about Luna raising the moon, like you guys do when Celestia raises the sun on the longest day.” “Yes…yes that’s perfect! Everypony stays up all night to see Celestia raise the sun in the morning, so what if we did the same…only it was to enjoy and celebrate Luna’s night! Oh she’ll be beside herself with joy! Oh but I’ll have to draw up the proposal…the decorations…the refreshments…there’s so much thought to put into this!” Spike had made his way down the stairs, eyeing the humming machine cautiously, fire extinguisher at the ready. He’d been through enough of Twilight’s experiments to know more often than not it was needed. And neither unicorn nor human seemed to be paying much attention to the needle clicking against the far end of the indicator in the danger zone. “Well I know a couple ponies perfectly suited for designing and hosting big parties. Both of whom I’m sure would go crazy at the chance to get in the ground floor of a brand new holiday.” Jennifer was grinning widely. Twilight nodded again. “You’re right! Oh I wonder if Fluttershy could put together a choir of nocturnal animals? Can bats sing like birds? I know they squeak so maybe they can put a melody together…the food is trickier. We can’t use apples like the summer celebration.” “Well I’m her guest this weekend, I’ll put out feelers. Try to find out what sorts of food she likes the best. If this is in her honor we should be catering to Luna after all.” “Right again Jennifer! With all these good ideas I’m beginning to feel like I should be threatened by you.” They shared a laugh…that died abruptly when the machine let out its first spark. Then another, and another. Crackling and humming dangerously it began to vibrate. The baby dragon sprang into action, his extinguisher going wildly as he hosed down every inch of the sizzling, smoking machine. Jen snatched the node off her horn and the device calmed almost immediately. “Is…that supposed to happen Twilight?” Eyes wide the unicorn cleared some of the foam from the machines indicators. “I must have calibrated it poorly, these readings can’t be right.” She heaved an annoyed sigh. “I’ll get it repaired and we’ll try again soon!” This brought a groan of protest from her assistant. “Later…for now I’m too excited about this holiday idea. I’m going to round up the girls and talk this out. Do you want to come?” Jen waved a hand. “Nah I should get back to the farm, I have some homework to get to. I like to get it done sooner rather than later.” “Excellent work ethic! I like that.” Spike rolled his eyes, causing Jen to grin. “Well I’ll see you soon I’m sure, and Spike make sure you clean up all this mess!” If Twilight heard his wail of protest…she didn’t give any indicator. Jen offered him an apologetic smile and grabbed a rag, helping him clean up. “Aw you don’t gotta do that I’m used to it.” She shrugged a little. “It’s no problem…I broke the stupid thing after all.” “Heh I guess that’s true. Wish she’d stop messing with all these…things though. Most of the time this is all they do. Explode, start fires, or make big messes.” “Mm, I think he’s just curious. Though she does seem to go a little overboard at times.” “Sister, you don’t know the half of it.” Jen was treated to all manner of mishaps Twilight had been getting up to down here. By the time she left her sides were aching from laughing so hard. She was starting to settle into a routine over the next couple days. Applejack still had to wake her every morning, but bathing was made more lively by sharing the shower with Applebloom. The little filly was almost expectantly waiting for the girl to turn the shower on and begin their game. Class was going well, and Jen was in love with her history text book much to her teacher’s delight. Not so much the math book. It was Wednesday morning and she was having trouble focusing on the day’s lesson. Something about the Griffonian Empire. “Alright everypony, why don’t you go out and enjoy your lunches. Jennifer please stay behind.” This brought a chorus of ‘oooo’s from the foals as they filtered out. Jen approached her teacher’s desk timidly. “Uh…did I do something wrong Ms. Cheerilee?” The earth pony looked up at her sympathetically. “Nervous about tonight?” The girl blew out a breath and her shoulders sagged. “Really nervous. I’m not big on public speaking.” “Normally I tell my students to imagine everypony wearing underwear if they’re nervous to help them relax…I have a feeling that won’t work for you.” This brought a laugh from Jen. “No I guess not. I’m nervous but I can suck it up for one night. It won’t be so bad I’m sure.” Her teacher hm’d softly. “Well remember you’re going to be asking all those parents to put the care of their foals in your hands, no matter how short a time it is. That’s a heavy responsibility, and you’ll want to make a good impression on them. It helps that you’re well known in town, and a known friend of some prominent townsponies.” “Yeah Twilight said she’d help me organize a speech for tonight after school.” “Why