Chapter 19: Party Plans
"Can I open my eyes yet?" deadpanned Scootaloo as she held on to Rainbow Dash's back. The cerulean mare was currently carrying her through the air, having showed up unexpectedly after school, insisting that Scootaloo climb on her back. Rainbow had also instructed Scootaloo to close her eyes and not open them until told to. Scootaloo turned to her friends in confusion, but was surprised to see that they had clearly expected this and were now encouraging Scootaloo on with expectant expressions.
"Not yet squirt," said Rainbow, "Sorry this is taking so long. I don't want to risk you falling off."
Scootaloo frowned pensively, wondering just what everypony was planning. Off to one side and slightly behind them, she could feel Dawn in her wind-sense, keeping pace with Rainbow as she soared over the town.
Scootaloo fought her frustration down. While she loved a good surprise as much as the next pony, it was hard for her to keep herself under control for so long. However, she felt Rainbow Dash dip, apparently going in for a landing. I guess I won't have to wait for much longer.
Her thoughts were soon proved true as she felt a slight jolt, accompanied by the sound of Rainbow's hooves smacking into the ground. Rainbow trotted for a few steps before coming to a stop.
"Sorry for taking so long squirt," said Rainbow, "We needed to make sure everypony could make it here first, so I kinda took the scenic route."
"If I can't even open my eyes for it, how does it count as a scenic route?" grumbled Scootaloo, eliciting a chuckle from Dawn.
Her wind-sense swept around the immediate area, taking in its features, giving her a clear view, even with her eyes closed. She could sense the outlines of several ponies. However, her lack of experience made it difficult to pick out individuals aside from Dawn, whose profile she was most familiar with. However, as she concentrated, she was able to distinguish individuals.
A cluster of three smaller ponies had to be her fellow Crusaders. Wherever they were, Scootaloo figured that the extra time Rainbow had taken to delay their arrival had been so the other foals could make it here first. Around them, Scootaloo could pick out the profiles of a few larger ponies, obviously the adults. Sharpening her focus, she tried to distinguish individual features. Around two of them, she could feel small extra eddies of air around their foreheads, a sign that they had horns. Still three others produced no extra currents that altered their profiles, which Scootaloo took to mean that they were earth ponies. Also, there was one other pony there whose body generated small currents of her own, originating from both sides of her barrel, another pegasus. Finally, there was another, stranger outline, something that resembled no pony, a slightly larger than foal-sized creature that appeared to be standing upright on two legs.
"What's going on?" asked Scootaloo, the pieces coming together in her mind. The two unicorns were obviously Twilight Sparkle and Rarity, while the remaining pegasus was Fluttershy. If Twilight was here, then that other, unusual figure must have been Spike. Two of the earth ponies must have been Pinkie Pie and Applejack. As for the third...Scootaloo concentrated and felt a strange sense of familiarity. She'd never concentrated to try and mark how the third mare's features appeared to the wind flowing across her feathers, but there was a strange, aching familiarity, as though she had spent most of her life around this pony. Mom...?
"We've got something to show you," said Rainbow, unable to keep the excitement from her voice, "Open your eyes kiddo."
Scootaloo did as she was told. Her eyes opened and she looked at the scene in front of her. As she saw where they were, her eyes widened and her jaw went slack.
"SURPRISE!!!" exclaimed everypony as they parted ranks in front of Scootaloo to give her a view of her home.
"Y-you-you girls..." the orange filly stammered, unable to believe what she was seeing, "How did you...?"
"It was Apple Bloom's idea," said Spike, his statement drawing a blush from the yellow filly, "We all pitched in and helped fix the wall."
"But the money..." gasped Scootaloo.
"Paid for with one 'o Pinkie Pie's fundraisers," said Applejack smugly.
"You all did this...for me..." Scootaloo didn't know what else to say as she slid off Rainbow's back. Tears were gathering in her eyes as she tried to wrap her mind around what her friends had done for her. She felt Dawn's wing drape itself over her as her coltfriend sidled up and nuzzled her.
Scootaloo's gaze settled onto Apple Bloom and she darted out from under Dawn's wing and rushed up to the yellow filly and tackled her to the ground in a hug.
"Thank you!" exclaimed Scootaloo, the crying unabashedly now.
Apple Bloom couldn't keep the tears from her own eyes as she hugged Scootaloo back. "Yer welcome Scoots."
Soon, Sweetie Belle and Rumble joined the hug as well, the two of them hugging Scootaloo from behind. Dawn added his own legs and wings to the group hug as well. At the bottom of the pile, Apple Bloom rubbed her cheek affectionately against Scootaloo's reveling in her friend's elation. At that moment, Apple Bloom truly appreciated what she had done for her friend and how happy it had made them both. There, in a shared embrace with one of her closest friends, Apple Bloom felt as though she'd mended something much more important than a broken wall.
Applejack was the first to notice. Grinning, she elbowed Rarity gently and jerked her head to indicate what she had seen. When Rarity saw what Applejack was pointing out, she let out a sharp gasp and raised her hoof to her mouth. One by one, the rest of the audience noticed the new development, their eyes widening and smiles spreading.
