//------------------------------// // Chapter 23: The Festival of the Night // Story: New Revelations // by Phantom Shadow //------------------------------// The night that everypony had been waiting for had finally arrived. As the evening hours came, all of Ponyville began converging in front of town hall dressed in formal attire for the opening ceremony. While many were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Princess's, there were still dozens of ponies putting the final touches on small things, like the banquet, the main show stage and other special attractions brought over just for the event. As calm and collected as they could be, Thunderlane and Rumble trotted to the Carousel Boutique to pick up their dates. They were both wearing suits; Thunderlane's was gray with a red tie where Rumble's was black and without a tie. Although they tried their best to maintain their confidence, they were both extremely nervous. "So, are you ready for tonight?" Thunderlane asked with a confident smile. "You bet," answered Rumble with a nod. When the two of them were in front of the Boutique, Thunderlane took a deep breath before he knocked on the door. A moment or two had passed before he opened the door, the bell chiming as the two of them entered. Thunderlane looked around for a bit, hoping to spot Rarity close by. When he didn't see her, he opened his mouth in preparation to call out to her. However, the words didn't get a chance to leave his mouth before he saw both Rarity and Sweetie Belle trotting down the stairs together. "Hello, you two," Rarity greeted as she smiled and batted her eyelashes at him. She wore a white flowing dress with a lacey collar and a purple sash along the waistline. The top curl of her mane stayed the same while the back part was pulled into a well-crafted bun. To top it all off, she wore matching white hoof-wear, heelless so they wouldn't hurt her hooves with straps going up her arm so they wouldn't slip off unexpectedly. "Whoa," was all he could say as he took her beauty in. Quickly, he regained his focus and said, "I mean, hey Rare's. Wow, you look amazing!" Rarity giggled. "Thank you, darling. You look rather dapper yourself." The two of them shared a small kiss as Rumble trotted up to Sweetie Belle, who wore a purple dress with silver frills on the bottom that seemed to shimmer with whatever light would hit it. However, the one thing that caught his attention and made his heart melt was the necklace he had given her still on her neck. "Hi, Sweetie Belle," he said as he trotted up to her, hugging her and planting a small kiss on her cheek. Putting on the best smile she could, she responded in a soft tone, "Hi." Releasing from their tender moment, Rarity looked at Sweetie Belle from the corners of her eyes and smiled sheepishly. As confidently as she could, she said, "Shall we get going?" Thunderlane nodded as he and Rarity trotted out of the Boutique together. Sweetie Belle and Rumble followed close behind until they were along side of them. Looking at her sister from the corners of her eyes again, Rarity could see that she was hanging her head and looking at the ground with what looked like a saddened expression. Lowering her head, she whispered to her, "Please, Sweetie Belle. Do try to enjoy the evening and not let what happened interfere with you having a good time." Raising her head, Sweetie Belle nodded and smiled at Rarity. The moment she turned her head away from her, her pseudo smile vanished and she lowered her head again. She looked over to Rumble, who had the biggest smile on his face than she thought was possible. Well, at least he's happy about all this, Sweetie Belle thought as she sighed and hung her head again. As tears started welling up in her eyes, she began taking deep breaths, thankful that she was able to stop them from running down her cheeks. I guess I can try to be happy, too. Although her head was turned away, Rarity could feel how Sweetie was acting, resulting in her gaze lowering to the ground in guilt. Deep breaths, Rarity, she thought. Everything will be alright. She'll be alright for now. Just get through tonight. It wasn't long before the four of them neared the center of Ponyville. They didn't need to fully get there to feast their eyes on the magnificent sight before them. Aside from all the colorful decorations, banners, and streamers that were strewn about, there were other such activities for everypony to do. Ranging from rides of various varieties to games of different types, there were plenty of things to do; it was hard to believe that all of these things were able to fit in the streets. The more they ventured into town, the more they were engulfed by the glorious light display from all the rides and attractions, different shades of red, blue, yellow, green, and other such colors glowing in all different directions. Off to the side, there were several tables underneath open tents that carried food of different varieties, like cakes, cupcakes, pastries, and dozens more. Behind them were the familiar faces of the Apple family, going through each table to make sure