don’t you head over to the library now then? Sooner you get started the better prepared you’ll be.” Jen had only been going to school for three days now…but a half day was a half day. That was just wired into her being. “Are you sure? I mean…” Cheerilee waved a hoof. “It’s fine dear, you’re a model student in class though I wish you’d show as much enthusiasm for math as you do art and history.” The girl’s eyes drifted to a picture of her teacher she’d sketched out during art period yesterday. The assignment had been ‘draw something in the class room’. Jennifer had surprised Cheerilee by choosing her as the subject, and doing a wonderful job capturing her likeness in pencil. “Alright! I’ll see you at the meeting tonight I guess?” “I’m actually on the city council, so I’ll be there. See you tonight Jennifer.” Jen burst out of the school with a grin, Applebloom caught sight of her making for the gate. “Where y’all headin’ off to Jenny?” Still grinning ear to ear she turned to regard the filly, walking backwards. “Ms. Cheerilee says I get to leave early to work on my speech tonight.” The other crusaders all let out a loud ‘awwww’ at this. “Hey! Maybe we can get our cutie marks in speech writing?” Sweetie Belle’s two friends did not seem to share her enthusiasm at the idea. With a laugh Jen made her way to the library, letting herself in this time. The librarian had a small mountain of notecards stacked in front of her on a table, reading over each one slowly. “Uh…whatcha got there Twilight?” The unicorn looked at her visitor and instantly scowled. “Jennifer! Aren’t you going to be tardy getting back to school?” Then her eyes widened in horror. “Are you...skipping class?” She could barely force the last out. Jen laughed and shook her head. “No…Ms. Cheerilee let me go early to come over and work on my speech for tonight.” “Hm. I don’t know how I feel about you leaving class early but if Cheerilee said it’s alright…” Jen just rolled her eyes and sat across from Twilight. “…so…whatcha got there?” Instantly the unicorn’s mood brightened. “Oh! Well this is MY speech for the Winter Moon Festival’s proposal.” Eyeing the stack dubiously Jen frowned. “There’s like a hundred note cards there.” “One hundred and fifty three to be exact!” “You…don’t think that’s a bit much?” Eyes widening again Twilight shook her head vigorously. “Of course not! This is a very serious issue we’re proposing tonight. Why isn’t yours going to be as long?” “Uhhh….I was thinking like…ten would probly do me.” “Ten? TEN? What kind of speech could you POSSIBLY fit onto just TEN note cards?” “One that won’t put everypony to sleep?” Jen laughed as Spike wandered by the table and into the kitchen, commenting as he went. Her laughter choked in her throat at Twilight’s glare. “Well…why don’t you get started and we’ll see what we need once you get what YOU think is enough.” With a nod the girl took a pad of paper and a pencil from her bag and got to work. She tried to make it concise as she could. Spike was joking as he walked passed (Jen assumed, in fact he was not), but she wanted to get what she had to say out and done with as quickly as possible. Satisfied with what she had on paper she began transcribing it to the note cards, managing to fill eleven and a half which she offered to the highly doubtful looking Twilight Sparkle. “Well it’s definitely to the point. And you do a good enough job outlining your reasons for the Daycare and what you intend to do there. I suggest you prepare some responses to questions.” Jen wrinkled her nose in thought. “Like what?” Twilight tapped a hoof against her muzzle. “Well what sorts of activities you plan. Will you provide after school snacks? Will you be available on weekends? What if you need to take disciplinary action?” “Oh…yeah those are…good questions. That I SHOULD be able to answer.” “They are. Also how much do you plan to charge for this service?” Now that was something Jen had been thinking about for some time. Babysitting jobs the pay tended to vary wildly, and she really had little basis for a dollars to bits conversion rate. “Well…what would be fair?” “Well I think an hourly rate needs to be established. You have to take the cost of running and maintaining your facility, while still making enough profit to have some spending money for yourself. I believe three bits an hour per foal would be a fair rate.” Jen nodded doing a bit of math in her head. She could probably get treats at a discount from Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Maybe even with an IOU system until things got rolling. The activities were another story. She supposed she could just take them outside and have them do outdoor games of some kind, but then the foals could do those sorts of things on their own. She’d briefly considered asking Twilight to blow up her iPod again and play cartoons for them, but parents back home didn’t like their kids sitting in front of TV all day, she doubt the ponies would. “Well arts and crafts? That’s something they