Woohoo! It’s finally here! The longest day of the year, the day that ponies everywhere celebrate the Princess who brings us day and night! It’s also the best day besides Hearts and Hooves Day for couples to spend together. That’s right, it’s the Summer Sun Celebration! But not just any Summer Sun Celebration. This is the one thousandth Summer Sun Celebration in history, and what’s more, the Princess herself is going to be making an appearance right here in Ponyville!
Though, why she’s coming to Ponyville and not staying in Canterlot on the one thousandth Summer Sun Celebration kinda strikes me as odd, but who cares! The important thing is that everypony in Ponyville is going to be working very hard today to make sure that everything is perfect. Myself included. But, I’m not just gonna work hard for the Summer Sun Celebration…
I’m also gonna make today the day that Diamond Tiara and I finally kiss! It’s been a full year since she first kissed me, and since then, the farthest we’ve ever gone is hugged. And even then, although I don’t say anything ‘cause I don’t want to upset her, but she’s… not the best hugger in the world. I mean, it’s nice to be so close to her, and I do love it when we hug, but sometimes, she gets a little rough, and I have to end it early.
I think she’s shy, y’know? I think she’s too shy to kiss me in public, or around Silver Spoon, so I tried to get her alone with me. But, that didn’t work either. I think that was too intimidating for her. She’s so innocent… It’s okay, Diamond. I’m willing to wait until you’re comfortable. But today might just be the day, considering couples all over Ponyville will kiss as the new sun is rose… risen… raised? As the Princess lifts the new sun into the sky.
“Alula, your friends are here!” my mum calls up to me.
“Who?” I ask as I leave my room. Saying ‘your friends’ doesn’t exactly help, considering I have a few.
“Hey Alula!” Scootaloo shouts as I round the corner into my living room. I hate when she does that! … And somehow, I never see it coming.
“Ah! Scootaloo! Sheesh, don’t do that! How many times do I have to tell you?”
Scootaloo just snickers, as usual. Behind her, Sweetie Belle is apologising, and telling Scootaloo to behave. These two, they never change. Scootaloo is an athlete, like me, and loves anything that’s fun… which, in her eyes, is almost anything.
Sweetie Belle is more of a bookworm than Scootaloo is. She’s very bright, always doing well in class tests, but she’s also modest, so she doesn’t brag about it. She’s also a little clumsy, and kind of lacking in the common sense department… but she means well, and she has a heart as big as… something really big. The sun, I guess?
The two are so different, it’s amazing to think they’ve been friends since kindergarten… I often find myself wondering if they’re more than friends.
Like Diamond, neither of them have their Cutie Marks yet, but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time. Scootaloo’s will probably be something to do with her scooter, or dancing, or maybe martial arts, and Sweetie Belle’s will probably come from her singing talent… if they practiced them a little more, that is.
“So Lula,” Scootaloo says. That nickname seems to have stuck to me recently… I’m not even sure where it came from, but I don’t really mind it all that much, “You wanna come help us out with the decorations down at town hall? We could sure use somepony to reach those high places!”
“Sorry guys,” I say, “I already made plans with DT today.”
Scootaloo frowned, as I knew she would. She… Well, let’s just say she isn’t Diamond’s biggest fan. “Seriously? What do you see in her? C’mon, you’re too nice to be hangin’ out with somepony like that.”
Now it’s my turn to frown. I know that Diamond can be a little rough round the edges sometimes, but there’s no call for comments like that. She’s a nice filly, really! “Look, I’m sorry, but I already decided to bake treats with Diamond today.” And, by extension, Silver Spoon will be joining us, too. “Maybe we can meet up later, though?”
“Hmmm, I dunno,” Scootaloo said, turning her head away from me. “You sure Diamond will be okay with that?”
“Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle said in a warning tone. “Let’s not do this again. You said we wouldn’t.”
“I’m just tired of always being pushed aside for that stuck-up filly’s sake!” Scootaloo shouted. “C’mon Lula, forget her! Come hang with us today and meet up with her tonight or somethin’. You owe it to us, after ditching us last week!”
Ah, right. That. I do feel bad about that, but Diamond was wearing the most beautiful new dress I’d ever seen! I just had to go and talk to her! Anyway, I already made plans to spend today with Diamond Tiara. I can’t just throw them to the side now! “Um… how about, we meet up sometime next week and-”
“Next week is no good,” Scootaloo said. “The Summer Sun Celebration will be over then. I wanted the three of us to hang out together today, Alula.”