there was enough of everything for everyone. When Applejack looked over and saw all of them trotting past, she waved a hoof and smiled, prompting them to do the same. After spending several moments gazing at the magnificence of the light-filled streets, they made their way to the main show stage where everypony was gathering around. Without even thinking about it, Sweetie Belle began scanning through the crowd, looking for Scootaloo. Although she saw many familiar ponies around her, there were no signs of her anywhere. She stopped when she felt Rarity put a hoof on her back reassuringly. When she looked up to her, Rarity offered her a smile, making her smile in return. "Ooh!! This is so exciting!" they head Pinkie Pie shout among the sea of ponies. "I'm so excited to start the party that I can't even find the right word to describe it! But I'm also nervous because the Princess's are going to be here and I hope everything works out! I'm excited and nervous! Nerv-ited? Exci-vous? I know! I know! I'm nervous-cited!! Hey, I just made a new word to describe it!! Yay, me!" Some time had passed before the Mayor of Ponyville trotted onto the show stage, everypony stomping their hoofs and cheering as she stood behind a small pedestal with a microphone on it. Tapping the microphone to see if it was on, she cleared her throat and said, "Welcome, fillies and gentle-colts! It brings me great honor and joy to announce the Second Annual 'Festival of the Night' here in Ponyville!" Everypony cheers for a moment before silencing again, allowing the Mayor to continue. "Now, without further ado, it's my pleasure to welcome Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." Again, the crowd goes into a thunderous applause as both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna slowly fly onto the stage, a precession playing for them as they waved at their subjects. While Princess Celestia had a glowing smile on her face, Princess Luna had a slightly nervous grin; she was still a bit shaky with crowds, especially after the incident during "Nightmare Night" not too long ago. "Welcome, everypony, to this glorious celebration," Princess Celestia said, using her regal Canterlot voice to speak loud enough for all of them to hear. "Let me start by thanking each and every one of you for all of your support, for without it, none of this would have been made possible." The ponies cheered and applauded again, making Princess Luna blush uncontrollably. As the crowd calmed themselves, Princess Celestia continued. "As you all know, the 'Summer Sun Celebration' is when everypony watches the sunrise to celebrate the longest day of the year. In honor of my sister's return and reformation, we have decreed that there shall be a celebration that commemorates the Princess of the Night and her important role in Equestria. Tonight, we shall watch Princess Luna raise the moon and celebrate the longest night of the year, in an event we have called..." "...'The Festival of the Night'," Princess Luna finished, keeping her head held high with pride. It was only when the audience started cheering again did she feel anxious again, her heart fluttering and her cheeks flushing again. Then, Princess Celestia raised a hoof up, signaling for everypony to fall silent. Then, she slowly flew into the air as she raised her hooves up, her horn radiating a majestic shade of gold. Everypony watched as the sun began to set behind her, slowly and steadily. When it got to a certain point in the sky, Princess Luna did the same thing, extending her hooves as her horn shone a vibrant cobalt blue. Eyes widened in amazement, the ponies watched as the moon began to rise alongside the sun, the two of them moving in perfect harmony with each other. If that wasn't enough of a sight to behold, the sky turning from a fiery orange and yellow to a rich blue and purple with the silvery twinkling of the stars made everypony "ooh" and "aww" in amazement. After several moments, the sun was completely gone and the full moon shone overhead. As everypony gazed at the marvel of the night sky, Princess Luna announced, "Let the Festival begin!" Then, the sounds of trumpets played as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna trotted off the stage and through the crowd, everypony stepping to the side to let them pass while bowing before them. When they were out of the way of everypony, the Mayor got back to the pedestal again. "Everypony, enjoy yourselves on this, the longest night of the year!" she announced. "There are plenty of games and attractions for all of you, as well as a banquet of sweets over by the Princess's. And, let's not forget about the special concert to be performed right here by our special musical guests! I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that this will be the best 'Festival of the Night' ever!" With that, everypony applauded one last time before they began going off in different directions. As they scattered, Rarity turned to Thunderlane and said, "I have an idea. Why don't we give the foals some privacy for while? Let them enjoy themselves for a while." "I don't