like. And you could enlarge the ear buds on my iPod to speaker size; I have lots of kids’ music so that’s something to do. Sing alongs I guess. Oh…you guys have board games right? I bet I could borrow some from Pinkie until I can stock it with my own.” Twilight was smiling as she nodded. “Yes. Those are all excellent ideas.” “As for discipline…I mean am I going to need it?” The unicorn shrugged a little. “Well sometimes foals can get a little out of hand and need to be reined in.” “Well I guess time outs? And in severe cases I’d inform the parents. I mean it’s not like I can ground or spank them or anything.” “Very good! I suggest you write all this down so you have it on hoof in case these issues are brought up.” Jen was already writing, filling a couple more cards, before she started reading over the whole mess again. “I think I’m ready!” “Excellent! You have just about an hour until the meeting, I suggest you go home. Freshen up and come dressed in your best.” “Thanks for the help Twilight, I know you’re busy and I appreciate it.” “Not at all. To be honest I’ve had a lot of time on my hooves with Princess Celestia being…busy elsewhere. Until she returns I’m mostly just left to my own devices for how I fill my time. Frankly it’s not something I’m used to.” “Heh, well I’ll see you at the meeting!” Jen set a brisk pace for the Apple’s farm. She smiled as Pinkie Pie bounded out of the bakery to trot at her side. “Heya Jenny-bean! Tonight’s the big night huh?” “Yup. I’m goin to get ready right now in fact.” “Well just relax! You’ve already got three of the five council members in the bag!” This was new to Jennifer. She knew Cheerilee was on the town council and the mayor of course though she wasn’t sure if she’d been a guaranteed yes. “Who all’s on the town council anyhow?” Pinkie tilted her head. “Well there’s Mayor Mare of course. Then Granny Smith. Mr. Cake, Cheerilee, and Filthy Rich!” “Wow really? I don’t recognize the last one.” “Oh he’s the owner of Barnyard Bargains! That big general store a few streets down from Sugarcube Corner! I’m sure you’ve passed it tons of times. Mr. Rich has stores all over Equestira, he’s super rich.” Jen managed to not roll her eyes. With a name like Filthy Rich it’d be pretty ironic if he wasn’t. “He a nice guy?” “Oh sure, not stuck up or snooty at all. He lives in Ponyville after all! His family helped found the town alongside the Apple’s you know?” Jen did NOT know in fact. “No kidding?” “No kidding! He’s got a lot of money but he’s super nice to everypony. Just real busy since I guess if you want that much money you’ve gotta work for it!” Now THAT was a concept the girl was familiar with. While her family wasn’t rich, they were very well off. Mostly because her dad worked day and night, sometimes seven days a week. He was at the office at all hours. “I see. Hey is he an earth pony too?” “Mmhm! Everyone on the council is…it’s tradition!” Jen glanced at the charm bracelet dangling from her wrist. Specifically at the one charm she hadn’t bothered to try out yet, thinking it was the most dull and least likely to produce any interesting results. With a little shrug her fingers brushed it just gently enough to awaken the earth aspect. Pinkie winced at the unexpected burst of magic around the girl. “Ooo lookit you!” “What? Do I look weird?” She couldn’t feel her horn…or the wings she’d had the other day. But she didn’t feel normal either. She felt…centered. Scuffing the dirt with the toe of her shoe she found herself idly wishing she weren’t wearing them at all. With a curious frown she approached a large store front window. “Holy six pack Batman!” She gasped a bit seeing her enhanced musculature. While she wasn’t a body builder or anything, she had some very visible muscles along her bare arms. Her t-shirt was somewhat ill fitting on her broader shoulders, revealing the hint of her much enhanced abdominals. Even her jeans were fitting tightly on her more muscular legs. “Bet you could give Applejack a run for her money now huh?” Pinkie was giggling hysterically. Gingerly she lifted an arm flexing the bicep, eyes widening again at the size of the muscle it produced. “Maybe Big Macintosh.” She meant it as a joke but as Pinkie watched her twist and flex her new muscle, she wondered how much of that was true. She didn’t look like she was going to be dragging a house behind her anytime soon, but she definitely looked like she could handle a plow. “You don’t have time to go all Rarity on me now Jenny-bean. Don’tcha gotta go get ready?” This snapped the girl out of herself studying. “You’re right! Cripes. I’ll see you in a bit Pinkie! Let’s have dinner together tonight!” She dashed off for the farm. And in record time she was there. It was like the landscape just flashed by her in a rush of wind and color. Blinking in astonishment she hopped the fence around the farm and trotted to the house. She’d just run a pretty fair distance in record time and wasn’t even winded. In fact she felt like she could run awhile more