//------------------------------//
// Prologue -- Hush 
// Story: Let the Silence Sing 
// by Aegis Shield 
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Let the Silence Sing
Prologue-- Hush

Princess Celestia was tired. Oh so very tired. Canterlot was abuzz with its usual firestorm of activity, and the warm summer meant the days were longer than most of the year. This not only made the Sun Princess’ work day longer, but made Luna grouchy because her night was shorter. Much shorter. The white alicorn wished she could just go on vacation, but she would have to settle for an afternoon. She was required by law (that she’d written herself, tee hee!) to take an afternoon off at least once every ten days or so. 

What she did during that time was up to her, there were to be no appointments or decisions or courts to attend. She would not break a bottle over any ships, or give any wedding blessings. She would not sit her royal hiney on her throne or check on her royal guards’ training ground. She could just… be a pony. Sort of. Well, she had her own room so that counted.

But, she was tired today as we said before. She’d considered going to see a play, visiting an art gallery, or something else that would be in a large cool room or auditorium. Celestia just didn’t have the energy. She decided on a nice long nap instead. She could rise later that evening and join Luna for dinner (er, Luna’s breakfast). Coming to her room and leaving her guards posted in the hallway, she smiled as she came to her big fluffy… mattress. She blinked twice, staring at it. All her bedclothes were gone. Her pillows were missing too. Checking all around her royal apartments, she puzzled over it for a bit. Oh, it must’ve been laundry day. She was usually in the royal courts all day running the nation, of course the servants would take her bedclothes then so she would have fresh linens in the evening. Hmm. Maybe she could find someplace else to nap. She sighed, aching in the eyes and ankles.

Going up the single stair, Celestia stepped out onto her balcony overlooking Canterlot. She admired the city for a bit, then cocked her head. It had been a while since she’d gone out on her own. A simple invisibility spell and the guards would never know. Smiling with a shade of mischief, the alicorn lit her horn and spread her wings. Vanishing into thin air, she took wing and set out to look for the perfect napping spot.


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Big Macintosh wasn’t a pony that spent a lotta time flappin’ his gums. Actions spoke louder’n’words after all. He was all about getting things done, and makin’ sure things ran according to plan. He could balance a complex budget and pull a plow with equal ease, and the barn was pretty much his domain. 

It didn’t help that the barn got destroyed like once a month by some disaster or another, but since Sweet Apple Acres was a registered Ponyville Historical Landmark, it always got built back within the week. He kept all his tools in there, feed for the animals, and so on and so forth. It was like a home away from home. Even if home was less than a hundred yards away. There was something to be said about the musk of hay and the aura of strong wood.

Big Mac heaved a sigh. He’d been too rough with another of his hammers, fixing the gazebo in town. The teeth marks had started to break the shaft a bit, and he wasn’t dumb enough to use it until it broke in his mouth. That would send splinters everywhere and down his throat, ouch! Retiring the old hammer into a rusty burn barrel, he went to the barn’s far corner. There was a hanging plastic ball on a piece of string there. Taking the ball in his teeth he yanked it sharply, pulling the extending ladder down. The loft and upper parts of the barn were used for storage and extra things that needed to be out of the way. Big Mac kept his fresh tools up there so he wouldn’t be tempted to grab them before wearing out his old ones. He hated bein’ wasteful. Clip-clopping up the ladder, he balanced himself before pulling up to the loft. The mounds of hay were kept there to hide the ugly crates of odds and ends. Fishing through them back and forth, something caught his eye.

The loft door was open. 

Frowning, he leaned a bit more as he went closer. The crane wasn’t extended. That door led to open air and a nice drop to a hard ground below. Hmm, Applejack hadn’t put anything up here today, and Applebloom knew better than to play in the loft with her friends... The simple bolt lock had been left undone, and the one-panel door had been left wide open. The hot summer sun was streaming down in a square shape on the hay-thick floor. He jerked to a halt to gape.

A huge white pony lay on her back, all four hooves in the air like a dog, pink belly exposed. He stared, mouth open and eyes wide. A golden crown lay to one side, and a mass of ever-moving mane lay sprawled in all directions. The orange-twinge of the slowly setting sun cast her in a bountiful golden light. Her head was tilted back a bit into a very sun-worshipping position, and her eyes were closed. She was... sleeping? Big Mac was frozen to the spot, unsure of what to do.

Oh he knew who she was, don’t get him wrong. Anypony that had ever seen the heads-side of a bit knew Princess Celestia’s face. But… but what was she doing here, napping in the sun, flopped back on her back like she owned the place and was a dog? Puzzled and still stunned into silence, the red stallion swallowed. Oh my. She was beautiful. He’d heard stories, sure, but really he had no idea. Staring at her in such a natural position too, it almost felt dirty. A pony like her was always poised, upright and smiling. She looked like she was genuinely relaxing right then. The warm sun  kept its steady washing over her belly, and her quiet breathing shook a sprig of straw near her nose. It didn’t help that her wings were in their full, glorious span of ivory beauty.

The farming pony didn’t dare go close to her, for fear of waking her up. Wh… what was he doing up here again? He’d forgotten. Shaking his head quickly and trying not to stare so hard at the sleeping angel in his barn, he pawed about in his cob-webby thoughts trying to sort through things. He'd come up here for something—uh— uhhh— hammer! He nodded firmly, turning to find the proper crate in all the mounds and mounds of loose hay.

Celestia awoke when he shifted a bale to one side and started fishing into it for what he wanted. Blushing, she flipped over onto her belly and quickly snapped her wings closed. Rubbing her eyes, she checked the sun for the time. She’d been asleep for almost four hours! Pawing at her mane quickly she felt a little panicked. She’d thought this barn would be nice and quiet for her afternoon nap, she’d not expected anypony to come up into the loft!

When Big Mac turned about, he had a hammer in his mouth. They made eye contact. The world stopped for a moment. What was that look in her eyes? Pleading? Exhaustion? Softness? He couldn’t quite place it. But, somehow, the stallion doubted the Princess of Equestria had stopped for a nap in his barn because she wanted to be fawned over by everypony within a twenty-mile radius. Nodding once and offering her a smile (though his mouth was full), he eased himself down the ladder and folded it back up to leave her alone.

Celestia lay there on her belly, more than a little stunned. He’d not thrown himself on his belly to bow to her, or exclaimed aloud when he’d found a Princess in his barn. Why, he’d just gone about his business! It was refreshing, to say the least, not to be stared at with eyes of wonder and star-struck glory. What a nice stallion. He’d not said a word, but his leaving certainly spoke volumes. Heaving a big, content sigh, the white alicorn stree-e-e-e-e-e-etched out on her improvised straw nest and preened her wings for a bit. It was a great stress reliever, for one with such big wings. She couldn’t return to the palace with straw in her wings, after all. Only a few feathers didn’t make the cut, and she felt much better afterward. Donning her crown and feeling refreshed, she lit her horn. Turning invisible once more, she made for home. Good napping spot confirmed, she decided. When her next afternoon off came, she would definitely go back to that loft.



End of Prologue