//------------------------------// // A New Day Dawns // Story: In Her Element // by TLATopHat //------------------------------// The morn approached. She looked over her shoulder expectantly, shifting her weight from one hoof to another. Celestia, Princess of the Sun, would be there soon. The night was old, and a pale mist clung to the hills and valleys of Equestria; the time was fast approaching for the Princess of the Night to retire her pale moon to make way for her sister’s glorious day. Luna had always treasured her nights, but working with her sister, weaving their magics together... those were the moments she especially cherished. Luna looked up to watch the small stars glitter against the deep purple of the nighttime sky, a soft smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. The soft clop of hoofsteps from behind broke her reverie. Celestia's graceful form appeared at the door, stepping lightly into the open air, her white coat contrasting starkly with the deep red of the carpeted stonework. "Good morning, sister! How farest thou this day?" Luna asked, turning to smile at her older sister. Celestia chuckled briefly at the greeting. "I'm fine, Luna. You don't have to be so formal." She stepped up to her sister and nuzzled her neck. Luna flushed in mild embarrassment. "Of... Of course, Tia. We... I mean... I am sorry. I have not yet completely broken the old habits." She returned the embrace with one of her own before stepping back to give Celestia a playful glare. "It did not help that you let me visit Ponyville without first warning me. We made a downright fool of Ourselves in front of everypony." This brought another melodious laugh from Celestia. "Oh Lulu, surely it wasn't as bad as all that? You got to make some friends there, if I recall correctly; my most faithful student, Twilight, among them." Luna smiled warmly at the memory. The whole ordeal that Nightmare Night had been confusing, awkward, and at times... frightening. If it hadn't been for that young lavender mare, she didn't know what might have happened. She didn’t really want to dwell on it, either. "We... I suppose you're right, Tia. You still should have warned Us, though." "You're right, Luna." Celestia smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't mention it. It wasn’t something I thought of at the time. After all, I haven’t used the Royal Canterlot Voice for well over three-hundred years now.” She gave her younger sister a playful wink. “Now then, how about we get the sky set for the new day?" Luna nodded enthusiastically and the two walked side-by-side to the end of the balcony. Only a short time ago, she would have only come up to her sister’s shoulder. Now, with her powers and magic fully restored, she stood only a head shorter than Celestia. There was a kind of comfort in that. With a nod from Celestia, Luna closed her eyes and raised her horn to the skies, wrapped in a pale blue light. Beside her, Celestia did the same, a golden glow pulsing into being around her own ivory horn. Luna felt her magic leap skyward, and she followed its path with her mind's eye, guiding it with practiced skill, ensnaring the Moon in the shroud of her magic. Gently, she prodded the great orb towards the horizon, hastening its descent from Equestria's skies to bring its softer light to the other side of the world. The stars shimmered in the brightening sky and began fading fast as Celestia drew her Sun to the edge of the horizon. Like heralds, warm colors announced the arrival of the Sun to Equestria. At last, the Sun's disc broke above the eastern mountains, casting the first rays of sunlight on the still-slumbering towns and cities. Luna released her magic as she felt Celestia do the same. She smiled as she looked over the lands below the great mountainside city, its rich greens and browns brightening as the Sun began its ascent. "I wonder what your student is doing today, Tia. It has been a while since we last heard from her." Celestia followed Luna's gaze down to the small village of Ponyville in the valley below. If she knew Twilight as well as she thought, she was likely already awake and preparing for the day ahead. "I'm not sure, Luna," the elder sister admitted with a soft smile. "But whatever the day has in store, she's sure to handle it well, as she usually does." She paused for a moment, eyeing the little town pensively. Luna tilted her head in curiosity. "Is something wrong, Tia?" she asked with a