"Uh hey..." said Spike a little hesitantly, "Speaking of surprises..."
"What is it Spike?" asked Apple Bloom, looking up from the pony pile. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed the grin on his face.
"Uh, you might want to check your flank," said the dragon, chuckling.
Apple Bloom's eyes widened as she realized what Spike was saying. His words also resonated with the rest of the foals, causing them to abandon the embrace and back away so that they too could see what had happened. Getting up on her hooves, Apple Bloom turned her head to eye her flank speculatively. Now it was her turn to gape in astonishment as her eyes took in the image of a hammer, its handle twisting into a tree branch capped with an apple blossom in full-bloom, emblazoned on her flank.
"Mah cutie mark!" gasped Apple Bloom before whirling to take in her audience, "Ah got mah cutie mark!"
Almost immediately, Apple Bloom began hopping in an excited circle. "Ah did it! Ah did it! Ah finally got mah cutie mark!"
"Congratulations," said Melon Cream as she moved to stand next to Scootaloo. She reached out wrapped her foreleg around the orange filly to pull her into a hug, neither of them taking their eyes off Bloom as she continued to bounce about.
"Sis! Ah got mah cutie mark!" Bloom skidded to a halt in front of Applejack, proudly displaying her flank for her older sister to see.
"Ah can see that," said Applejack, chuckling heartily, "Just wait 'til the rest 'o the family hears 'bout this. They're gonna be thrilled fer ya, Bloom."
Off to the side, Rarity sighed happily as she dabbed at her eyes with a hoofkerchief. "That's one more down," she intoned pleasantly.
"Oh! This so super amazing!" squealed Pinkie Pie, practically vibrating with barely-contained ecstasy, "Now I get to plan a cutecenera for Apple Bloom!"
Bloom froze in motion, the smile dropping from her face as she momentarily became lost in thought. The surprising shift made everypony uneasy, as though the mention of the party had upset her for some reason. However, the gears were clearly turning in the little filly's head as she puzzled something out. When she spoke, her tone was surprisingly resolute and determined. "Now hold yer horses there Pinkie Pie," she said, "Now ain't the time fer mah cutecenera."
"Why not?" asked Pinkie, tilting her head in dazed confusion.
"'Cause yer already workin' on the Harvest Festival," Bloom pointed out, "After all the work ya put in on the fundraiser and all the stuff yer still doin' fer the festival, Ah don't want ya to wear yerself out. We can have mah cutecenera sometime later."
"Are you sure?" asked Pinkie, clearly unbalanced by Bloom's request.
Bloom nodded an affirmative, prompting Pinkie to let out a defeated sigh and a low-key "Okey dokey..."
Beaming down at the yellow filly, Twilight gently ruffled Bloom's mane. "That was very mature of you Apple Bloom."
"Thanks Twilight," said Bloom, smiling up at the unicorn.
"Well now," said Applejack, "Ah know it ain't exactly a cutecenera, but how about we go over to Sugarcube Corner and break out all them baked goods we girls bought to celebrate today?"
Apple Bloom's face lit up like a Hearth's Warming display. "Great!"
While it wasn't a cutecenera, Pinkie Pie's peculiar party planing proclivities couldn't be comfortably contained considering the circumstances and the gathering at the Sugarcube Corner quickly developed a much more festive atmosphere than had originally been planned. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie had quickly rushed out to round up everypony who had helped with the project and bring them in. Mayweather, Braeburn and Big Macintosh, and Dinky were brought in from the farm, while Red River and Storm Front were roped in from the market stall and the Weather Team respectively. At Rumble's behest, Flitter, Cloud Chaser, and Thunderlane also joined the gathering. Twilight also teleported out briefly before reappearing with Arkenstone at her side.
As the party gathered momentum, Scootaloo was surprised when she was approached by Mayweather, who gently led the orange filly off to one side of the room. Scootaloo eyed the stripe-maned mare warily, albeit curiously. She had serious mixed feelings about the mare, especially after all that had happened. After all, it was Mayweather, in a sense, who had kicked off the whole thing that had led to Quicksilver forcing his way into Scootaloo's house. However, she was also conscious of the role that her own temper had played in the affair, prompting Scootaloo to do her best to keep herself under control. Her efforts were helped by Dawn who, noticing Mayweather leading the orange filly aside, had followed them. Dawn sidled up and rested his side against Scootaloo's the feathers of their wings brushing against each other as the two foals stared up at the mare.
Mayweather took a deep breath, lowering her head in shame. "I'm sorry," she said, "I'm sorry about everything."
"It wasn't your fault," Dawn pointed out, "The actions of other ponies are their own."
"Yes...but I was the one who told them. If I'd just kept my mouth shut..." Mayweather was notably averting her gaze, avoiding Dawn's, a clear sign that she was still quite uncomfortable around the colt.
