//------------------------------// // Chapter 35 - The Pageant (Not Rewritten) // Story: New Life in Equestria // by jkreader //------------------------------// Chapter 35 - The Pageant *Joshua’s P.O.V.* “Five minutes till curtain time!” Nyx and I were backstage at a theatre with Mom, her friends, Uncle Shining, and Aunt Cadance. I was holding Guard in my arms again. I was surprised my new cousin liked me holding him a lot. It was hard to separate him from me. Mom and her friends were getting into their costumes for the pageant. This was going to be my first time seeing how Equestria was made. I was looking forward to it. “You three better go wait for Grandma and Grandpa,” Mom said to us, “The pageant is going to be starting soon.” “Okay,” Nyx said, “C’mon Joshua.” “Keep a close eye on Guard Joshua,” Uncle Shining said to me. “I don’t think he wants me to stop holding him,” I said while smiling at Uncle Shining. Nyx and I walked out of the backstage area while I was still holding Guard and saw Grandma Velvet walking up to us. “Come along kids,” she said, “Grandpa found us a spot near the front row.” We followed her to the crowd of ponies that had come to watch Mom and her friends perform. We then saw Grandpa Night Light with three empty seats for us to sit in. We walked over to them and sat down. Just then, I heard a voice next to me. “Is that you Joshie?” I turned my head and next to me was Dinky. She, Sparkler, and Derpy were here, and they were with a brown pegasus stallion I hadn’t seen before. He had a darker brown mane and tail, blue eyes, and an hourglass cutie mark, like Colgate’s. “Hi Dinks!” I said. “Who’s that you’re holding?” she asked pointing a hoof at Guard, “He looks adorable.” “This is my new cousin, Guard Armor. He’s been hard to keep away from me since we met. I almost had to sleep with him last night.” “Aww, I think that’s cute,” Dinky said. “Is that a friend of yours Joshua?” I heard Grandma Velvet say. “Yeah,” I said turning to her and pointing at Dinky, “This is Dinky. She’s one of my classmates too. Dinky, this is my Grandma Velvet and my Grandpa Night Light.” “It’s nice to meet you Dinky,” Grandma Velvet said. “You too,” Dinky replied. Music suddenly started playing and the lights went out. A spot light lit a spot on the stage and showed Spike dressed up. He was playing the narrator. He started telling the story in a funny voice. “Once upon a time, long before the peaceful rule of Celestia, and before ponies discovered our beautiful land of Equestria, ponies did not know harmony,” Spike said, “It was a strange and dark time. A time when ponies were torn apart...by hatred!” Everypony in the audience gasped, and I did too. “I know,” Spike said talking normal again, “Can you believe it?” He started telling the story in the funny voice again. The story said that the ponies were separated into three tribes, the unicorns, the pegasi, and the Earth ponies. They only cared about themselves. If ponies wanted the weather changed, the pegasi demanded food from the Earth ponies in return. The unicorns wanted food too if they were to keep raising the sun and moon. A blizzard then came across the three tribes and ruined the peace. The Earth ponies couldn’t grow food. The three tribes started blaming each other for bringing the blizzard. A meeting was then held to talk about the strange blizzard. “Each tribe sent their leaders,” Spike continued, “Daughter of the unicorn king, Princess Platinum.” Rarity stepped on to the stage dressed in a silver crown and a purple robe. “Ruler of the pegasi, Commander Hurricane.” Rainbow came in dressed in grey armor. “And lastly, leader of the Earth ponies, Chancellor Puddinghead.” Pinkie Pie stepped in with a tasty looking outfit. “Perhaps the three tribes could finally settle their differences, and agree on a way to get through this disaster.” Pinkie, Rainbow, and Rarity started arguing as their parts told them too. “All I wanna know is why the Earth ponies are hogging all the food!” Rainbow shouted. “Us?!” Pinkie exclaimed, “We’re not hogging all the food, you are! Oh, wait. You’re right. It’s us. Well, it’s only ‘cause you mean old Pegasususues are making it snow like crazy!” “For the hundredth time, it’s not us!” Rainbow said back, “We’re not making it snow! It must be the unicorns! They’re doing it with their freaky magic!” Rarity gasped. “How dare you! Unlike you pegasi ruffians, we unicorns would never stoop to such a thing! H-m-ph!” The other unicorns on stage ‘hmphed’ too. The meeting kept on going until they all decided to leave, until they started arguing over who should leave first. “And the blizzard raged on,” Spike said ending the first scene. …Later. The three leaders set out to look for a new land to call home. Mom and the rest of their friends came on stage too. Mom was Clover the Clever like she said she was. Applejack played Smart Cookie, Puddinghead’s secretary, and Fluttershy played Private Pansy. The six ponies came to the same area. They started arguing over who claimed the spot first until the blizzard returned. All six of them had to take shelter in a nearby cave. The leaders weren’t happy about sharing it. They started splitting the cave into equal areas until they started arguing over a rock. I thought that was kind of funny. Then the blizzard reached the cave and froze the entrance, trapping the six ponies inside. “Great,” Rainbow said, “Now there’s no way out! We’re trapped!” “You two deserve this horrible fate,” Rarity said as the inside of the cave was starting to get covered in ice, “You’ve done nothing but argue and fight with each other!” “You’ve been fighting too, your Highness!” Rainbow said. “Yeah! Worse!” Pinkie said, “I haven’t been fighting nearly as much as you!” The ice started covering the three leaders. “How ridiculous!” Rarity said, “A unicorn never stoops to fighting!” “That’s just ‘cause