Act One: Chapter One - Foundations
A great many years ago, in the far off ancient homeland of ponykind, lived a young sculptor named Tourmaline. Within her sculptor's studio, Tourmaline is happy. Although it had only been a few years since she was released from her apprenticeship, she was already starting to attract a few regular patrons.
She gently tapped her chisel against the stone with her magic and blew away the dust. The relief she was currently working was commissioned by her most important client, a minor noble in Princess Platinum’s court, and so required her utmost attention.
Knock knock.
A customer? she thought and glanced out at the moon, At this hour?
“I’m coming!,” she called as she replaced her tools and shook the powdered stone from her coat while the knocking continued, “I’m COMING! Keep your saddle on!”
The reflection in the darkened windows beside the door showed her dark brown coat and deep blue mane still thick with dust, she gave a final shake before opening the door to the offending visitor who had disturbed her work.
“Now, what can I do for you?” Tourmaline asked as the door swung open to reveal a yellow unicorn mare with two young fillies doing their best not to cough on the dust the billowed out of Tourmaline’s studio.
“Sorry,” cough, “to bother you so late,” cough, “I’m Lily Pond and you must be Miss Tourmaline.”
“Well it’s a pleasure to meet you Lily but I’m afraid my studio is closed until morning. If you’d like to come back then I’m sure I can help you if you're looking for a piece or’d like place a commision.” Tourmaline said.
“Oh..um.. actually I don’t really have any money..”
Tourmaline raised an eyebrow, “Not to be rude, but then why are you knocking on a sculptor's studio door in the middle of the night.”
“It’s... my father,” the mare answered, “We live right down the street and a messenger just appeared at my door a few minutes ago to tell me that he’s ill. I can’t take my fillies with me and everypony else seems to be asleep. So i was wondering if... maybe... you’d.. um.. like to foal sit for the night? maybe?”
The fillies, one pale pink, almost white and one as dark blue as Tourmaline’s own mane looked too tired to even be standing on their own. Both looked up at her plaintively.
“I... I dunno... I’d like to help but...,” Tourmaline was having saying no to the desperate mare, let alone whilst while caught in the fillies’ doe eyed gaze, “It’s just that I’m really busy tonight. I have to finish a relief for my biggest client... make a delivery to the Manor District...”
“Oh!,” Lily exclaimed, “I can do that for you! It’s on the way to the hospital anyway!”
“Well...”
“Oh it would really mean alot to me.”
“I don’t know...”
“Pleeaassee..,” pleaded Lily.
Tourmaline looked down and the sleepy fillies. The younger sister yawned dramatically.
With a sigh she relented, “Oh fine. I suppose they’ll just sleep til you get back anyway.”
“Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou! It really means alot to me. I promise they will be good,” Lily said clapping her hooves together. “This here is Luna, she’s the quiet one, always daydreaming. And this here is Celestia, or Tia if you’d rather, she has a bit of a prankster streak in her but I doubt she’ll even wake up before I’m back anyway.”
“It’s nice to meet you girls, I’m Tourmaline,” the fillies were too tired to respond, “Um.. ok..come on in let’s find a place for the girls to lay down.”
Lily nodded in agreement and trotted happily into the studio with the fillies following with eyes half lidded. Tourmaline pointed them to a (relatively) dust free sofa in the corner of the living room and the fillies happily curled up and went to sleep.
“I’m really sorry to burden you like this. I really hope it’s not too much of an imposition. I promise I’ll be back before they wake up in the morning,” Lily rambles apologetically.
Tourmaline sighed, “It’s... fine. Glad to help. Let me get that package loaded for you, you can take my cart.”
They walked through the studio, Lily stopping every so often to oogle some carving or sculpture.
“You’re very good,” Lily said.
“Thanks, I’d like to think so. I’m working on a new high relief for High Horse, you can take a look when you get back if you like.”
“Oh I’d love too, what’s its a carving of?”
Tourmaline winced, “Sculpture.”
“Huh?” Lily asked a bit confused.
“It’s a high relief sculpture in white jade. Not a pumpkin.”
“Oh... sorry.” Lily apologized.
Tourmaline sighed, again, “Its from ‘The Taming of the Spheres’, the scene where the alicorns set the sun and moon on their paths.”
“I thought we did that...”
“We do now, but we haven’t been here forever you know.”
“Never thought about it,” Lily admitted, “Mythology isn’t really my special talent.”
