Chapter 17: Interlude: Two Candles.
The first time that Dusk spent the pony version of Halloween, or Nightmare Night as it was called in this new world, he had dressed up like all the other foals and gone to the parties, tricker-treated, playing games and harmless pranks with his classmates, and listening to the tale of what inspired the holiday, though all this was mainly for the benefit of his old land lady and his mentor who felt he should be a well-rounded pony and get out of the distillery and watching from the shadows once in a while, despite his objections.
Now that he was an adult, he'd had little use for the holiday, and could thankfully put the whole unpleasantness behind him, though he had been vaguely curious to see how Ponyville spent the holiday since he had missed it last year when he'd gone to Canterlot to visit Brew Bag and Flower Petal.
He perhaps shouldn't have been surprised, considering how things seemed to play out in Ponyville from time to time, that Princess Luna, said inspiration for the holiday, showed up and didn't exactly make it easy on herself.
Dusk had fled her presence for the entirely different reason than the others of course.
She was nearly as powerful as her elder sister and another immortal sort-of-deity, he was just as weary of her possibly extracting the truth of him then he was of her elder sister. So as soon as he had seen her chariot come out of the clouds above his head while he had been observing from the shadows as he watched the foals gallivant around, he decided that his curiosity was satisfied enough.
Besides, he had his own personal ritual that he usually attended to this time of year anyway.
Ooo ooo ooo
He was passing by the old town bridge a few hours later, when he noticed the exact person he had been wishing to avoid was walking rather depressed, her head hung low and her night sky mane kind of limp.
He cringed when she spotted him and said in a rather intimidating voice, "I suppose thou shall cower and run away from us as well."
He blinked at the old style of voice and the rather resonant thrumming of his ear drums and remembered that she had been gone for 1000 years. He supposed lexicons and vocal ranges had changed a might since then.
He felt a warring conflict surge up. On the one hoof, she was a magical godlike being that could potentially figure out he was not your average pony and send him back to the human world at worse, or imprison him at best. On the other hoof, she looked so sorely unhappy and defeated that he felt a reluctant compassion form.
Grumbling internally when his conscience won out over his good sense, he sighed and walked over to her.
There was a reason he was sorted into Gryffindor after all.
"I'm not going to run, at least right now, and if it looked like I was going to, it would be for entirely different reasons then because you were Nightmare Moon. I know very well that you were reformed through the Elements of Harmony…though that night isn't one I like to recall."
The Princess looked over, and down (damn his height!) and said slowly, "Thou dost not fear us? Why?"
"There are many things to fear out there," he said frankly, gesturing around him vaguely, "unless you backslide, I don't think your one of them," though he mentally added, 'at least not her personally, just what she might do with her royal powers should you discover me.'
"That…is rational yet depressing." She replied, then she seemed to catch on to something, "why dost thou not dress yourself ridiculously in garments like the rest of the villagers…oh wait, thou must have heard our proclamation and removed it already."
Dusk frowned, "what proclamation?" he asked confusedly.
"That we have cancelled this insulting holiday."
Dusk blinked as visions of crying foals filled his mind and were likely filling the streets right now. He sighed and gestured for her to follow. It looked like he wasn't going to escape anytime soon.
They soon arrived at his shop and he invited the Princess inside and settled her with a cup of tea.
"This is Mint Clover!" she said, surprised, after taking a sip, "we have not tasted this in over a thousand years!"
He nodded, "you can thank my mentor for that, he said it was always a good idea to keep the history of tea in mind, so," he sat down with his own cup, "I take it your reclamation is not going well?"
"How can thee tell?" her voice decidedly dry.
"It's just a guess," he said drolly as she glowered into her cup.
"If thou had not heard our proclamation, then why was thy self not so bedecked?"
Dusk lowered his cup carefully and thought how best to answer. He had already told Fluttershy a bit during her weekly lessons, since she to was avoiding the holiday, so he supposed it wouldn't harm to explain and said quietly.
"Along time ago when I was a very young foal, in the place where I come from, we called Nightmare Night something else, though much of the practice was the same. On that night a great evil came and murdered my parents, my mother right in front of me."
The princess' head shot up in surprise, and then her eyes softened somewhat.
"I do not celebrate because it reminds me that they are gone."
