Tuesday came, swift and easy. Crescent trotted into the Hay Burger, ready for her second day of work. She had told Spirit about the luncheon and Spirit had been shocked. They had never done something like that when a new pony arrived in Ponyville -- not with the four princesses of Equestria and the prince of the Crystal Empire, anyway.
"Oh, good!" Spirit exclaimed. "You're here!" She was standing over a sink on the kitchen, washing dishes with her magic.
Crescent nodded and lit her horn, picking up her apron and draping over herself.
A dark gray bat-pony with harlequin eyes and a dark cerulean mane and tail -- Knight Shields -- was standing at the counter, trying to calm down a mob of angry customers. "Crescent!" he called. "Thank Celestia you're here! Think you could help me out?"
"Sorry, Knight. It looks like you're having too much fun already. Wouldn't want to take that from you!" Crescent replied, smiling. "Besides, it's my turn to do the dishes and Spirit's turn to take orders." She trotted over to the sink and took the sponge with her magic from Spirit's orange magic aura. "I'll take over here, Spirit."
"Thanks," Spirit said, smiling. She trotted past her brother.
"Hey, sis! Can you take over here?" Knight Shields asked.
Spirit laughed. "Nope. I'm a waitress and I doubt you could pull off as a waitress. You don't make a very convincing mare." She smirked.
Crescent laughed. If only the luncheon wasn't at the same time tomorrow.
~~~
Princess Celestia sat regally as Crescent entered Sugarcube Corner. She quickly gave Bright Sky a pointed look and rubbed her horn, which still hurt from when the book had hit it on Monday.
Sitting on the opposite side of Princess Celestia as Bright Sky did, next to Princess Luna, Crescent stared around. Twilight, Cadance, Shining Armor, and all of Twilight's friends had attended and the Cakes were standing in the kitchen doorway, prepared to bring the food out.
"I assume you two know each other," Celestia murmured to Crescent.
"You could think that," Crescent muttered.
"Ah." Celestia rose to her hooves. "We are gathered here today to welcome these two new ponies to Ponyville -- Bright Sky and Ink Crescent. I am sure they will benefit your lovely town, Ms. Mayor" -- Crescent blinked as she noticed the mayor of Ponyville at the opposite end of the table -- "and I have a feeling they are very . . . special." Celestia winked at Crescent.
Sure. Special.
As if on cue, the Cakes suddenly disappeared into the kitchen and Celestia announced, "You may now eat!"
~~~
Crescent trotted toward the Fair Hills Hotel. She was so full from the luncheon; she had probably eaten too much of the Apple family's delicious apple fritters or apple pie. She knew it had been something with apples in it that she had loved.
"Hi!"
Crescent groaned as she recognized Bright Sky's voice and turned to glare daggers at her.
"Okay!" Bright Sky said. "I get it! Look, I know we got off on the wrong hoof, but I'm trying to befriend everypony I meet, so I'd just like to go out on a limb here and say this. How about we start over?"
"How about you go away?" Crescent snapped.
"Why are you so pessimistic?" Bright Sky groaned. "Okay. Please, call me Sky."
"Call me Crescent," Crescent muttered. "Now, will you go away?"
"I'm not done!" Sky exclaimed. "I have some questions for you."
"Fine." Crescent sighed, turning to face her. "Let's get this over with. Shoot."
"Okay, here I go." Sky took a deep breath. "Why do you need the Journal of Empress Lucena? Why was it marked on page thirty-one, the page for hiding wings? What was that wink from Princess Celestia about? Why -- "
Crescent cut Sky off. "Look, princess," she said, through clenched teeth, "slow down. One, it's none of your business. Two, it's also none of your business. And three, why do you even care? That is for me to know and me alone! You can't just say, "Let's start over," and expect me to answer every single question you have for me! I barely even know you. You know nothing about me or my life, so just leave me alone, got it? Understand? Am I clear?"
"Crystal," Sky squeaked.
"Thank you!" Crescent turned away and trotted off, before lighting her horn and teleporting off into her hotel room. "I cannot believe her!"
Crescent sighed, laying down on her bed, feeling the spell on her wings wear off. She shuffled her wings, happy to have them back.
If I don't answer those questions, she'll keep pestering me, won't she? Crescent rose to her hooves, trotting over to her mirror and shuffling her wings, unfolding them for a moment. They even looked like Nightmare Moon's wings. She quickly folded them and sighed again.
If I can't answer the questions directly, I can show her the answers, can't I?
Crescent trotted over to her closed window and gazed out toward the Everfree.
"If I do that," she murmured, aloud, "I'm going to need some back up."
~~~
Crescent sighed, continuing to sweep the floor of the Hay Burger.
"Thank you for eating at the Hay Burger. We hope you come again," Knight said, as he hoofed a unicorn couple their change. "Good luck to you two," he added, looking at the colt.
The colt nodded, smiling, but the mare ignored it and trotted toward the exit.
Crescent glanced up as the bell rang. It was after hours and that couple had been the last ponies for the day. She gasped as Sky entered and facehoofed, turning away. She leaned the broom against the wall and trotted over to Spirit. "Can you please take care of her?" she asked, through clenched teeth.
"Uh . . . sure," Spirit replied, hoofing her the sponge.
Crescent gritted her teeth and began to scrub the leftover dishes that Spirit hadn't gotten to.
"Hello!" Spirit said, approaching Sky's table.
"I'm sorry!" Sky apologized. "I know you're supposed to be closed, but I haven't had a good hay burger since I left my parents' home, so . . . " Her voice trailed off.