“That’s ok, a sculptor needs to know her myths if she is going to have anything classical to sculpt.” Tourmaline stopped in front of a thickly built rack, “Ah, here we are.”
“This is the package?!” Lily dismayed, looking up at the two pony tall ornate fountain, “How are you going to get it down?”
Tourmaline smiled, “Oh that’s nothing, just watch.”
She focused and her horn glowed blue matching the soft glow wrapping the fountain. With only a bit of, well hidden, effort she lifted the heavy sculpture off the rack and held it a foot off the ground behind her.
“Now, let’s get this into the cart.”
Lily watched in amazement as Tourmaline gently placed the heavy sculture down in the cart and strapped it down.
“Now be careful, okay?” Tourmaline cautioned as she hitched the cart to Lily, “It’s a heavy load. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“Don’t worry,” Lily answered as she clip clopped away. She winked over her shoulder, “I won’t hurt your carving!”
Tourmaline laughed to herself, “Okay, okay. Just be careful.”
She headed back inside and checked on the fillies. Little Tia stirred a bit but otherwise they were fast asleep.
The things we do for neighbors... She thought to herself shaking her head. They ARE cute though.
She went back to work tapping her chisel as quietly as possible. Bit by bit the scene emerged from the cold rock as the dust and flakes of stone piled up around her hooves.
So was so deep in concentration that she almost chiseled Queen Aetheris’s head clean off when somepony tugged her tail.
“Gah!” she yelled dropping her chisel before she damaged her work. “You don’t do that to ponies!”
Behind her stood Tia holding a hoof over her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
“I’m sorry,” giggle, “I’m sorry I couldn’t resist.” The filly struggled to composed herself.
“Wasn’t that funny...” Tourmaline grumbled. “Aren’t you suppose to be asleep with your sister?”
Tia wiped her eyes, “Sorry, Miss Tourmaline. I woke up when I heard your chisling and came to see what you were doing.”
“Well now you’ve seen,” said Tourmaline, still grumpy that she was started by a child, “Why don’t you go lay back down. I’ll bring you something to drink.”
“Oh come on... you’re no fun.”
“Celestia...” Tourmaline warned.
“Okay, okay, I’m going.”
“Thank you. I have a lot of work to get done.”
The filly laid back down next to her sleeping sister and Tourmaline brought her a glass of warm milk to help her sleep (hopefully).
“Sorry for bothering you Miss Tourmaline,” said Tia.
“It’s fine... now please go back to sleep. I’m very busy right now.”
The filly nodded in agreement and closed her eyes and Tourmaline returned to her work. Time passed swiftly as she labored tirelessly, caught up in an artists inspiration. There was a knock at her workroom door. Tourmaline groaned.
“Ms Tourmaline, guess what.”
The turned to the filly, “Why can’t you sleep like Luna, Tia?”
Celestia frowned, “You have to guess what.”
“I don’t know... what?” Tourmaline rolled her eyes.
“I’m really good at magic, wanna see?” The filly smiled proudly.
“Well I’m glad to hear it, maybe you’ll be the court magus one day. But for now, you really need to get some rest. It’s very late,” she turned back to her work, “Go back to the couch with your sister Celestia.”
“But I wanna show you a spell...” The filly pouted.
“And I would love to see one but not right now.” Tourmaline pretended to work in the hopes the filly would give up and go back to bed.
“Can I show you one in the morning?”
“Yes yes, If you let me get my work done I promise you can show me a spell in the morning.”
“Yay! I can’t wait. You’re going to be really surprised!”
Tourmaline looked over her shoulder, saw Tia skipping happily back down the hall. and shook her head. She couldn’t help but like the filly but she could only imagine how much of a hoof full she must be. Again (and Hopefully the last time, she thought), Tourmaline turned to her work.
This time there were no interruptions. Finally done, Tourmaline set down her tools and stepped back to admire her work. Lifting from the smooth stone flew flocks of alicorns guiding the moon down to set on one side and lifting the sun on the other. Each feather was carefully veined. Each mane showed individual strands of flowing hair. Below them laid the murky earth where more alicorns used their magic to lift fields and hills from the water while others guided clouds across the sky.
She felt a strange stirring inside her self and found herself wondering if the old tales were true.
She shook her head and chuckled as she began to wrap the sculpture in padding.