"So you must be happy that Nightmare Night is to be no longer celebrated," she concluded.
Dusk surprised her however by shaking his head and said.
"Actually, I understand, more then you realize why you would think it offensive, but at the same time, the fears and superstitions that went into the holiday somehow became transformed and made into something else. Something where every pony can get together and have fun, play games and pretend to be something else. Foals laugh together and celebrate being foals, while adults get to turn back the clock and dress up and do the same thing, then of course, the most important thing is that one can sit beside what they fear and render it harmless, and that being scary is okay and kind of fun. I always envied others growing up that they can have that kind of perspective." He smiled sadly.
"I…had not thought of it that way," she replied thoughtfully, and for once more normally and quieter.
"Don't mention it Princess, would you like something else?"
The Princess stood and said with a new decisiveness, "that will not be necessary, thou...you have given me enough my subject, goodbye."
And with that she strode out majestically.
He shook his head, cleaning up the cups and decided he would retire early tonight for once. It had been a hectic evening.
Before he went to sleep, he blew the two candles he had burning on his window sill.
"Good night mom, goodnight dad."
Meanwhile, with Twilight Sparkle's help, Luna realized that Dusk had been right about fear and fun, and just how many the children liked the holiday.
She rescinded the proclamation and was actually invited back next year to scare the children again.
After that, she enjoyed the holiday just as much as everyone else…though after the festivities where over, she would drop in on a certain silvered pony and keep him company while he watched two candles melt into her Sister's morning.
ooo ooo ooo
Chapter 18: The Guardian
The day that the Flim and Flam Brothers arrived in their automobile juice maker and worked their spiel on the ponies of Ponyville during Cider Season, there was one particular pony, other than the aggrieved Apple family, that was not impressed.
As a brewer, he understood the touch and care that went into making something for others. The hard work, the devotion to just the right mix…yes, he understood Granny Smith exactly when he heard her objections to the machine made cider.
On the other hand, he understood that something just as good could come from a mass production machine. with mass production, a greater amount of product and more affordable prices, able to cater to greater amounts of ponies (as poor Rainbow Dash was demonstrating) could be met.
For Dusk its not to say that it would necessarily be horrible to have a little progress, but there was something disquieting about the machine, a machine that had implications that echoed from the past.
He remembered a world that was choked with exhaust fumes, creating air pollution, industrialization spewing out poisons and uninspired workers going to work in factors, without any sort of motivation outside of a paycheck.
Certainly progress in that world had brought about many positive things, but the people of that world lost themselves in it, and while it was vaguely acknowledged that industrialization had gone down both good and dark paths, humanity became entangled and enamored with their own ingenuity to the point that they forgot to set barriers on themselves, or even be aware that barriers were necessary.
This was something that he was able to look back on in hindsight, especially when he was currently existing in a world completely opposite to that way of life.
Equestria and the rest of this planet meanwhile were unique in that it maintained a sort of old fashioned/contemporary balance without many of the drawbacks of Earth's past. There was a certain amount of industrialized practice, but so slim and minor on the world other then what they produced that it barely made an impact. In fact, much of the inherent identity of the ponies as a collective species depended on the unique talents that are fostered as a result of such an environment and society that depended more on the individual within a group then a group for the greater whole's sake. He often wondered if that was perhaps another reason why he still retained a blank flank, because he was born from a world that had never successfully reached that balance that Equestria managed.
Of course magic being so depended upon to ridiculous degrees, and used as commonly as toothpaste, made him wonder what Earth would have been like had the Wizarding World been more open with its magic.
Dusk was jarred from his musings when he witnessed the formation of a rather, in his opinion anyway, stupid arsed bet being made between the Apple Family and the Flim Flam brothers.
Dusk's previous opinions and concerns washed away. It was one thing to come into town and offer a different view on things, like making apple cider, but it was quite another to potentially take away someone's land and home.
Granted, the Apples shouldn't have gotten carried away and agreed to the bet, but the brothers shouldn't have offered it in the first place.
That was not on. They were being conniving opportunists. Not that there was nothing wrong with opportunists per say, in that he could relate, considering his own situation, but it was the conniving part he had a problem with. At least he wasn't trying to bilk someone else out of their home and livelihood.