"You did what you thought you had to do," said Dawn, "What you thought was right. From what Braeburn has told me, you tried your best to keep the situation from spiraling out of control. That is all I could ask of you."
Scootaloo studied her hooves as she listened to Dawn, reflecting on her own feelings about the matter. She wasn't nearly as easily inclined to forgive and forget as Dawn was. However, she felt as though she didn't have the right to judge Mayweather's behavior, as she had been the one to put a pony in the hospital. "I'm okay with it too," she said after a moment, looking up and meeting Mayweather's eyes, "I don't feel right about what happened either...but I think we can move past it."
Mayweather smiled at them, her eyes welling up with tears. "Thank you," she said, dipping her head once again.
"What will you do now?" asked Dawn.
"I...I don't know..." said Mayweather, "It's just so hard to think that everything I'd been taught, from how we think of Princess Celestia, to how we've been treating ponies like you, has been wrong. The Order's been everything to me. They saved my life, gave me a family, gave me a future. I think most of them are wonderful ponies. Even Garnet and Quicksilver aren't really that bad. You just saw their worst side."
"I can understand that," said Dawn, casting a look at Applejack, who was casually chatting with Flitter on the other side of the room.
"What do you mean they saved your life?" asked Scootaloo.
Mayweather sighed and looked back at the party, her gaze softening when her eyes alit on the sight of Twilight leaning contentedly against Arkenstone as the lavender unicorn watched Spike and Apple Bloom at one of the tables. Apple Bloom had practically glued herself to the dragon's side shortly after the party began.
"It's not the most pleasant of stories," said Mayweather, "A pony from the Order saved me when I was younger.
"I was born in an earth pony village near the Equestrian border. As far as we were from any of the larger cities, there were hardly any ponies from the other tribes to be found there. Pegasi occasionally stopped by when they were delivering weather from Las Pegasus, but they never stayed very long. I don't think the locals' attitude helped much. Our village was pretty insular and self-contained. All that changed when my mom decided to marry my dad.
"Mom was an earth pony. She'd inherited the family business of cotton farming. During one of her trips to another town to sell her goods, she met my father, a unicorn working for a textile maker in that town. The two of them hit it off and my mom started making trips to see him more often. Everypony in town was sure that the 'city-slicker' unicorn was charming my mom with his fancy magic in hopes of getting her to sell her cotton farm so he could steal the money from her. Their attitudes started to change when dad decided to give up his work in the textile business to come and help mom with the farm. He moved in with her. They married and I was born.
"A lot of ponies changed their minds when they saw how serious my dad was about working the farm. I guess farm life really grew on him. He and mom loved each other a lot and they both loved me a lot. Even though dad was a unicorn, he managed to make quite a few friends with the other villagers, who were all earth ponies. He became a pretty respected figure in the community."
Mayweather sighed and looked out a nearby window, gazing into the distance. "But not everypony liked him. There were a fair number diehard tribalists in the town, enough to be a real source of problems. They wouldn't do business with my dad and bully anypony who did do business with him. They'd harass my mom and they used to call me a half-blood freakspawn."
Scootaloo muffled a gasp with her hooves. Living in Ponyville, she'd never had to worry much about poor attitudes towards mixed marriages. However, having come from an earth pony and a pegasus, she could appreciate the insult. Her mixed heritage had been a source of conflict between her and her father, particularly since it made her reluctant to go to Flight School in Cloudsdale, something her father had pushed heavily for.
Mayweather continued. "But mom and dad pushed through it. The friends they'd made in town were good ones, who stood by their side and helped. Ironically, the tribalists' efforts to drive my family out only served to make them the outcasts. The town council was even considering making arrangements with the Weather Bureau for a Weather Team of their own. They were talking about extending offers to businesses outside of town to set up inside the town, which would have brought in an influx of outsiders, including other unicorns.
"The hardliners wouldn't stand for this, but they weren't able to influence the council's decision. So instead, they turned on us..." Mayweather shivered, her color paling as she relived a wretched memory. "What happened then...isn't for foals to hear."
"I understand," said Dawn softly, "They killed your parents."
Mayweather nodded haltingly. "They killed mom and dad, burned our farm and fields...They were going to kill me. It was a stallion from the Order who stopped them, punished them and saved me. The Order helped me build a new life, find a new family, and make something of myself. They kept me from falling into my despair."
Dawn and Scootalo exchanged a look before trotting over to gently nuzzle up against Mayweather, who smiled and returned the gesture, hesitating only slightly with Dawn. "Thank you both," she said softly, "Go on now, you two should be enjoying yourselves."
Dawn and Scootaloo nodded and went back to they party. Mayweather watched them go. However, her attention was drawn by a pair of forelegs wrapping around her shoulders as she was hugged from behind. Noticing the characteristic color, Mayweather smiled. "Thank you Pinkie. Did you hear all of that?"
"Uh huh," said Pinkie Pie, a hitch in her voice as she buried her muzzle in Mayweather's mane.