Oh, I see… She wanted to spend this important day with her best friends… “I-I’m sorry, but-”
“If you’re sorry, then come with us.” She took my hoof with her own, and pulled slightly. “I’m sure Diamond Tiara and Silver Surfer-”
“Spoon,” Sweetie Belle correct. “The Silver Surfer is a comic book character.”
“Whatever!” Scootaloo said, her face red. “I’m sure they’ll get over it! C’mon!”
“I-I dunno…”
“Hey!” What the? Diamond? H-How long has she been there, at my living room door? “Don’t make decisions like that on your own! And stop trying to kidnap our friend!”
“Your what?!” Scootaloo shouts. “C’mon Lula! You’re not seriously going to go with them, are you?”
I look between the two of them. Diamond Tiara on one end of the room, and Scootaloo at the other, both glaring at each other so intensely that I could see sparks between them.
“I’m sorry, Scootaloo,” I say, pulling my hoof out of her grip. “But I made a promise with my friends, and I’m going to keep it. If you’re up for it, I’ll have time to hang out with you tonight.”
Scootaloo huffed, and began to walk away. “Yeah, whatever. Let’s go, Sweetie Belle.”
“B-But-”
“Let’s go! She wants to hang out with her ‘friends’, which clearly isn’t us!”
“I-It’s not like that,” I say, but she doesn’t seem to listen as she simply walks out of the living room, followed by Sweetie Belle, who takes a moment to say goodbye. “It’s always like this,” I mumble to myself as they walk out of the house. ‘… Well, if I know Scootaloo, she’ll be over it next week. But just in case, I’d better brush up on my Wonderbolts trivia.’
“Well?” Diamond calls out to me. “Are you coming or what?”
“Uh, yeah…” She seems pretty angry. And her voice is rather cold. Is she mad at Scootaloo? Or could it be… I-Is she jealous? “Um, Di?” She glares at me in response. “It is okay for me to hang out with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle later, isn’t it?”
“… Do whatever you want,” she says in a cold tone as she turns around to leave.
There’s no mistaking it. She’s totally jealous! Oh, Diamond, it’s okay! I still love you more than any other! I know, I’ve gotta show her my love to calm her down. Here it comes: surprise hug attack!
“GAH! A-Alula! Get off of me!” she shouts. I know you’re angry, Diamond, but I’ll melt that anger away from you with my love! “Alulaaaaaa!”
After a little bit of struggling, she seems to finally give in, and accept the hug. She sighs happily. Success! I release her, and giggle as I take a step back. “So, we’re meeting up with Silver Spoon at Sugarcube, right?”
She doesn’t turn to face me. She simply nods her head, and continues walking. “… Hey, you remember what Miss Cheerilee said in class two days ago, right?”
What Miss Cheerilee said? Um… Oh, right! It was about being safe during the Summer Sun Celebration! Let’s see… something about leaving the heavy lifting and dangerous tool usage to older ponies, not running under scaffolding, to watch out around flammable materials… Just basic safety stuff, really. I kinda fell asleep partway through. “Uh, yeah! Totally!”
“… Alright. Come on, Silver Spoon doesn’t like it when we’re late.”
True that. Silver Spoon, the most punctual pony in school. She’d even scold the teacher for being late… No, really. She actually did that once. That was one fun Math class.
Why do I have to go a fetch Alula? Yeah, I get that my house is closer. And yeah, I get that Silver Spoon knows more about the kitchen than I do, so she can make a head start, but still!
Well, it’s not like I have any choice. She’s our ace in the hole. Our trump card. Our secret weapon. Our… She’s the only one of us three who really knows how to bake, put simply. I mean, Silver Spoon sort of knows the basics, but her stuff always comes out all burned and stuff… and we can’t exactly feed burned sweets to the Princess, now can we?
So here I am, at Alula’s house. I knock on the door, and her mother answers. I always forget her name… “Hello, ma’am.”
“Oh, good morning Diamond. I take it you’re here for Alula?”
“Yes. Is she up yet?”
“She just got up. She’s in the living room with some friends. Would you like to come in?”
She moves aside, and I step inside. She tells me that she’ll be in the back yard, and leaves me to go find Alula… So, she has friends now? Huh. That’s good. Now she won’t be hanging around me and Silver Spoon so much… Which is good, right? I mean, why wouldn’t it be?
