//------------------------------// // Berry Bunches 1 - Waiting // Story: Dawn of a New World // by KingBrony //------------------------------// Berry Bunches was reading one of the old books in the room underneath the library. It was damp and small, but Princess Twilight brought down a few lights in order to see. She was reading her own book, about the history of the Sleipnir and what they were capable of. The book in front of her was a history on the pegasi. It depicted the first known pegasus, Hercoltes, and how he grew wings and flew to the heavens. Berry looked to her injured wing and frowned. She wanted it to grow back so she could fly away. She would go find Fluttershy, and the two of them could live somewhere far from the war and bad things that were happening. She heard Twilight gasp before turning to see what happened. The room flashed white for a second and a scroll of paper came appeared from thin air. Twilight looked at it for a second as Berry approached her. "What is that, Twilight?" "It's...a letter from Spike!" Twilight said as she opened it up to read it. "We received your letter...But, I never wrote them a letter!" Twilight exclaimed. She continued Reading as Berry Bunches stood by her side. Soon, she dropped it and tears formed in her eyes. "Rarity...Why could I not have done anything to help them?" She sobbed as Berry placed a hoof on her shoulder. Berry Bunches knew what it was like to lose a loved one...as cruel as he was, her father was still family. "What can you do now?" She asked, unsure of how to keep going." Twilight looked up. "It said I sent them a letter, but I never did so...what if I can send a letter to the past? I could warn them and tell them to come right up here! I've traveled through time before, so maybe..." Berry was surprised by this. Time travel? "Maybe you could travel back to when the monsters attacked! Can you stop the princesses from...?" "I don't think something that big can be changed." Twilight said, looking as if she were remembering something in her past. "But, if I can write a letter and send it back in time, maybe I can save Rarity!" It was worth a shot. Berry Bunches ran to find a blank piece of paper and a pen, and gave it to Twilight. She used her magic to write the letter; nothing bad happened since she first used it, so it might be safe to do so here. Finishing the letter, Twlight stood back and tried to remember a spell. Berry looked on as the princess thought long and hard about what spell to use. "If I time this right...And, if I think of...Yes!" The room flashed once again, and the letter was gone. A small cloud of smoke remained. "Now it's up to them..." Twilight said. "Do you think they will be okay?" Berry asked. Twilight looked as if she weren't sure, but she nodded anyway. "Now, from what I've read here...the Sleipnir are indeed weak against cold weather. We should be safe from them here." Berry Bunches felt relieved. She wouldn't have to deal with seeing those monsters. She was left in the Crystal Empire when Fluttershy and the others returned to Canterlot. Who knows what would have happened to me if I went...I guess Fluttershy was right in keeping me here. "Can you write a letter to Fluttershy?" Berry asked, hopeful that she could write a nice letter to her friend. Twilight shook her head. "I can send and receive messages through Spike. Unless she's with Spike right now, I can't...I'm sorry." She looked tired, and Berry couldn't blame her. She's been working so hard lately. The princess closed the book she was reading and placed it back on the shelf. "Are you ready to go back to the castle?" Berry shook her head. She wanted to run around and breathe some fresh air after staying in the dark room for what seemed like forever. The library returned to its normal self after Twilight and Berry Bunches left the secret room. Outside, the Crystal Empire still felt deserted. With the exception of the royal guards, nopony was outside. Berry laughed as she ran in circles around the princess. Twilight smiled and continued towards the castle. Inside the castle, Berry took off in search of something new. Ever since she came to the Crystal Empire, she had always been exploring the labyrinth of a castle, discovering new areas and rooms each time. Berry decided to search for another new room. Left and right she turned, going down hallways and into doors. Eventually, she came across a stairway leading down. Berry followed it and found another long hallway that led to a large double door. Curious, Berry Bunches opened the doors. Luckily, they were unlocked, leaving whatever was inside available for exploration. The room was pretty simple: there were a few bookshelves and an ornate carpet on the floor. The most interesting thing about the room was a heart-shaped arch that stood against one of the walls. As she approached it, Berry Bunches was able to see her own reflection in it. The arch was the frame for a large mirror. As Berry looked into it, she felt the urge to place a hoof against the surface. Slowly, she reached for the mirror. Her hoof lightly tapped the glass, feeling the cool and smooth feeling that came from it. The filly only had one word in mind for the thing she found: beautiful. "It's a magical mirror." Berry was shocked by the sudden voice. She turned to see Princess Cadence standing at the doorway. She