“AHHHHH!!!!” A filly’s voice screamed, “Tourmaline come quick!!!”
The roll of packing thudded to the floor as Tourmaline released it from her magic and bolted down the hall.
“What happened!?!” She called, please let them be okay.
She skidded to a stop to find Celestia standing in front of the couch with Luna’s sleeping from still tucked under the blanket.
“Are you okay? What happened? Why did you scream?” She panted.
Tia answered nervously, “Well, remember how you promised I could show you a trick? I woke up early to practice ‘cause I wanted it to be PERFECT but, I dunno, cause its NOT perfect and I don’t know what I did or how to undo it!”
“What did you do....” Tourmaline was getting worried.
“I..” sniffle, “ um...”
“What did you DO Celestia!?”
“Just Look!”
With that, Celestia grabbed the hem of Luna’s blanket and jerked. It slid off the filly who didn’t even seem to notice. Or stir. Or breath.
“YOU TURNED YOUR SISTER TO STONE?!?!”
Tourmaline collapsed back onto her rump.
“HOW DID YOU TURN YOUR SISTER TO STONE!?”
“I don’t know! Please you’ve got to help her!” Celestia pleaded.
“Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!” Tourmaline panicked, “Your mother’s going to KILL me! Gah! I’D kill me If I was her!”
“Well maybe we can find somepony who knows a reversal spell.”
“Oh Good idea I know.. I’ll race down to the library! There’s bound to be something in the magic archive that can help!” Tourmaline bolted toward the door.
Knock knock
NOOOOOO! She screamed to herself
“It’s your Mother!!! What are we gonna do!” Tourmaline cried as she paced back and forth.
“How should I know?! You work with stone! Don’t you know any spells for this?”
“I don’t know how to enchant stone! I just carve it!”
“Sculpt,” answered a tiny voice from behind the door.
“WHATEVER! Sculpt, carve, it doesn’t matter! Your moms here and...” Tourmaline stopped, “Wait... huh?”
She threw open the door with her magic to reveal Luna, smiling mischievously on her front stoop.
“But how. what... who did.. YOU!!” She spun to face Celestia who finally lost her composure and broke out in hysterics.
“You should have seen the look on your face!” she gasped through her raucous laughter.
“That was not funny! You two are evil!”
Of course this only made Celestia laugh harder, even Luna was chuckling.
Tourmaline grumbled and grumbled and she levitated the filly statue over to herself. It was plainly made by the sisters last night. Rough cut, amateurish, and obviously made from her thrown away scrap stone, she couldn’t believe she ever fell for that stunt. Then she notice something odd. There were no tool marks.
For a moment she stopped being annoyed.
“Um.. girls? Did you make this?” She asked them.
“Yep! Did that last night when you went back to work.” Celestia explained.
“But how? There’s no chisel marks.”
“Well no of course not! I cut the stone with my magic.” She explained.
“WE cut the stone,” interjected Luna.
“Oh ya... Luna helped,” Tia admitted, earning a grumble from her sister.
“But, not even I can cut the stone directly! At least with any precision. It takes WAY too much control to pull that off.” Tourmaline was astounded.
Celestia beamed, “I told you you were going to be really surprised!”
“Oh my! What happened here?” said Lily’s voice as she surveyed the room from the doorway.
“Oh my Lily! Do you know what your little ‘darlings’ just did to my poor heart?” asked Tourmaline.
The filles ran to their mother who wrapped them up in a big hug.
“Aww did you girls play a prank on Miss Tourmaline?”
“Just a little one,” offered Luna.
“Ha ha, ya! Just a little one,” agreed Tia.
“A LITTLE one?!” gasped Tourmaline, much to the fillies’ laughter.
Celestia looked up at her mom, “Mom, do you think Miss Tourmaline could baby sit us again soon? She’s the best.”
“Ya, she’s really funny,” agreed Luna.
“Oh I don’t know...” Lily considered, “Ms Tourmaline was very nice to watch you this time but I don’t think we should bother her work.”
“Pleeeaaassee,” they pleaded.
“Wel.. I dunno.. I guess thats up to her.” Lily looked up at Tourmaline who has plopped back down on her dusty rump at the thought. “What do you think, Tourmaline?”
No way! Nah ah! Never gonna happen! Tourmaline opened her mouth to tell her and met Lily’s smiling face and two sets of puppy dog eyes from the sisters.
“Sure. Sounds like fun.”
Great....