Still, he couldn't stop the bet. Things like this carried some weight, especially among ponies that believed heavily in making good on a promise, like Applejack and her family.
He knew them well enough that he couldn't talk them out of this madness, as bitter as that was to swallow however, he could at least make sure that everything was conducted fair and square.
Ooo ooo ooo
The night before the competition to see who would win the rights to Sweet Apple Acres, the two unicorn brothers were sleeping in a tent outside, just beside their Cider Easy Super Squeezy.
Flim happened to open his eyes first, being the lighter sleeper of the two, which was why he was the first to scream, which shortly woke his brother, who soon screamed as well when they beheld the sight before them.
Both of them hugged each other as a black robed figure hovered over them, glowing eyes of green with a film of red. "Sssssooo…" the sinister voice hissed, "you certainly seem to think much of yourselves and your...device," the looming figure cloaked in darkness purred.
There was a streak of thunder behind him, but no cloud in the sky, the figure laughed sinisterly.
"I can appreciate the amusement of taking over long established organizations, but unfortunately, you have chosen the wrong place to try to take over. Know this, Flim Flam- ugh really?- Brothers; I am both higher and mightier than you can ever dream of! And vastly more intelligent. Normally, I would not even be lowering myself to talking to you at all, but alas all my old servants were left behind…ah well."
"Who are you!?" Flim stuttered in fright.
"What are you?!" Flam chattered after.
The voice laughed again, more thunder and lightning.
Voldemort snickered internally. He had to admit that while it was indeed beneath him, especially as it seemed to involve …ugh, helping others as a result, he had sensed his precious being quite disquieted and incensed by the presence of the brothers and their ridiculous machine. A machine that echoed in a past that neither party in this one body was looking to have a return to, despite Voldemort's general disdain for the cavity induced sentiments of this present world. Having this machine in their presence at all, to remind them of Earth, if even a little, had disturbed them both.
And the idiots had gone after the Big Galoot's family, which was an even greater sin as far as his host was concerned.
Plus, and this is Voldemort's especially favorite reason to become involved, it was also amusing and highly pleasurable to see sentient beings cower in fear before the awesome power of the Dark Lord!
To think that his other half was originally planning to give some sort of speech before the competition to these two idiots the next day on fair play!
Sometimes he could just shake his head at the boy's innocence at times.
That was why when his precious went to sleep, he had taken over and decided to pay a little visit. After all, other reasons aside, no matter what they are, they had disturbed and worried his precious unnecessarily, so he was going to teach them a little lesson…sadly without torture though.
Always with the PG ratings in this world (it was much more amusing being out when that delightfully delicious Discord was still around, still dark lords couldn't be choosey when it comes to mayhem when the palate was so skinny in this place).
"I am the guardian of Sweet Apple Acres…nay, the entirety of the Apple Family! Which you have dared to try to swindle out of both business and their home, and as guardian, it is…my pleasure to…hmmm, well, you will know the specifics of your punishment soon enough…"
"Punish…"
"…ment?" the two gasped.
The dark figure chortled, rubbing hooves together.
"However…" the spirit mused, "my protectorates are honorable pe...ponies, and they will not appreciate you being run out of town with unfinished business between you lot and them, so don't bother fleeing in terror, I will just hunt you down and gut you like a fish- without once and for all proving their worth against their competition, though there is no doubt that you will lose, those four legged hayseeds seem to always come out on top some how, I am willing to sway your punishment, but only if you honor my protectorates deal by using your machine only as you have shown the family and the town. If you cheat, if there is even a considering thought towards it, I will find you and show you the power of vindication!"
The brothers nodded hastily, and in a flash of dark green light, the specter disappeared and the brothers were left shivering for the rest of the night.
Ooo ooo ooo
The next day, Dusk and the others helped the rest of the Apple family to compete against the machine, and thanks to…ahem, a little intervention, the competition remained honest and they managed to win the bet, just barely. The machine really was quite efficient, despite all the drawbacks surrounding it, but a deal was a deal and the brothers were sent packing.
When the last of the cider was sold, Dusk, who had helped Mac on his end of the production, flopped down beside the red pony with a groan, plopping his head on Mac's front hooves looking up at him. His friend gave a tired, but satisfied, "eeyup!" as his head plopped down on top of Dusk's flank with a gusty sigh of contentment.