Mayweather gently patted the forelegs wrapped around her front. "Thank you," she said, "You don't have to worry. It's in the past now."
"Yeah, but it still makes me happy to help you feel better," said Pinkie, continuing to nuzzle Mayweather's mane.
Feeling content, Mayweather leaned back against Pinkie, basking in her warmth and affection.
"That was heavy," commented Scootaloo as she and Dawn walked away from Mayweather, "I thought it was kinda weird why so many ponies are in that Cult Solar. I guess it isn't all bad."
"I suppose not," agreed Dawn, "There would have to be something about the group that appealed to ponies. Scapegoating only goes so far after all."
"Oh there you are!" The two foals looked up to see Cup Cake beaming down on them, "You two haven't had anything to eat yet?" She led them over to a table, laden with several of Pinkie Pie's creations.
Scootaloo's eyes lit up and she immediately pounced on one the brownies. Simply watching the act made Dawn feel a little queasy. The feeling didn't abate as his gaze shifted to the other offerings, all of them sugary confections, with a sweetness and richness that was likely to result in him locking himself in the bathroom for the remainder of the night.
Cup's smile fell when she saw the discomfort on Dawn's face. "I'm sorry," she said, "You don't like sweet things all that much do you?"
Dawn nodded. However, Mrs. Cake started smiling again. "Actually, I just remembered. Pinkie made something specifically for you." She trotted over to one end of the table and brought back what appeared to be a medium-sized bamboo basket. Opening it up, Dawn was able to see that it was actually a bamboo steamer, of the sort that Arkenstone or Red River sometimes used when they were making Guoxian cuisine. Inside were several small dumplings, steam still lifting off their glistening sides.
Tentatively, Dawn selected one of the dumplings with the feathers of his wing and brought it to his mouth. It was bite-sized, so he put the whole thing in and bit down. Immediately, his mouth was flooded with a mildly sweet flavor and stringy bits of onion, having been caramelized to bring out their flavor and then stewed into a soft and tender texture. The flavors mingled with the savory notes of melted gruyere cheese, making Dawn feel as though he'd just put a tiny, but complete bowl of french onion soup into his mouth. In fact, the taste was eerily similar to the recipe Caramel used that Dawn liked so much.
Scootaloo watched in surprise as Dawn chewed and swallowed the dumpling with every evidence of pleasure before quickly reaching for another one. "Can I try?" she asked. Dawn, already swallowing his second, nodded and held up the basket, allowing Scootaloo to take one of her own. Scootaloo popped in her mouth and hummed with pleasure. "Wow," she said when she finished, "These are good. Did Pinkie make these?"
Mrs. Cake nodded. "She's been taking some cooking lessons from Arkenstone, over at the tea shop. I understand that Red River and Storm Front have been giving her pointers as well."
"But she asked me for the soup recipe."
Dawn and Scootaloo looked up to see that Caramel had arrived and was now beaming down at them.
Dawn blinked in surprise. "Why?"
Caramel chuckled and ruffled Dawn's mane. "Well, Pinkie was feeling kinda down that she couldn't make anything that you really liked. But she'd heard that you liked my onion soup and asked me for the recipe. I'd never have thought in a hundred years that she'd make dumplings with it though."
Dawn looked down at the remaining dumplings and frowned. At best, Pinkie had mostly been able to make things that he could tolerate, or mostly appreciate, like less-sweetened muffins or pastries that used fruits and their juices to supply sweetness, rather than anything made with a great deal of actual sugar. He'd never really thought about it in the sense that his preferences might have been hurting her feelings a little.
Now that he thought about it, Dawn realized that his attitude towards the pink mare in general was one of strained tolerance. She'd never shown anything but affection and appreciation for him, going out of her way to make him feel welcome in Ponyville, creating a smaller party in the midst of the town-wide party to celebrate the end of the drought just to appeal to his sensibilities, and now coming up with new recipes just to create something that he could enjoy unreservedly. Dawn had repaid her by generally avoiding contact with her when he could, and simply doing his best to tolerate her presence and antics when he couldn't.
"Something wrong?" asked Scootaloo, noting Dawn's pensive state. Caramel and Mrs. Cake had trotted off, chatting amicably about their respective professions and trading culinary secrets.
"Nothing really," said Dawn, looking up at her and smiling, "Just thinking about some things."
Scootaloo shrugged and she looked back at the dumplings. "We should probably eat these before they go cold."
Dawn nodded and the two of them turned back to eating the delicious, savory treats. In the back of his mind, Dawn quietly resolved to change his attitude towards Pinkie and that he owed her something of an apology.
Twilight giggled as she watched Spike and Apple Bloom, the young dragon and pony laughing and chatting as they shared cupcakes and brownies. Spike had discovered, to his great joy, that Pinkie had baked a special patch of sapphire cupcakes just for him. Apple Bloom was enjoying some of Pinkie's best brownies, a batch having been set aside just for celebrating the completion of repairs to Scootaloo's house.
"They seem to get along well," noted Arkenstone as Twilight leaned against him.