"Not a problem, dear!" Spirit took a small notepad and a quill out of her apron pocket. "What would you like?"
"I'd love a hay burger! Thanks. Oh -- and some straw fries." Sky smiled, while Crescent rolled her eyes and scrubbed at the plate harder. Sky glanced in her direction before turning her attention back to Spirit. "That'd be great!"
"Alrighty. I'll have my brother bring that right out for you." Spirit turned away from Sky. "Knight! Get cooking!" She pointed with a hoof to the kitchen.
Knight nodded and trotted past Crescent. "You and that Sky pony don't seem to particularly like each other."
"We aren't exactly friends," Crescent replied.
Spirit was talking to Sky when Crescent heard Sky begin to say, "Well, you see, there was this book -- "
Instantly, Crescent threw the sponge she was using at Sky's head. The unicorn looked in her direction and Crescent made a motion that told Sky, "Don't you dare."
"Crescent!" Spirit shot her a look, but Crescent simply rolled her eyes and tore off her apron, hanging it on the hook.
"I'm going for a walk." She opened the doors, the bell ringing, and slammed it behind her. She trotted quickly toward the Everfree Forest, determined to get there. She heard hoof steps behind her, but didn't dare look back. She slowed to a walk. "Good. You're here."
"That's a first," Sky muttered. "Where are you going?"
"For a walk. Did you not hear me?" Crescent asked, keeping her gaze on the ground.
"Yes, I heard you, but . . . " Sky faltered. "Why are we going to the Everfree?"
"You'll see," Crescent said. "All your annoying questions will be answered." She lit her horn a brilliant cyan and cast the reversal spell for the dark magic spell she had cast earlier to hide her wings. As soon as they were deep into the Everfree, she stretched out her wings, checking for aches or pains. She heard Sky gasp.
"You do have wings," the white pony stammered.
Crescent folded her wings and turned to face her. "Happy now? Now, you have all the answers to your questions. Come on." She turned away again, stretching her wings out again, ready to fly.
"Um," Sky mumbled. "My wings? They never reappear until the end of the day."
Crescent facehoofed. How did she forget? She turned to face Sky and lit her horn a brilliant cyan. Performing the reversal spell again, she and Sky watched as the white alicorn's wings reappeared.
"Now, come on." Crescent flew into the air -- something she hadn't done in a long time. To feel the wind on her face and her mane again was wonderful. She smiled. "Woohoo!" she called out, folding her wings halfway, diving straight for the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.
"Wait up!" Sky called. She followed more slowly, as if a little shaky on her wings after not using them for a while. She landed next to Crescent on the balcony. "Why are we here?"
"Shh!" Crescent snapped. She trotted cautiously into the castle library, gazing around. "Luna! Celestia!" she called out in a whisper. "Are you here?"
"We are here, Selene." Luna stepped into the library and Celestia followed suit.
"Selene?" Sky asked.
"Bright Sky," Celestia mused. "I knew there was something about you."
Sky looked embarrassed and she folded her wings. "Yeah . . . " she muttered. "Alicorn!" she said, raising a wing a bit.
"So, we see," Luna said, before her sister could say more.
"Oh! Your Highnesses!" Sky quickly bowed, but Crescent trotted past her and stood in front of Luna.
"There's no need for that, Sky. You're an equal. You're royalty," Crescent said.
"Royalty? Princess?" Sky asked, her eyes widening. "Oh, no! I'm just a simple -- er -- alicorn from outside of Equestria. I mean, I'm not royalty like you, Crescent, and I don't even know why -- "
"I'm not a princess either," Crescent interrupted her. "I was born as an alicorn -- "
"And seemingly part Siren," Celestia added, raising an eyebrow and shooting Crescent a look.
Sky blinked, obviously confused.
" -- to a unicorn from Trottingham and a pegasus from Los Pegasus," Crescent finished, ignoring Celestia. "Midnight Ink, the author, and Silent Moon, the business pony."
"Siren?" Sky asked. "What does she mean Siren?"
Crescent put a hoof on her Siren's Gem and looked at Luna. "Can you explain it to us, please?" she asked.
Luna took a step forward. "Crescent is the only pony who can sing the Siren's Song on-key other than the Sirens themselves. For her birthday this year, Celestia and I gave her a Siren's Gem. She spreads peaceful song throughout the land."
"A Siren's Gem?" Sky questioned. She peered at the gem on Crescent's chest. "Wow."
"Ready, sister?" Luna asked, looking at Celestia.
Celestia nodded and lit her horn.
Luna did the same, and a pinkish-orange mist began to seep from the walls of the castle, drawn to Crescent's gem as though it were a magnet. Sky blinked disbelievingly.
Crescent put a hoof to her gem again as Luna and Celestia finished. "Refreshing," she murmured.
"What was that?" Sky asked, blinking.
"I haven't fully gained control of refreshing my Gem myself -- I can do that through song and it takes any peaceful magic from the surrounding air, but not from the ponies -- so, Luna and Celestia do that," Crescent explained.
"You'd better get going," Celestia interrupted. "Spirit will be looking for you."
"Right. Of course." Crescent shook herself out and turned toward the balcony, unfolding her wings.
"You know," Sky said, walking to her side and unfolding her own wings, "your wings even look like Nightmare Moon's wings. Are you sure you two aren't related?"
Crescent rolled her eyes. "Shut it, Sky. Just -- don't."
"No, I'm serious. Any connections?" Sky persisted.
"Sky." Crescent's voice had a warning tone in it as they took off.
"Okay, okay! I'll stop," Sky promised.
Crescent laughed. "Thank you."