too. The stallion she and Pinkie were just discussing was sitting on the porch enjoying the early sunset with a glass of juice. He raised a hoof in greeting then let it fall when the girl came into clearer view. Giggling at the look on his face Jen tossed him a little wink before making her way inside and upstairs. Emerging from her room soon again clad in the fine silk blouse and skirt Rarity had crafted (even if they fit a bit more snugly than before), and her sneakers exchanged with the matching slippers, Jen ducked into the bathroom picking through the very meager offering of cosmetics. Just a bit of blush and lipstick was all she used. Taking a few minutes to weave her hair into a tight braid she stood back to admire her look. “Thank y’all kindly f’r this here chance t’talk with ya.” She snickered at her reflection. “Think yer best stickin’ with the braid an fergettin’ the accent there young’un.” Jen yelped and looked guiltily to the elderly mare standing in the door with an amused grin on her face. It looked like Jennifer wasn’t the only one to dress up for the occasion. Granny Smith had her hair in its usual bun, but a lovely silk bonnet on her head, and a finely crafted shawl thrown about her shoulders. “Sorry Granny Smith.” The old pony chuckled and slowly made her way downstairs. “Oh t’aint nothin’ t’be sorry about. S’cute in a way. The braids a nice touch an so’s ya goin earth pony. Butcha don’t wanna overdo it or ya might make some folks think yer makin’ fun of em.” Jennifer held the front door for the Apple family elder as they both stepped onto the porch. Glancing at Big Mac, still in the same spot on the porch she gave him another wink before accompanying the elderly mare into town. Plenty of ponies were making their way to towtown hall, and Jen suppressed a sudden onset of nerves. “Now when they call yer name jus’ c’mon up. Introduce yerself, say yer piece an that’s that. Folk might have a couple questions but it’s nothin’ too serious.” “Alright, thanks Granny Smith.” She gave the mare a smile as she joined the general flow into town hall, most ponies making a little space as she approached. It was standing room only inside, but she spied Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity in a line against the far wall. The girl went to join her friends. “This is where ponies that have business with the town council wait to be heard. They’ll call us up, we give our presentations and then they vote. It’s very simple darling, you’ve nothing at all to be nervous about.” Rarity gave Jen a warm smile, and tried to hide her exasperation at Twilight’s massive speech. Jen drew more than a few curious looks. Not so much for her being present at the meeting, but that she was in line to address the assembled ponies. She kept her focus on the dais up front, trying to tune out the curious whispers. The town council filed in and took their seats behind the big table. She tried to pay attention…but most of what was going on was pretty boring. Irrigation and taxes and the sorts of governmental stuff Jen had never really been interested back home. It wasn’t until Rarity prodded her firmly with a hoof that she realized everypony in the place was staring at her. Realizing they must have called her name she lurched forward and up onto the stage. The assembled ponies seemed more amused than upset which was a good sign she felt. Slowly approaching the microphone she cleared her throat. “Uh…hello everypony. I’m…” She was struck with sudden inspiration. “…Jennifer Allen Pie.” She could hear Pinkie gasp excitedly before Twilight clamped a hoof over her muzzle. She fumbled a moment before drawing out her note cards. The ponyfolk waited patiently as she collected herself. It was common knowledge she was basically a giant filly, so they showed the same patience they would any other youngster. Finally she got her speech ready. “Ahem. I’ve been a part of this wonderful community for almost two months now. In that short amount of time the good ponies of Ponyville have shown me nothing but warmth and kindness.” She flipped to the next card, but felt her confidence rising as she heard a few ‘awws’ in the crowd. “I’ve noticed since I arrived that some of the more lively fillies and colts in town can get into a fair bit of mischief after school hours. Nothing malicious, but sometimes damage is done and business is disrupted and this isn’t good for anypony. Three specific fillies spring to mind immediately.” She smiled to show it was a bit of a joke, and was rewarded with much laughter from the crowd…while Rarity and Granny Smith did their best to look innocent. She shuffled to the next card. “Now as I’m sure everypony knows, I’m not originally from around here.” She got another bout of laughs and felt more relaxed as she spoke. “Where I’m from parents tend to be a little stricter on monitoring their foals’ activities.” She silently thanked Twilight for looking over her speech and correcting the human terminology she’d written in her first draft. “There