"Apparently Bloom just asked Spike to go to the festival with her," said Twilight, grinning. Spike had been ecstatic when he'd returned home after that little incident, so excited that even the usual ribbing he received from his older sister couldn't put a dent in his high spirits.
"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," mused Arkenstone, "With Scootaloo and Dawn officially getting together, I think it would be only a matter of time before their friends followed suit." To illustrate his point, the beige stallion jerked his head towards another section of the room, where Twilight saw Sweetie Belle and Rumble laughing and giggling as they played Pin the Tail on the Pony together.
"I think you're right," agreed Twilight. She levitated one of Pinkie's crystalberry scones, made with berries imported straight from the Crystal Empire, to her mouth. Even though Cadance had been happy to give Pinkie Pie a special deal on the imported berries, they were still much more expensive than more domestic varieties, which was the main reason Pinkie didn't make them regularly.
A few minutes later, the door to the Sugarcube Corner swung open. Looking up, Twilight's eyes widened when she saw a familiar gray pegasus trotting in.
"MAMA!!!" Ditzy Doo had to settle back on her haunches to cushion the impact as Dinky barreled into her in order to keep from being completely bowled over by the little filly.
"Hello my little muffin," said Ditzy as she picked up and nuzzled her daughter, "I'm back."
"You were gone a really really really loooooong time," said Dinky, still nuzzling herself into her mother's chest.
"Did you like staying with the Apples?" asked Ditzy, chuckling.
"Yeah!" squealed Dinky, "Papa Macintosh is the best. Apple Bloom draws pictures with me. Auntie Applejack gives me pony rides and Granny Smith makes the best pies."
"That's good to hear," said Ditzy as Big Macintosh approached. Setting Dinky down, she shared an affectionate nuzzle with her coltfriend.
"Ah was missin' ya somethin' fierce, sugarcube," Big Macintosh whispered to her, "Glad to have ya back."
Ditzy smiled and the two of them locked necks, enjoying a quiet moment of happiness before Ditzy's eyes settled onto Twilight, who was watching from the sidelines. Pulling away, she excused herself from Macintosh and approached Twilight, who gave the gray mare an affectionate hug.
"Welcome back," said Twilight as they parted, "Did everything go alright?"
"Sorta," said Ditzy, "It wasn't easy tracking those ponies down. But I got all your letters delivered. Two of them wrote back." She opened her saddlebag with a wing and extracted two envelopes, which she presented to Twilight.
"Thanks," said Twilight. Her horn flared and the letter vanished, teleported to her desk at the library.
Twilight took a moment to look Ditzy over. Ditzy's mane was messy and stringy. Her coat was matted with sweat. There were slight bags under her eyes and Ditzy was panting slightly. There was also a minor trembling in her legs that served as a subtle indicator of just how tired the mailmare really was, in spite of her upbeat attitude. It was clear that Ditzy had flown long and hard, pushing herself to the limits in order to get the job done in good time.
"Over here," said Twilight, leading Ditzy to a corner of the room where Pinkie had laid out some cushions for ponies to relax on. She settled Ditzy onto the cushions and used her magic to bring over a cup filled with some of Applejack's cider. Arkenstone also came over, balancing a plate that had been filled with a selection of treats from the table, which he set down in front of Ditzy, whose eyes were trying to track both actions at once.
"Thanks," said Ditzy, pausing to take a deep draught of the cider to appease her thirst, "I thought I was gonna keel over for a minute there. I guess you'll want me to tell you everything."
"Tomorrow," said Twilight gently, "You've done more than enough already." Twilight waved over Big Macintosh, who brought Dinky with him. The red stallion settled down to one side of Ditzy, while Dinky snuggled in between them.
Before stepping away, Twilight took a moment to appreciate what an adorable picture they all made together. As she headed back towards where Arkenstone had gone to wait, she heard Applejack start walking up next to her.
"They make a nice little family, don't they?" asked the orange mare, her eyes glittering.
Twilight nodded. "They've been together for a while, haven't they."
"Eeyup," agreed Applejack, "Long enough that Granny is botherin' Mac 'bout when he's gonna propose. Seein' as Mac doesn't turn into a sputterin' mess anymore means he's probably seriously thinkin' about it."
"Why doesn't he?" asked Twilight.
Applejack sighed. "Mac's still a pretty hot item to the mares around town. A lot 'o them tried to make a few passes at 'im while Ditzy was away. He turned 'em down, but Ah don't think they liked that very much. Mac's still worried 'bout what they might do to Ditzy if he proposed. Did ya know that some 'o those nags are still circulatin' those nasty rumors 'bout where Dinky came from?"
"Really?" asked Twilight, aghast at the notion. As long as Ditzy had been in town, most ponies should have known better.
Applejack nodded. "There ain't many who believe that codswallop, but enough to make Mac worry." She sighed. "Still, Ah think it'd probably just be better fer Mac to go ahead and pop the question and show he's serious 'bout it. Ah don't think it's gonna do any good to wait any longer."