measure of concern. Celestia blinked and shook her head slightly. "No, no. Of course not, dear sister." Her eyes lingered a moment longer on the town before turning to her younger sister with a smile. "Come, let's have breakfast. The chefs in the kitchen worked extra-hard this morning." Luna nodded in agreement and moved close to Celestia's side. Together, they returned to castle interior, just as the dawn brushed the rooftops of Ponyville with its warming light. -:||:-:||:-:||:-:||:-:||:-:||:-:||:-:||:-:||:-:||:-:||:-:||:-:||:-:||:-:||:-:||:- "Spike~! Time to get up!" Twilight called in a sing-song voice as she trotted across the library floor. She had been up for over an hour already; clean, groomed, and ready for the day. Spike, however, was not so quick to shake off sleep, and the only reply she got from the young dragon was a muffled grumble from upstairs. Twilight rolled her eyes and proceeded up to where Spike was sleeping in his basket at the foot of her bed. "C'mon, Spike, we've got things that need to get done this morning." Spike just groaned and stuffed his head under his pillow. A note of annoyance played across Twilight's features. Her horn lit up with a purple aura as she stripped the blankets off of Spike. The dragon just curled up tighter and refused to move. With an exasperated sigh, the unicorn lifted the basket off the ground with her magic, then neatly up-ended it. Spike dropped from his overturned bed with an audible 'oomf'. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. "Alright, alright. Jeez, Twilight. Why'd you have to go and do that?" Spike asked as he clambered to his feet. "Well, somepony was being extra-stubborn this morning, so I just provided a little extra incentive." Twilight replied with a mischievous smile. "Besides we have a lot to do today." She led the way back down to the library's main floor and magicked over a logbook from off her desk. "A new shipment of books is coming from Fillydelphia later, so we have to go over our inventory to see what's missing or overdue. Then we have to go out and collect up the overdue books." She flipped open the logbook and began scanning the pages. "And finally, we write up a checklist of what we're missing and go meet the shipment at the train station." Spike, despite his lazy start, was already in full motion, dutifully going over the books on the shelves to see if he could spot any missing volumes. "So... when is the shipment arriving exactly?" He asked, jotting down the names of missing books on a scroll as he moved to the next shelf. "The letter I got said Phineas Bookworm, the librarian from Fillydelphia, would arrive with the shipment on the 3 o'clock Pony Express." Twilight explained, setting the logbook down on a podium as she kept flipping through its pages. Spike froze mid-step in surprise. "Holy Guacamole, Twilight! That's not a lot of time! That means we have..." He paused, counting on his fingers. "...less than eight hours to get everything done!" Twilight just smiled confidently, a note of pride in her voice. "Don't worry about it, Spike. I have it all planned out. If we stick to my plan, we'll have everything done in time to meet Mr. Bookworm on the platform when he arrives. In fact, if it goes as smoothly as I hope, we'll even have time to grab a bite to eat around noon!" "No breakfast!?" Spike asked in shock. "Of course there's breakfast, silly. It's right there on the table." She pointed a hoof at the still-steaming tray of sweetrolls, still dripping in warm icing. "Fresh from Sugarcube Corner. I already had some, so go ahead and help yourself." Spikes eyes lit up as he zipped over to the table, snatching up one of the gooey confections. "Just don't get icing all over the books." Twilight warned pointedly, pulling out another logbook with her magic. "You got it!" Spike replied, enthusiastically stuffing the treat into his mouth. Twilight couldn't help but smile at the look of pure bliss on Spike's face. She wouldn't trade Spike's dedicated companionship for anything in the world. The two of them spent the rest of the early-morning hours going over the shelves and combing through records. Surprisingly, by the time the task was done, they found that there were only five books that were still overdue; each taken out by one of Twilight’s closest friends in Ponyville. It was a fact that did not go unnoticed by the young librarian. “How about that,” she noted with a wry smile as she looked at the list. “I