you wimpy unicorns know you’d never win!” Rainbow said, “Earth ponies are numbskulls!” The ice now covered Rainbow all over. “Pegasi are brutes!” Rarity said, with the ice covering her. “Unicorns are snobs!” Pinkie said, the ice now covering her too. Mom, Applejack, and Fluttershy were backing away from the frozen leaders until their flanks bumped into each other. They jumped, but calmed down a bit. Just then there was a ghost sound. The three of them screamed and hugged each other. Fluttershy then looked up. “W-W-What is that...thing?” she said. Mom and Applejack looked up and saw Uncle Shining and Aunt Cadance up flying in circles. They were covered in white makeup and Uncle Shining was being held in another unicorn’s magic. “They must be...windigos!” Mom said. “Windigos?” Applejack and Fluttershy asked. “My mentor Star Swirl the Bearded taught me about them,” Mom continued, “They’re winter spirits that feed off fighting and hatred. The more hate the spirit feels, the colder things become!” “Then,” Applejack said, “this is our fault. We three tribes...we brought this blizzard to our home by fightin’ and not trustin’ each other. Now it’s destroyin’ this land, too.” The ice then started to get closer to Mom and her other two friends. “And now our bodies will become as cold as our hearts,” Mom said, “all because we were foolish enough to hate.” “Well, I don’t hate you,” Fluttershy said, “I actually hate Commander Hurricane a lot more than I hate you guys.” Mom and Applejack giggled at that. The ice started to cover them. “Actually, I don’t really hate her, I just really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really dislike her.” Now Mom and Applejack were laughing. “Well, I don’t hate you guys either,” Applejack said. “Nor do I,” Mom added. “No matter what our differences, we’re all ponies,” Applejack said. The ice now covered them, but Mom’s horn was sticking out. Just then magic shot out from her horn and from it a big pink, fiery heart was in the air. It broke them out of their ice cages and sent the windigos away. “What was that?” Fluttershy asked. “I didn’t know unicorns could do that,” Applejack said. “I didn’t either,” Mom said, “Nothing like this has ever happened before. But I know it couldn’t have been just me. It came from all three of us, joined together, in friendship.” “All through the night, the three ponies kept the fire of friendship alive by telling stories to one another and by singing songs, which of course became the winter carols that we all still sing today. Eventually, the warmth of the fire and singing and laughing reached the leaders, and their bodies began to thaw. And it even began to melt their hearts,” Spike continued narrating. “The three leaders agreed to share the beautiful land, and live in harmony ever afterwards. And together, they named their new land...” “Equestria!” Mom and her friends said together. The curtain then closed and we all applauded for them. The curtain then opened again and Mom, Spike, and their friends took a bow. Uncle Shining and Aunt Cadance came onstage to take a bow too. Music then started playing. It was the Hearth’s Warming carol playing. Mom taught it to me a few days ago. It was beautiful. Everypony on stage and in the audience began singing, and I did too. (All rights to The Heart Carol go to Daniel Ingram and Hasbro) Later backstage... “Well Joshua,” Mom asked me after taking her costume off, “How did you like the story?” “It was amazing Mom,” I said. Guard had fallen asleep in my arms and was sucking one of his hooves. “You did a good job.” “Thanks,” Mom said. “How’d you like my narrating, brother?” Spike asked me in his funny talk. “You did a good job too Spike,” I said, “I thought that voice you did was pretty funny.” “Thanks buddy,” Spike said in his normal voice patting my shoulder. “You all did wonderfully,” said another voice. We all turned and saw Princess Celestia standing in the doorway. “Princess Celestia!” Mom said. “Hello again everypony,” she said. She then looked down at me as Uncle Shining and Aunt Cadance came up. She saw Guard asleep in my arms. “Aww, who’s this?” “Aunt Tia,” Aunt Cadance said, “This is mine and Shining’s little colt, Guard Armor.” Guard yawned a bit in his sleep, but went back to sucking his hoof. “He’s taken a strong liking to Joshua when he first laid eyes on him. It’s been hard to keep them apart.” “I almost had to sleep with him last night,” I said. Celestia giggled at that. “I think that sounds adorable,” she said. She then turned to me. “Did you enjoy the story Joshua?” “I sure did,” I said nodding, “Mom and the others did a really good job.” “Well, I’m glad to hear that. I must depart now, and I look forward to seeing you all at the castle for the party tomorrow,” Celestia said walking away. “Bye Princess,” we all said. Just then, I smelled something funny. It was coming from Guard. Uh oh. “Uh, Aunt Cadance,” I said holding my nose, “I think Guard needs to be changed.” After changing Guard and after everypony took their costumes off, we all left for Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Guard stayed asleep all the way home, and I was able to put him in the crib Uncle Shining and Aunt Cadance brought for him to sleep in. “Thanks for looking after him for us buddy,” Uncle Shining said to me. “You’re welcome Uncle Shining,” I said hugging him, “Good night.” He hugged me back and then I hugged Aunt Cadance. “Good night Aunt Cadance.” “Good night Joshua,” she said, “See you in the morning.” I walked up the stairs into Mom’s bedroom and saw that Mom, Spike, and Nyx were already in bed asleep. I went into the bathroom and changed into my pajamas, and then climbed into the bed next to Nyx. Before I fell asleep though, I felt a hoof wrap around me. “Good night little brother,” Nyx whispered in my ear. “Good night big sister,” I said smiling. I then fell asleep.