"Probably," agreed Twilight, "Maybe you should talk to him about it. The Harvest Festival would be a great time to do it."
Applejack's smile widened. "Hey! Yer right. Ah'll talk to Mac 'bout it tomorrow." She directed a sly look back at where her brother rested with Ditzy. "Ah don't think he'll be back at the farm tonight."
Twilight's eyes widened. "Are they...?"
"Naw," scoffed Appplejack, "Oh, they'll share a bed once and a while, but they ain't feelin' ready to take that step just yet...Though, if Mac pops the question, that could change." The two mares giggled.
"So what are your plans for the festival?" asked Twilight, "Planning on going with Red River?"
"Actually, Flitter and Ah were just talkin' 'bout that," said Applejack, "We're thinkin' that maybe we should do one 'o them double-date things since Red and Storm are such old friends and all."
"That sounds like it could be fun," said Twilight, "I'm pretty sure that Arky and I will be going together. It's nice that so many of us will be able to go with our special someponies."
Applejack grinned and nodded. "Ah feel a bit sorry fer Rainbow though. Soarin' probably can't make it."
Twilight hummed for a moment. "I'll write a letter to Spitfire asking her. Maybe Soarin' can get the evening off or something."
"It don't hurt to ask," said Applejack, "Ya gonna use that feather Spitfire gave ya?"
Twilight shook her head. "No. That's for emergencies. I'll just have Spike send it to her."
"'Kay then," said Applejack with a nod. The two of them went their separate ways. Applejack went to where Red River was waiting, while Twilight continued over to where Arkenstone stood.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" she asked when she reached him.
Arkenstone nodded, smiling. "You have wonderful friends. It always amazes me to learn how far you are willing to go for one another." He turned his muzzle towards where Dawn and Scootaloo were still enjoying the soup dumplings that Pinkie Pie had made. "I have high hopes for the young ones as well."
Twilight nodded. "This is it though. Once the festival's over, we'll carry out the plan and everything could go straight to Tartarus."
"Or it might not," replied Arkenstone, "We don't know what might happen. It's true that it will be best if we prepare for the worst. But we shouldn't borrow trouble." He planted a gentle kiss on Twilight's cheek. "But worry later. Everyone is around you now. Now is the time to be happy and enjoy our lives." He chuckled. "After all, aren't you the one who showed me how pointless it was to worry too much about things?"
Twilight giggled and leaned against her coltfriend's side, her tail entwining with his as they continued to watch and listen to the festivities around them.
"Say Rumble..."
The gray colt looked up from the cookie he had been munching on. Sweetie Belle was looking at him, her pale-green eyes glittering as they met his.
"Uh...y-yeah Sweetie Belle?" asked Rumble, his cheeks going slightly red, though he wasn't sure why.
"I was just thinking," said Sweetie, dropping her gaze to the table, "Scootaloo's going with Dawn to the Harvest Festival, Apple Bloom's going with Spike, and well..."
"Yeah?" Rumble's blush intensified as he realized where this conversation was going. He wasn't exactly dreading it. If anything, he'd been hoping for it. However, the anticipation only caused the butterflies that had taken residence in his stomach to grow even more agitated.
"Well...w-would you...would you like to go to the festival with me?" Sweetie Belle looked up, giving Rumble the most pleading look she could muster. Even if Rumble had actually planned on resisting, there was no way he could change his answer after Sweetie gave him that look.
"Yes," he said, "I'd love to go with you Sweetie Belle."
"Y-you would?" Sweetie sniffed, tears gathering in his eyes.
"Wha-what's wrong?" asked Rumble as she began to sniffle and wipe at her face, "Did I do something bad?"
"It's not that," said Sweetie, trying her hardest to regain her composure, "I'm just s-so happy. I was so worried that you would turn me down."
"Why would you say that?" asked Rumble, scooting around the table and wrapping a wing around Sweetie so that he could pull her to his side, "You're such an amazing filly. You've done so much for me." He nuzzled her cheek. "You were there for me when Scootaloo turned me down. You stood up for me when she was mad at me. You didn't make fun of me when I told you about that...problem...I had that one time. I wouldn't dream of turning you down in a million years."
Sweetie leaned into Rumble's embrace, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. "Thank you," she said, her voice barely a whisper.
Rumble said nothing, but used his wing to hold her all the tighter against him.
The party broke up fairly late in the evening, though still early as such things went. The foals still had school in the morning, and Big Macintosh was anxious to get Dinky and Ditzy, who had dozed off, home so they could be put to bed. As the partygoers went their separate ways, the large red stallion draped a sleepy Ditzy along his back and carried her along towards her house while Dinky trotted at his side.
When they reached Ditzy's modest home, Macintosh gently roused the mare from her sleep, helping her set aside her saddlebags and urging her into the house's bathroom, where Ditzy took a long, warm shower, while Macintosh tucked Dinky into bed and read her a story to get the filly to sleep.