Hm? Wait, I know that voice… It’s Scotchroll! No, uh… Yeah, let’s go with that, actually. I’m sure her actual name is just something stupid anyway. As I reach the living room, I take a look inside. It’s not just Scotchroll, but also the bookworm… Her name is… uh… Well, it’s her!
Scotchroll is that stupid, blockheaded Pegasus who’s always showing off her scooter tricks, and stealing my adoring subjects away from me! And she’s also rude, vulgar, uncouth, and worst of all, she’s always following me around everywhere! I go to Sugarcube Corner, and she’s there! I go to Bon Bon’s Candy Shack, and she’s there! I go to the video store to rent a movie, and, you guessed it, she’s there! It can’t just be a coincidence, right?
The Unicorn is just a nerd who’s always getting attention for her grades. I don’t much like that… but at least she had some manners. I’ve only really met her outside of school once, and it wasn’t the most friendly meeting… since she almost jabbed my eye out with her horn, almost stabbed my hoof with a pair of scissors, and ended up dropping a tub of glitter on top of me. An accident? My hoof it was! Nopony can be that clumsy, especially not when they have such high grades! I’m on to you, Unicorn…
Hmmm… I wonder what they’re talking about? Way to pick your friends, Alula… Not that I really care, mind you.
“You sure Diamond will be okay with that?” Oh? They’re talking about me? “I’m just tired of always being pushed aside for that stuck-up filly’s sake! C’mon Lula, forget her! Come hang with us!”
What?! They’re telling her to dump me for them?! This… This isn’t a friendship! I recognise this! I saw it in that cartoon once. They’re using scare tactics on a weak and frightened filly to make her hang out with them, whilst pretending that it’s a friendship! Alula’s shaking! She doesn’t want to hang out with them, but she’s too scared to say no! I should go find her mother.
“Um… how about, we meet up sometime next week and-” No, Alula! Don’t try to buy time, it doesn’t work! They’ll just get more aggressive!
“The Summer Sun Celebration will be over then. I wanted the three of us to hang out together today, Alula.” So that’s it! You want Alula to do all your work today, so you can just kick back and relax!
“I-I’m sorry, but-” Not good. She’s falling for it. Don’t feel guilty, you foo- … Why do I care so much, exactly?
“If you’re sorry, then come with us.” Scotchroll grabs her hoof rather forcefully, and starts to pull her. Why does that make me mad?
… Oh, that’s right. Alula’s our baker. We need her.
“C’mon!”
“I-I dunno…”
She’s not taking our baker away from me! Er, us! “Hey! Don’t make decisions like that on your own! And stop trying to kidnap our baker!”
“Your what?!” Scotchroll shouts. “C’mon Lula! You’re not seriously going to go with them, are you?”
“I’m sorry, Scootaloo,” Alula says, pulling her hoof free during my distraction. Well done! … Not that I care. It just makes things easier, is all. “But I made a promise with my friends, and I’m going to keep it. If you’re up for it, I’ll have time to hang out with you tonight.”
She’s still too scared to refuse their ‘friendship’… But, it looks like Scotchroll is going to back off, now that I’m here. “Yeah, whatever. Let’s go, Sweetie Belle.”
“B-But-”
“Let’s go! She wants to hang out with her ‘friends’, which clearly isn’t us!”
I watch as the two bullies walk past me, and leave the house. “It’s always like this…” I hear her mumble to herself. Does that mean she gets bullied often? … Well, it’s her problem. I have no intention of getting involved.
“Well?” I call out to her. “Are you coming or what?”
“Uh, yeah…” She sounds uneasy… Guess she’s still a little shook up. “Um, Di?” Ugh. That nickname again. “It is okay for me to hang out with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle later, isn’t it?”
Of course not! They’re just trying to scare you into being their lackey! Don’t fall for it! … No, I don’t care. You can do what you want. If I try to stop you, they’ll probably come for me, anyway… “… Do whatever you want.” I turn around to leave, then suddenly, feel something heavy on my back.
“GAH!” No! Not another one of this stupid filly’s surprise hug attacks! “A-Alula! Get off of me!” AGH! Heavy! Losing strength… “Alulaaaaaa!”
… Forget it. She’s too strong. I can’t fight it anymore. I’ll just let her get it out of her system. With a sigh, I resign myself to my fate… What’s with the sudden hug, though? Yeah, they’re completely random and out of nowhere, but they’re not usually this bad… Oh, of course. She’s scared of the bullies. But, why hug me?
… Duh. I accidentally saved her from those bullies that one time, so she must think she can depend on me again. Well, she’s dead wrong.
