//------------------------------// // Warm Days, Cool Nights // Story: Stars Relit // by Rocinante //------------------------------// Taking a sip of her warm cider, Celestia looked down at the bustle in the courtyard. The students from Canter Arts had been buzzing about since yesterday, transforming the old school tower into a haunted castle. Retired from use by the school, the building had spent the past several hundred years known as the overflow building. It had never been the same after Spike tore the roof off, the day Twilight got her cutie mark. “Think they will be ready by tonight?” Celestia asked. Nightmare Night was still four days away, but the tours through the castle were supposed to start tonight. Luna nodded. “I snuck in a few hours ago. It is further along than it looks.” “Is that Tranquility?” Celestia asked, pointing to a pony pulling a wagon into the corner of the courtyard. “What she doing over there?” “A first-aid station is required for any event with more than one hundred ponies. She volunteered to run it.” “Oh, that sounds lonely. We will have to go keep her company when we can.” Picking up her own mug of hot cider, Luna breathed in the warm scent of the mulling spices. “Twilight said the same thing.”  - - - Tranquility closed the lid on her first-aid trunk. With luck she wouldn’t need to open it this week; not for more than a scraped knee anyway. Walking out of the tent, she check that everything was in order outside. She would spend the next several evenings here, no sense in not making it as comfortable as possible. She’d even set up the tent in the wind sheltered side of the courtyard. In plain sight to where ponies would be lining up for haunted castle tours, but far enough away to avoid the crowd. The only thing she didn’t like was that she shared the corner with a horribly depressing statue. Looking up at the memorial, she frowned. The dead god Discord, and the tragic hero Fluttershy; victims of the Crystal Empire’s curse. The two friends' stony likenesses forever stuck mid-stride. “I used to hate this monument,” a voice said from behind her. Turning around she found Princess Twilight looking up at statue with a warm smile. “It must have been a very hard time for you,” Tranquility said. Pressing necks with Tranquility, Twilight sighed. “It was a bad year, but that was a long time ago. How are the preparations for Surprise's show going?” Pulling back from the embrace, Tranquility’s eyes wandered back to the stone figures. “Good. They finished setting up this morning. They're rehearsing now. First tour group goes in at sunset. Can I ask what actually happened?” “The official story was pretty vague, wasn’t it.” Twilight paced over to the tent, and took a seat. Following close behind, Tranquility opened up a box, revealing it to be a portable stove. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.” Lighting the burner, she laid a tea kettle on to heat. “It’s okay, I don’t mind telling you,” Twilight said, perking up at the promise of hot tea. “But please, this stays with us.” When exactly she had become the Princess’s confidant, Tranquility couldn’t put her hoof on. The only thing she found strange about the relationship was how natural it felt. Leaving the water to boil, Tranquility gave Twilight her full attention. “Black Heart had corrupted the crystal heart; with it she was going to strip love itself from Equestria. Fluttershy and Discord were in the castle. While the rest of us were outside, keeping ... Black Heart busy. We know they reached the Heart. They did something, we still don’t know what. Whatever it was stripped her of the heart’s power. But it also started freezing the whole city over with ice, trapping Black Heart inside—along with most the crystal ponies. The rest of us managed to outrun it.” Tranquility blinked. “Where did Black Heart even come from?” That was the part that had always confused her. “She didn’t kill Cadence, she was Cadance. When my brother was killed by that changeling, she snapped.” “Crystal hearts never break, they shatter,” Tranquility quoted from some distant memory. Twilight gave her a puzzled look, before her expression faded to a smile. Tranquility pushed the strange memory aside, returning on the idea of Cadence becoming Black Heart. “She changed, like Luna?” “Which is why we never told anypony about that part.” Tranquility nodded, two made a pattern. It was better if ponies didn’t know. “I understand.” - - - Surprise fluttered across the courtyard to Tranquility’s tent. “Hello!” she cheered landing just outside the tent. “Ready for your first group?” Twilight asked, pouring a cup of tea, and floating it to Surprise. “Oh, thank you!” Surprise said, cradling the cup in her hooves. The day had been warm enough, but as the sun had started getting low, it had turned rather chilly. “Sure am,” she said, before taking a sip of the warm tea. “I wanted to say thank you again for helping me out.” Reaching into her mane, Surprise pulled out two cards and hoofed them over to her friends. “Thank you!” Tranquility said, pulling several vouchers for free coffee and pastries from Pony Jo’s out of the card. Twilight read her card, before looking to the gold-colored ticket tucked inside it. Opening night, group 01, it said. “It would mean a lot to me you were at the opening,” Surprise said. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.” “Awesome! You seen Iris? I have a ticket for her too.” Surprise chuckled. “It was funny seeing her lead that group of Cutie Mark Crusaders around earlier.” Tranquility stepped out from under her tent, scanning the sky for something unseen. “Spike came by to take her to dinner after the meeting. They’re probably out flying by now though.” Surprise giggled. “I’ll leave them alone then, but if you see them, tell them I have free tickets for them.”