After Ditzy finished drying off, she climbed into bed, with Macintosh joining her. Slowly and gently, Macintosh worked his way through Ditzy's still-damp wings, carefully preening her feathers back into shape, a practice he'd become something of an expert at over the course of their relationship. Ditzy fell asleep, lulled into a stupor by her stallion's gentle ministrations. After he was finished, Macintosh moved up next to Ditzy and pulled the blanket over them both before wrapping his arms around her and holding the gray mare close. As his eyes closed and sleep claimed him, Macintosh resolved to seriously consider moving their relationship forward.
The rest of the week passed rather quickly for everypony. For the foals, the half-days of school went by quickly. They spent their afternoons working at the teashop before going their separate ways. Dawn and Scootaloo returned to their regular training sessions at the quarry, while the other three went over to the library to join Spike. There, they brainstormed different ways Apple Bloom could put her newfound "special talent" to use.
The filly was still young, but Twilight was more than willing to provide Bloom with a list of trade schools where the filly could hone her skills and develop them into something more marketable, though she pointed out that Applejack would be more than happy to have a handymare around the farm to help keep everything in top shape. Spike pointed out that Bloom could probably easily find an apprenticeship in town to learn her trade better, something that the yellow filly appreciated.
Twilight also sent her letter to Spitfire, but was disappointed when she received a reply explaining that the Wonderbolts had a show scheduled that day, meaning that Soarin' wouldn't be free to attend. Twilight was secretly glad that she hadn't broached the subject of inviting Soarin' to Rainbow Dash, worried that the cerulean mare would be seriously disappointed that things hadn't worked out.
Rarity, in the meantime, was in a tizzy. Once she'd learned that both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had gotten dates to the festival, she'd insisted on making dresses for each of them. Fortunately, neither of the two fillies found the fitting to be as much as a trial as Scootaloo had, something that Rarity appreciated, as it made her work easier. She'd also fitted Rumble and Spike for suits of their own, meaning that she suddenly had a very large influx of work for the remaining two days leading up to the Harvest Festival.
Pinkie Pie was also working very hard. She'd spent the past few weeks making arrangements for the festival, negotiating with vendors, helping get the venue set up, arranging for the rides and the staff. This was her chance to thank everypony who had come to help with the harvest for their hard work and give the harvest season a truly positive conclusion. The pink mare was determined to do her very best.
On Friday, something almost as important as the festival itself was taking place, the last day of school. As such, there was no classwork scheduled and school had taken on a bit of a festival atmosphere of its own. Once the foals left at noon on that day, they wouldn't be back until after the first day of spring, once Winter Wrap-Up was complete. Cheerilee smiled proudly as she ushered her foals out the door for the last time that year, wishing them a happy winter and waving as they rushed out of the yard and to their waiting homes.
As Friday drew to a close, all of Ponyville quivered in anticipation as night fell, everypony having difficulty sleeping as they eagerly awaited the coming day and the biggest party of the season...until Nightmare Night that is...
Blenheim blinked as he stepped out of the carriage. He'd expected it to be weeks before he finally got to meet the Supreme Pontiff of the Order of Celestial Light, if he got to meet the Pontiff at all. Instead, after his meeting with the first officials in Fillydelphia, he'd been whisked away the very next day and been put on a private train car that had carried him to Trottingham. From there, he'd been immediately loaded into a carriage with blocked windows, making it impossible for the Apple stallion to tell exactly where he was being taken.
So Blenheim had waited as the ride dragged on. He was fairly certain now that he was being taken out of Trottingham and wondered exactly how far the members of the Order were taking him, and how long it would be before they reached their destination. There wasn't much to do. While Blenheim had figured that it would be a long an arduous trip to reach the Order's leader, he hadn't expected it to be so boring. As such, he'd done his best to be patient and simply wait. He got the feeling that any effort to inquire about where he was bound would merely be dismissed. So he waited, sleeping when he felt tired, eating from the food that had been provided when he was hungry, and doing his best to keep his mind occupied while he sat in that carriage, listening to the rattle of the wheels as the coblestone of city streets gave way to packed dirt.
Finally, Blenheim was roused from a doze by the absence of sound and movement, signifying that the carriage had stopped. There had been short stops throughout the trip, probably as the ponies pulling the carriage switched out with fresh ones. However, this stop was longer than the others, possibly meaning that they had reached the end of the journey. The sound of somepony turning the latch on the carriage's door confirmed Blenheim's suspicions as his escort pulled it open.
"We have arrived," said the unicorn grimly.
Blenheim nodded, stepping out and down from the carriage. The middle-aged stallion took a moment to stretch, his joints popping as he did his best to shake off the effects of spending so much time sitting and waiting inside the vehicle's confines. Looking around, Blenheim noted that he couldn't see any signs of civilization. Instead, they seemed to be out in the middle of nowhere. Jagged hills, sparsely covered with grass seemed to jut up from the landscape, sharp outcroppings of stone breaking up the horizon. Looking down at the ground beneath his hooves, Blenheim noted that the gravel road that had led the carriage here seemed to have reached its end.