She finally lets go of me, and takes a step back, giggling. Breaking my spine is no laughing matter! … Well, at least she’s not sad anymore. And I only say that because she can’t bake well if she’s sad! “So, we’re meeting up with Silver Spoon at Sugarcube, right?”
I nod without turning to face her, and continue to walk. I hear her following behind me… I wonder, does she remember Miss Cheerilee’s lesson on bullying two days ago? Maybe I should ask her… since it beats walking in silence, at least. “… Hey, you remember what Miss Cheerilee said in class two days ago, right?”
She doesn’t answer for a while, and I wonder if she really has forgotten. “Uh, yeah! Totally!”
… Right, I almost forgot. Alula’s slow, but she usually gets there in the end. Well, I guess she knows to go to a teacher, and not to me, if she’s being bullied now…
“… Alright. Come on, Silver Spoon doesn’t like it when we’re late.” Which we’re going to be, if we don’t pick up the pace. She seems to notice that, too, as we both break out into sprinting the moment we’re outside her house’s front door.
Wow. It’s so awesome to be up so late past my bedtime! It’s almost midnight, and yet, every filly and colt in town is allowed to stay up, so that they can attend the celebration!
The Princess will be making her appearance soon. Then, she’ll raise the sun, as she always does, and then, she’ll accept offerings from the children of Ponyville. Including the cookies we baked for her today!
“The Princess is gonna taste our cooking,” I said to myself. I’m so excited, I feel like I’m about to explode!
“Don’t explode, Alula,” Silver Spoon says in a joking tone. Why is she always able to know what I’m thinking? “Anyway, are you sure we made these right?”
“They look kind of…” Diamond poked one of her own cookies, and it disintegrated. “We might be arrested for trying to poison the Princess.”
“D-Don’t be ridiculous,” I say, though I have to admit, I had the same thought myself. Silver’s Spoon at least pass as edible, even if they are a little overdone, but Diamond’s… But, there’s no way I can just tell her that her cookies are bad. That would hurt her feelings! Think, Alula, think!
“How come yours came out right?” Diamond asks me. “We followed the same stupid recipe and all…”
… That’s it! “Well, how about if we give her our cookies as a group?” This is brilliant! “Rather than individually, we can take the best cookies from our three bags, and put them together into one!”
“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Silver Spoon said. “But, in that case, it would just be your bag.”
“… Well, let’s take the best three from each bag, then. That sounds fair, right?”
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon both nodded at that, and we then began to search through our bags. Something didn’t feel right, though. I felt a chill pass down my spine… and then I heard a lot of ponies gasping around us.
“What’s going on?” Silver Spoon asks. Diamond and I look around the room, and find lots of ponies staring in horror at something. I follow their gazes, and I see a large black mare on the balcony, where the Princess should be…
“Ah! We missed the Princess’ introduction!” I shout in a whisper.
“Uh, I think we missed a whole lot more than that,” Silver Spoon says, her voice shaky.
“Hm? Oh, right… Who’s that?”
“N-N-N-N-N-N-” What’s wrong with Diamond? Why does she… why does she look so scared?
“You’re the mare in the moon!” somepony in the crowd shouts. “Nightmare Moon!”
Nightmare Moon? That old pony’s tale? She’s real? And she’s… she’s up there? In the same room as us? And the Princess is gone? And… Oh dear. I just put the pieces together in my head, and I don’t like it.
“Nightmare Moon!” Diamond Tiara shrieks, grabbing onto me and burying her muzzle into my shoulder… Okay, now I like it a little better. “Daddy read so many stories to me about her when I was a filly! She’s going to feast on our souls!”
She’s going to what?! I-I never heard about that in any of those books I was read! Now I’m scared, too, and I don’t even care that Silver Spoon is grabbing onto me, too. In fact, I reach out both of my forelegs, and grab a hold of both of them, the three of us now huddled together in this dark corner.
“Be quiet,” I whisper. “M-Maybe she’ll miss us if we stay quiet.”
Diamond Tiara nods her head, and Silver Spoon just lets out a whimper to acknowledge that she had heard me.
Up on the balcony, Nightmare Moon lets out a loud, sinister laugh, and raised her head up high. Her dark mane swirls upwards, like some cliché Disneigh villain, and bolts of thunder shoot down from the sky. “Tonight, the night shall last forever!”
Silver, Diamond and I all huddle a little closer, and I close my eyes and pray for Celestia to come and save us.