had on a jeweled necklace that shimmered in the dim light. "What does it do?" "I found this mirror when I was exploring the castle myself. Princess Celestia told me that it is a gateway to another world, but no more than that. It only activates once every thirty moons...I'm afraid it's closed right now." The filly frowned. She wanted to jump into the portal and go to another world. Away from all of the bad. She could be free. "Do you think I can go through it, when it does open?" Berry asked. Cadence closed her eyes to think. "Well, I don't see what harm it could do. It will be a long time until then." Berry nodded. "I'll wait. I'm going to bring Fluttershy with me!" That got a laugh out of the princess. "I'm sure Fluttershy will enjoy your adventure very much! Come, are you hungry? I'll get us some nice salads made, and we can eat in the garden." The Crystal Garden was a beautiful place. The trees, bushes, and even grass seemed to be made out of crystals as they shimmered in the twilight. Many different flowers bloomed, giving off pleasant aromas. Berry had been in the garden before, but she would always gasp in amazement every time she entered again. The best part was that there were no guards around. Berry knew they were there to help her and the other ponies, but she was still intimidated by them anyway. She made her way to a small white table in the center of the garden and took a seat. Cadence arrived moments later with two bowls of crisp fruit salad. Berry stared long and hard at the sky, her mind wandering elsewhere instead of eating her meal. She could see something twinkling in the sky, above the dead sun. The filly thought it to be a shooting star and made a wish. I wish I can have a happy ending. "Berry?" Cadence's soft voice snapped Berry back, who began to nibble at her food. "Do not worry for even a second," The princess continued. "We are very safe here. The guards are all here to protect you and the other ponies. I won't let anything bad happen to you, for Fluttershy's sake. She will return here and you can be together again." The filly didn't know how much of that was entirely true, but she knew the princess was trying to help. She finished her meal and looked up to the sky again. The twinkling object was gone. Berry Bunches remembered a similar twinkling object back when she lived in Manehatten. Her father was gone again, leaving the filly to take care of herself. She made a nice meal of fruit and bread, then went onto the roof. She always hid up there to reflect and watch the world around her. Ponies would always be on the streets, running and laughing. Others were in the comfort of their own homes, sitting down to wonderful meals and talking about their day. Berry never had that luxury; her father was always away. When he did return, he would only beat Berry or yell at her to clean the house. Then, he would leave again. She never had friends to help her, only the ponies she would watch from the rooftop. She remembered looking into the sky and seeing a shooting star. It shimmered in the night sky as it raced through the heavens. Berry closed her eyes and made a wish on that star. I wish I can get away from here. I wish to be free, to explore the world myself, away from my father. Well, her wish was granted. The world ended, her father dead, beasts and other things roamed Equestria, and she was in a place hundreds of miles from her own home. However, she wasn't sure if she would want to go back to the way things were before or not. Of course, her wings still worked back then. She wanted very much to fly, but that could never happen again. The mirror came to mind. If it's true, then I can escape through that mirror. As Berry looked back to princess Cadence, she could see that the princess was smiling at her. "You are a special filly, do you know that?" "How so?" "You are staying strong. You have dreams and goals and ambitions, things that will take you far and help you survive." Cadence got up. "I admire that. Please, Berry Bunches, always follow your dreams. You might find out they are easier to achieve than you thought." I would like that very much, Berry thought as she excused herself to return to the castle. Cadence went off to attend to Royal duties, leaving the filly to look for something else to keep her busy. Maybe Twilight is free. Twilight Sparkle was located in her brother's recovery room. He looked much better than before, laughing and talking to his sister as Berry entered the room. The sound of the opening door was the loudest thing Berry had ever heard, and she trotted in awkwardly. "How are you doing?" Twilight said as Berry took a place besides the bed. "I am fine, thank you." Berry bowed her head. She heard laughter. "No need to be courteous here." Shining Armor spoke up. "It's okay. You know, I'm going to be able to go outside tomorrow - or, after I take a nap." Nopony can tell what day it is anymore, not after the princesses died. "Maybe we can go for a run?" Berry nodded. "I would like that very much." Twilight smiled before getting up. "We should leave him to rest. Come, Berry. Let's go to the balcony!" Berry followed the princess out of the room after both said goodbye to Shining Armor. The way to the balcony was long, due to how large the castle was. The stairs seemed to go on forever, until they finally made it to the right