"This way," said the unicorn, gesturing for Blenheim to follow him. They rounded one of the stone mounds and Blenheim's eyes widened when he saw the building. It was a low dome, formed from roughly-carved stone blocks. With the color of the stone clearly having come from some local source, the building seemed to blend in with the outcroppings around it. Only the comparatively smooth and rounded shape of the building made it stand out against the landscape.
Blenheim frowned as he recognized the architecture. It was virtually identical to the building that was being raised in Appleloosa, both in size and in shape. This was one of the temples then. But what is it doin' way out here in the middle 'o nowhere? wondered the green stallion.
The building was large, definitely larger than a house or even the average town hall. It loomed over Blenheim and his escort as they approached. And yet, there was something about the size that seemed...off...to Blenheim, as though he'd been thinking that the building should have been larger for some reason.
The heavy wooden doors swung open as they approached. Blenheim stepped through the portal, expecting to see tapestries and mosaics, vividly-painted wall frescos, gilded tables and low benches from wall to wall, the kind of accouterments expected of a place devoted to Celestia's worship. It was a jarring surprise to find that the interior was just as barren and spartan as its exterior. Blenheim also realized why the building seemed smaller than it should have been.
This was merely the top of it.
The green stallion stared unabashedly at the cavernous interior space. The builders had excavated the inside of the building, continuing the curved walls of the dome, but stretching downwards instead of upwards, so that Blenheim had stepped onto a platform that clearly served as one of the uppermost galleries for the massive structure. The balcony wrapped around the circumference of the building, leading to a single stairway descending in a downwards spiral at one end, and terminating into another stairway that led up to the true peak of the building at the other.
However, what truly drew Blenheim's eyes was what occupied the center of the space. It dangled from the ceiling like a bizarre chandelier, its most basic outline mimicking that of some grotesque stalactite. It seemed to be some massive mechanism, assembled from blocks and gears like a giant version of a foal's construction playset. Blenheim's eyes wandered over the device, picking out familiar-looking components, gears, axels, rods, and belts, as well as others that defied identification, or even description. Even the components that Blenheim identified didn't seem quite right, being composed of of strange shapes that shouldn't have even worked with any kind of machine and meeting at impossible angles that made his eyes hurt just to keep looking at it. All of it meshed together into a massive, indecipherable machine whose purpose was impossible to discern.
"What in Tartarus is that thing?" gasped Blenheim.
"It is our salvation."
The low voice rumbled practically in Blenheim's ear. It took all the stallion's willpower to keep from jumping and screaming like a little filly as he turned to see the pony that had addressed him. Before Blenheim stood one of the most impressive specimens of stallionkind that he had ever seen. The stallion's entire body was composed of solid muscle built up over the course of years, giving the impression that this pony had been hewed straight out of the side of a mountain. The color of his coat was a deep, dark-brown, reminding Blenheim of freshly turned earth, while the greenish cast of his mane brought to mind images of young wheat growing in the field. Emblazoned on the stallion's flank was a rock...nothing special about it...an ordinary, unremarkable rock, but one without fault, chip, or crack. He was big, easily as big as Blenheim's nephew, Big Macintosh, if not bigger still. Something about the stallion's steel-gray eyes gave Blenheim the impression he was much older than his appearance suggested.
"What do ya mean 'salvation?'" asked Blenheim warily. Though the strange stallion's expression was neutral, Blenheim couldn't help but feel a slight air of hostility from him.
"That is none of your concern at the moment," replied the stallion curtly, "You are not here to ask such questions. You are here because you have something to share and would not do so with anypony save the Supreme Pontiff himself." The stallion turned sharply and began walking along the balcony in the direction of the upward staircase. "Come. You are expected."
Gulping nervously, Blenheim fell in behind his new escort as the unicorn who had brought him into the building turned and left through the door. The two of them followed the balcony around its circumference to the base of the staircase. Before starting up, the large stallion turned and looked at Blenheim again. This time, he did nothing to disguise the the simmering anger lurking just beneath his calm surface.
"You are here only at the Holy Father's indulgence. You came to be here by withholding important information that should have been granted to the other members of the Order at the earliest opportunity. I find your behavior to unacceptable. You should be honored that the Holy Father has chosen to be so lenient with you." He turned all the way around and stalked right up to Blenheim, his eyes boring into the green stallion's. "If I find that you have done so for selfish or shallow reasons, I shall kill you on the spot. For your sake, I hope that the reasoning behind your antics is worth the trouble you've caused."
"Oh for Celestia's sake, let him up here already," called a voice from above. Blenheim looked up to see the stairs ending at another gallery that hung from the ceiling, its floor forming the ceiling that the bizarre, massive device that dominated the building hung from. "Control your temper Terra and have faith in your brethren of the Order. There is no need for such theatrics."
With an irritated sigh, the stallion called Terra turned and proceeded up the stairs, Blenheim following in his wake. As he stepped through the door at the top, Blenheim's eyes alit on the leader of the Order of Celestial Light for the first time.