are plenty of families where both parents work during the day. In the time between school and them getting off work, they would leave their foals in the care of somepony else in a place we called a daycare.” “The daycare is watched over by more mature adults who keep the foals occupied with games, activities, and pretty much just doing what foals enjoy doing in their free time. Only with some adult supervision to keep them out of trouble.” She took a deep breath. “My proposal is to open a daycare here in Ponyville. Miss Cheerilee has kindly offered to give me the old steeple on the school grounds for use. It will need repairs of course, but I’m confident I can turn it into a warm and fun environment for the foals to spend their time before their parents are ready to pick them up.” “So um…yeah. That’s it…the floor is now open for questions.” There was a loud rumble as the crowd of ponies began to talk all at once, the stallion she didn’t recognize, who must be Filthy Rich pounded his table with a hoof like a gavel. “Now everypony let’s have order! One at a time.” Several hooves rose into the air, Jen pointed to a familiar gray pegasus. “Yes ma’am?” Ditzy Doo flapped a bit to get over the crowd settling before the podium Jen occupied. “How much is this going to cost?” “Oh! Well after discussing it with some more experienced ponies and factoring in the cost of snacks and activities we felt three bits an hour would be fair. It could be paid on a day to day basis, or a long term plan could be worked out.” She just added that last part on the spot but it seemed like a good idea. It also seemed to satisfy many of the ponies who were smiling and nodding. A rose colored earth pony mare stepped up next. “How late would you be running your daycare?” “Well from two thirty when school ends, until five o’clock. I’ve got homework of my own to do of course. And want to have dinner at home.” Jen smiled as the assembly laughed. “If there are extenuating circumstances and you’d have to leave a foal for a longer period of time something could be worked out where they could be picked up from my home.” This was something she’d mentioned to Pinkie, who seemed delighted at the idea. Mr. Rich cleared his voice behind her. “I have a concern. What makes you qualified to look after our foals, being a filly yourself.” Jen turned to address the business pony. “Well sir I’m sixteen, almost a full grown mare in my own right. I’m attending Ms. Cheerilee’s school more to learn about my new home than from an actual need for the basic math and literature educations. I’ll admit I don’t have a lot of experience with foalsitting, but I learned what I DO know from the best. While a firm hand is needed at times, most of what your fillies and colts need is simple supervision. I’d provide them a fun, safe environment to spend their time while waiting for you good ponies to be done with your days’ work.” The Mayor stood. “I think we’ve heard enough.” She looked to her fellow council members, all nodding and smiling. “Very well. It is unanimously decided that Ms. Pie be allowed to start her business. The finer details will be worked out in the coming days, and she will be open for business…?” She looked at Jen questioningly. “Oh ah! Well I’ve been asked to spend the weekend in Canterlot with Princess Luna, but I think…by the week after next I should be up and running.” This brought a surprised murmur from the crowd, more that she was to be a guest of the princess than anything. “Very well, a formal announcement will be made soon.” “Thank you very much everypony! I promise not to let you down.” Jen hastily stepped off the dais and to the refreshments table, getting a large drink of punch. Pinkie was the first to her side. “Congratulations Jenny-bean you did GREAT up there!” She threw her legs around Jen’s waist in a tight hug. The girl had to fling the arm holding her glass out to avoid getting punch all over her blouse. “Thanks Pinkie…I’m just glad that’s over.” She laughed a bit nervously. That’s when she noticed the pair of unicorns on stage now, frantically waving for Pinkie’s attention. “Uh…I think you’re up?” The mare whipped her head toward the stage and yeep’d galloping up to join her friends, much to the crowd’s amusement. Twilight lowered the microphone back to pony height and cleared her throat. “Hello everypony, I’m sure you all know I’m Twilight Sparkle. With me are Pinkie Pie and Rarity.” The ground practically shook from the cheering and applause. The mares on stage all blushed a bit at the booming accolades. “Now as everypony knows, we have many holidays to show our love and appreciation for Princess Celestia.” Another thunderous round of applause. “Well it has been brought to my attention, that we have been inadvertently slighting our other princess, Luna.” The crowd hushed now and exchanged nervous glances and whispers. The members of the council exchanged concerned looks of their own. They had just been told Twilight and her friends had a ‘big new idea’. Twilight