guess that’s what happens when you lend things to your best friends.” She rolled up the list and tucked it into her saddle bags. “How about the list of missing books, Spike?” “I just finished it! Looks like we’re missing seventeen books from our inventory. I have them all listed here.” He unrolled the paper and held it out for Twilight to read. Twilight studied the list for a moment, then smiled smugly. “Excellent! These books are sure to be in the shipment, so there’s no problem. Ponyville’s library will be up-to-date in no time!” She trotted happily to the door, flinging it open with her magic. “C’mon, Spike! Let’s get those overdue books back from the girls.” Spike hopped up onto Twilight’s back, and together they left the library, heading out into the beautiful summer day. And what a beautiful day it was. Celestia’s Sun was now well on its way to its apex in the sky. The pegasi of the Weather Patrol had pulled out all the stops and had crafted beautiful thin wafts of clouds that floated lazily across the sky like giant feathers in the breeze. Even from where the pair was standing, they could see Ponyville’s main thoroughfare was fairly packed with ponies. Everypony, it seemed, wanted to be out and about that day. Twilight couldn’t help but look around and smile at all the ponyfolk merrily going about their business as she cantered her way through the crowds. There was something wonderful about the people here that Canterlot didn’t quite have, though she couldn’t quite put a hoof on it. Spike’s boyish rasp cut into her thoughts as he read off the first book. “Let’s see... ‘Perfect Party Pastries Properly Prepared’.” He chuckled at the name. “Yep, that sounds like Pinkie Pie’s kind of book alright. To Sugarcube Corner!” He exclaimed pointing dramatically towards the building in the center of the town square. Twilight diverted her path towards the iconic building for the second time that day. Already, the smell of baking bread and the heady scent of sweet cakes wafted around her. The bakery always had a small group of ponies moving in and out all day long. Mr. and Mrs. Cake were well known for their simple but delicious goods, making the bakery a favorite stop of travelers going to or from Canterlot. Of course, Pinkie Pie had built herself quite the reputation as an expert party planner and budding baker, and the Cakes were glad for the extra set of hooves in the kitchen. Living near the bakery was one of the perks of living out here that Twilight was quite happy to take advantage of, though she admitted that she missed the late-night study sessions she used to have over at Pony Joe’s while she was at the University. As she approached the bakery steps, the door swung open and out came Bon-Bon, a cake box balanced carefully on her back, with the mint-colored Lyra only a few steps behind. Twilight courteously stepped aside to let the ponies go by. “Morning Bon-Bon! Morning Lyra!” She said cheerfully. “Morning Twilight!” the two ponies replied in chorus. “What’s with the cake, Bon-Bon?” asked Spike, eyeing the box with unmasked curiosity. “Oh! Well, it’s Lyra’s Birthday today. We just finished going over the party plans with Pinkie Pie,” Bon-Bon replied. “It’s going to be in the park this afternoon. You wanna come?” “Do I ever! We’ll be done with our work by then, won’t we Twilight?” Spike asked, hopefully. Twilight tapped the tip of one hoof on her chin for a few moments, going over the timeline in her head. Finally, she gave a shallow shrug. “I guess we can hold off on re-shelving the books until tomorrow.” She turned to Bon-Bon with a confident nod. “We’d be happy to come to the party. When does it start?” “Five o’clock.” Lyra chimed in. “We’ll be there.” Twilight said with a smile, turning to climb the steps into the bakery. “Oh! And Happy Birthday, Lyra!” “Yeah! Happy Birthday, Lyra!” Spike chorused, waving at the two ponies. “Thanks, you two! See you at the park later!” Lyra called back as she followed Bon-Bon out into the street. Twilight pushed the doors aside and stepped into the bakery. By now, the smells were overpowering; cake and frosting, cinnamon and sugar, fresh fruit and bread. Mr. Cake himself was there to greet her at the front desk. “Why hello again, Ms. Sparkle! What brings you back here this morning?” He asked, taking a moment to shelf the tray of cookies he was carrying. “Anything I can do for you?” “Good Morning, Mr. Cake! I was just wondering if Pinkie Pie is in