floor. The balcony sat above the Crystal Empire. It wasn't as high as the tower Twilight had found her brother in, but it was tall enough for Berry. She could see as far as the snow that plagued the outskirts of the kingdom. The streets were still empty except for the guards that patrolled both land and sky. Most ponies were scared to go outside because of all of the bad in the world. Berry wanted to take them all and go through the mirror. She wondered if Twilight knew about the mirror as well. A guard flew by as Twilight placed her front hooves on the railing. There was a gentle breeze up there, making Twilight's mane flow in the wind. Berry liked Twilight's mane very much, although she did have pride in her own. It was long and pink, although recently it began to curl up at the ends. It reminded her of the filly Sweetie Belle's mane. I wonder where she is now. "Berry," Twilight began. The filly could tell that Twilight's tone meant bad news. "What's wrong?" The filly asked. Please don't leave me. "I...We were discussing a plan about the Sleipnir before. Reading the books gave me a better idea of what to expect. I have to lure some of them up here." The princess began to frown. "...And to do that, I have to go away for a while. I will be taking a few guards and Shining Armor with me." Berry felt her heart sink as Twilight crouched down to meet the filly. "I promise you, we'll be back. You can play with Shining Armor before he leaves, but he was the one who asked to go." "You...you're going to leave me too?" She thought of Fluttershy. As good as her intentions were, Fluttershy still left Berry alone. "Never!" Twilight quickly said. "We are going to be back before you know it! If we're right, then it won't be too much of a problem, and you will all be safe here." "No! Just stay here with me! We can...we can" We can escape in the mirror. Berry began to cry when Twilight placed a hoof on her head. "I assure you, we'll be okay. I'm sorry it had to be this way...I talked with Shining Armor when we got back from the library -" Berry ran back into the castle, leaving Twilight at the balcony. She ran with tears in her eyes. They are going to leave, and they will die. I will be alone again. She ran down the steps and found her bedroom. Berry flung the doors open and threw herself onto the bed, crying as she lay there. All she could think about was Fluttershy. Please come back, Fluttershy. The dream Berry Bunches had that night was a pleasant one. She was with Fltutershy, and the two of them passed through the mirror. The land on the other side was beautiful: flowers scattered on a hill by a lake. There were birds and ducks and little fish in the water. The sun sat high in the sky and there were no clouds in sight. Berry's wing was working again, and the two of them took off to fly. Fly as far as they could, laughing and crying tears of joy. Shining Armor was the one who woke her up from her dream. She tossed around, wanting to return to that heavenly place. The unicorn had a warm smile as he stepped back. "Twilight said she told you...before I leave, we're going to do whatever we can together! Just you and me." Together, the two ate breakfast and got ready to go for a run. The two ran to the outskirts of the Crystal Empire, along the boundary that separated the lush grass from the snow. There were hills and flowers and even a lake, although none of it was as beautiful as in her dream. She managed to beat Shining Armor in a race, although she knew he let her win. Berry did feel happy for a time, especially when Shining Armor began to play catch with the pegasus. He threw the ball high up, but Berry was able to catch it flawlessly. She wasn't great at throwing, though, and the ball ended up in the lake. Shining Armor laughed as he used his magic to scoop it up. However, it soon became time for Shining Armor and Twilight to leave. Berry stood next to Princess Cadence as Twilight and Shining Armor rounded up royal guards. "I trust you'll be back soon." Cadence said as she nuzzled her husband. Berry gave Twilight a hug. Shining Armor saluted. "We will be back soon, your highness!" He said with a laugh before turning to face the guards. "Our mission is a simple one: capture and bring back a Sleipnir! If we can kill one in the process, even better! Everypony has a weakness; they have one too. It is up to us to find out what that weakness is!" The guards cheered as they all made their way out of the Crystal Empire, leaving Berry Bunches behind to watch them depart. "Princess Cadence," Berry Bunches said when they returned to the castle. "Doesn't it make you sad to see them leave?" The princess nodded. "Of course it does, my little pony. But, I know they will be okay. Their mission is an important one, and I can only sit back and give them my support." Later that day, Berry Bunches returned to the room the mirror was held in. She pressed herself against the glass, wanting to slip through and discover a whole new world on the other side. Unfortunately, she only slid across the surface with a squeak. "One day," Berry spoke to the mirror as if it could listen. "I will pass through, and I will find what waits on the other side. Until then, I have to wait." Wait for Fluttershy to come back, wait for the portal to open, wait for Twilight to return successful...wait for this all to be over.