waited for the muttering to die down before she continued. “I propose that on the night of the winter solstice…or the longest night of winter, we begin a NEW tradition. Right here in Ponyville. My proposal fillies and gentlecolts, is to host Equestria’s first ever Winter Moon Festival!” The mood instantly changed in the hall. Now the ponies were talking excitedly among each other. Jen couldn’t hide a smile. If there’s one thing she’d learned about the ponyfolk…it’s that they LOVED an excuse to throw a celebration. “I would be more than happy to handle all the planning, and relay what would be needed from all of you through the mayor’s office. Rarity and Pinkie would be working closely with me to make sure our first Winter Moon Festival is an event to remember.” The Mayor leaned forward. “Do you have ANY details you could share with us Ms. Sparkle?” Twilight gave a brisk nod and began shuffling through her notes, before Rarity stepped forward. “The general idea would be the same as the Summer Sun Celebration. The main difference of course being a nightly theme. We would stay up all night not in anticipation of the coming sun, but to celebrate Princess Luna’s beautiful night.” With a little snort Twilight nudged Rarity aside, just as she began to speak again Pinkie jumped up in front of the microphone. “We could do all the yummy treats in silver and blue! And we could have fancy music and games and dancing and everything!” At the resounding cheer Twilight rolled her eyes and tossed the rest of her speech in the trash. “Well I think that settles that. The solstice is Saturday after next yes?” Twilight nodded the affirmative to the mayor. “Well then…we have a lot of planning to do everypony. To prepare for Equestria’s first ever Winter Moon Festival!” Twilight cleared her throat as the cheering died down. “Now…I would like to ask for everypony’s help in keeping this as quiet as possible. We want to surprise Princess Luna on the day of the festival.” Nods and cheers of agreements met her request, and the trio left the stage. “Well that went pretty well! Oh but there’s so much planning to do. I’ll have to get started on the check lists…” Twilight was already out the door, leaving her friends shaking their heads in amusement. “Still…for an event like this I think Twilight’s organizational skills will be even more helpful than on the Wrap Up. At least for the first festival.” Pinkie and Jen could see the gears turning in Rarity’s head, already imagining the town done up in beautiful silver and blue banners. Finally the human and her earth pony surrogate made their way toward the farm. “You’re being awful quiet, aren’t you excited for the festival? You get to plan the very first celebration of a new holiday you know?” “Oh! No no, I AM excited for it…it’s just.” Jen frowned; she’d never seen Pinkie so tongue tied. “It made me happy to hear you say Pie was your last name Jenny. Really, REALLY happy! For a long time I thought you were mad that everypony has been just…sticking that at the end of your last name and you always say “No it’s Allen!” right away. I…I know I’m a silly pony who’s got cotton candy for brains Jenny…but I really love you a whole lot! And I know your human mom wasn’t…very good to you. I just want you to know you have someone who loves you, a TON…like she should have.” Now it was Jen’s turn to be at a loss for words. She kept a slow pace plodding toward Applejack’s farm. “Pinkie I…” She swallowed. “…it’s complicated…how I feel about my mother. I mean I know she’s my mom and I SHOULD love her but…I don’t know if I do. That’s a horrible thing to say I know. I miss my dad, and love him a lot. And my uncle…so I KNOW how to feel that. But when I think of her there’s…nothing.” She stopped now kneeling down eye level with Pinkie. “I love you too Pinkie…but I don’t know if it’s the same way you love me. I wish I could say otherwise it’s just…this is hard. And confusing for me.” Pinkie’s mane seemed in danger of deflating. “O…oh…I know. I know I’m just being silly and this is…sorta stupid.” Jen put her hand on the pony’s shoulder. “No, you’re not being stupid at all. It really meant a lot to me what you said, and I really AM looking forward to moving into our house together. The sooner the better in my opinion.” She offered her a big smile. Her words seemed to reinvigorate the mare, who threw her legs around Jen’s neck in a hug. “Well…that’ll have to do for now I suppose!” She ended the embrace and let Jen stand back up, as they resumed their walk. “So…excited for this weekend?” Now the girl nodded eagerly. “I really am. I’m a little nervous I mean she IS a princess…but she’s been very nice to me when we talked before. AND she’s gonna teach me how to use my sword.” Pinkie stopped at the gate. “Well, you need to get to bed. School in the morning right?” “Yeah…I’ll see you tomorrow Pinkie Pie.” The pony giggled as she trotted back to town. “See ya tomorrow Jenny Pie!” Pinkie’s smile grew even bigger when Jennifer didn’t call out to correct her.