yet.” Twilight explained, trotting over to the counter. “Pinkie Pie? Sure! She’s back in the kitchen with the missus. Watch your step, though! She’s trying out a new cupcake recipe. No telling what she’s got laying about back there.” Mr. Cake cautioned motioning to the kitchen door with a hoof. Twilight gave him a thankful smile and made her way into the kitchen. Just what kind of new recipe was this, Twilight wondered? She sure hoped there was a batch done already. It was sure to be delicious. As Twilight and Spike walked into kitchen, they were greeted by a very familiar voice singing a very familiar song. “All you have to do is take a cup of flour; add it to the mix! Then you take a little something sweet, not sour. A bit of salt; just a pinch!” There was Pinkie Pie, her bubbly voice filling the kitchen as she bounced to and fro, somehow managing to be everywhere at once. Mrs. Cake was there too, carefully pulling a fresh tray of cupcakes out of one of the bakery’s many ovens. Twilight inhaled the heavy smell the wafted from the open oven. They smelled heavenly, but she couldn’t quite place exactly what kind of cupcakes they were. They didn’t smell like any cupcakes she had ever had. Eager to find out more, she approached the two bakers just as Pinkie finished her song with a long, drawn out “Cupcaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaakes!” “Wow, Pinkie Pie!” Spike said, eyeing the spread of confections on the counter. “Those cupcakes sure smell delicious!” The pink pony perked her ears at the compliment, bouncing over to the pair. “Well hi there, Spike! Hey, Twilight!” She exclaimed happily. “Whatcha doin’ here?” “Hello, Pinkie Pie. Actually, we’re here to...” but Twilight’s explanation was cut off by a sudden gasp from Pinkie. “OOH! Hey! Twilight! Do you like bananas?” Pinkie asked, grinning from ear to ear. “Wait... I... Huh?” Twilight stuttered, a little confused by the sudden question. “Do you like bananas?” Pinkie repeated. Twilight opened her mouth to formulate a response, but the pink earth pony barreled on. “‘Cause you’re gonna go bananas for my new super-duper-most-awesome-delicious cupcakes of ALL TIME!” In usual Pinkie Pie fashion, she was instantly holding out one of the fresh cupcakes to Twilight for her to try. Twilight looked from the cupcake to Spike, who just shrugged. Levitating the treat, she took a bite off one side of the cupcake. “Wow! Pinkie, these are really good! What’s in these?” She asked, passing the rest of the cupcake back to Spike, who happily indulged himself. Pinkie giggled at the question. “Bananas, silly! They’re my new Super Banana-Chocolate Swirl cupcakes! I’m making them for Lyra’s Birthday Party this afternoon!” “Wow, Pinkie! These are delicious!” Spike managed between bites. “Where did you come up with this?” Pinkie pointed a hoof to a blue book on the countertop. “Easy-peasy, Spike! I found a great chocolate cupcake recipe in that book. I just gave it a little Pinkie-style spin!” So saying, Pinkie spun off like a pony-sized tornado. Mrs. Cake was chuckling at Pinkie’s antics, watching her whirlwind through the bakery. “Oh my, you should have seen her when she first got the idea. My goodness, I thought she was going to put a hole in the ceiling she was bouncing so much,” Mrs. Cake explained, laughing. Twilight walked over to the book and flipped it closed with a wave of her horn. On the cover, in bubbly lettering, was ‘Perfect Party Pastries Properly Prepared’. “Yep, that’s our book alright,” said Spike, hopping from Twilight’s back to the counter and scooping up the book. “Hey Pinkie!” He waved at her, trying to catch her attention. The pink whirlwind spun to a stop, leaving a very disoriented and dizzy Pinkie. After a moment, she grabbed her head with her hooves to stop her eyes from spinning. “Wassup, Spike?” She asked, as if nothing had happened. “Mind if we take this book back to the Library? It’s kinda overdue.” Spike explained. “Oh sure! I mean, I don’t need it anymore. I got all my recipes up here in the old Pinkie noggin’.” She tapped her head with a hoof, which made an oddly hollow knocking sound. “I’m sure somepony else needs it more than me.” “Cool! Thanks, Pinkie Pie! And thanks for the cupcake!” Spike happily hopped back onto Twilight's back, sliding the book into Twilight’s saddle bag. “See you at Lyra’s party later, Pinkie.” Twilight said as she headed back out of the bakery and out into the hubbub of Ponyville’s town square.