know," Thunderlane said. "Do you think that's a good idea?" "Of course, darling," she answered with a smile. "I'm pretty sure they'll be alright. I don't think they'd want us following them everywhere while they're trying to spend time with each other. Besides..." She then leaned closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "...it'll give us some time to be alone for a while." He didn't need much convincing after that. As the two of them trotted to the foals, Thunderlane said, "Why don't you two go and have some fun." "Really?" Rumble asked excitedly. "You mean it?" "Absolutely." "After all," Rarity chimed in. "We wouldn't want to interfere with your date." As Rumble began blushing, Sweetie Belle felt her heart as it skipped a beat at the word, "date"; she just didn't feel comfortable with calling it a date when she didn't feel like it was. However, she pushed those feelings aside and smiled as best as she could. "Thank you so much!" Rumble said. "Yeah...thanks," Sweetie added, albeit softly. "Think nothing of it," Thunderlane responded. "Just be careful and meet us here when the concert starts, okay?" "Okay!" "Have fun, you two," Rarity said with a wink. "We will," Rumble answered. Then, he turned to Sweetie Belle and said, "Come on, let's get going!" Sweetie Belle could only nod as he led her away from Thunderlane and Rarity towards the rides not too far off. Turning to look at them, Sweetie watched as Rarity smiled and ran a hoof over it from one end to the other, indicating that she wanted her to smile. She nodded again as she smiled, though it was pretty obvious that it was fake. Turning away, Sweetie Belle stopped smiling again and let out a sigh, her eyes looking at the ground. A wave of sadness washed over her as she asked herself, I wonder where Scootaloo is. I bet she didn't come because she doesn't want to see me. Wherever she is, I bet she's having a great time without me. The moment the opening ceremony was finished and the crowd began dispersing, Scootaloo quickly made her way behind the show stage. Immediately, she made sure that Sweetie Belle wasn't anywhere in sight and that nopony else had seen her. She didn't need to wait long before she saw Rainbow Dash fly over to her, also making sure they were alone. "Okay, Scoots, everything is all set for you two," Rainbow said with a grin. "Are you ready to do this?" "Y-Yeah, I guess," Scootaloo answered. "You guess?" Straightening her posture, she replied with confidence, "I'm ready." "Now, that's more like it!" Rainbow said proudly. "I'll bring her to the place. Don't move until I get back." "Got it," she acknowledged with a salute. Just as Rainbow nodded and got ready to blast off, she quickly said, "Hey, Rainbow." Turning to face her, she asked, "Yeah?" "Thanks," she nervously said. "For helping me, that is." "Think nothing of it, squirt," she said with a wink before flying off into the air to find Sweetie Belle. At least an hour had passed when Rumble and Sweetie Belle trotted down the main road towards the banquet table. "This is the best night ever," Rumble said as she skipped for joy. "Yeah...," Sweetie Belle feigned excitement. "Best night ever." "You wanna get something to eat? I don't know about you, but I'm as hungry as a horse!" "N-No, thank you. You go ahead, Rumble. I'm just gonna...use the 'little filly's' room." Rumble nodded as he trotted towards the banquet tables, the smile not leaving his face. Turning her back on him, Sweetie Belle let out a sigh as she began trotting somewhere where she can be alone for a while. I wish this really was 'the best night ever', she thought as she hung her head. I'm trying my best to have a good time, but it just...I just... She let her thought go unfinished as she found a bench nearby, tears starting to well up in her eyes as she sat down. Oh, who am I kidding? Sweetie Belle thought as she wiped her eyes. I know exactly why I'm like this. I just...I wish Scootaloo was here to enjoy the festival with me, but what are the chances of her ever talking to me again? "There you are!" a familiar voice called out. Sweetie Belle raised her head to see Rainbow Dash fly down and sit next to her, a smile on her face. "I've been looking for you everywhere!" "Hi, Rainbow," she said, quickly wiping her eyes again. "Why were you looking for me?" She began chuckling nervously. "No reason, I just wanted to talk to you, that's all. I haven't seen you in a while. What's going on? You having a good time?" Sweetie Belle sighed. "Yeah, I guess." A moment of silence followed after that, making both of them shift their eyes back and forth; it was like both of them were waiting for the other to say something that they never did. For lack of anything else better to say, Rainbow said, "So...what else is new?" "Nothing much," was the only answer Sweetie could give her. As more silence followed, she looked down at the ground as Rainbow crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Alright, enough with the 'nicey-nice', Rainbow thought as she said, "Well, I have something I wanna show ya!" Sweetie Belle looked up to her. "What?" "Well, it's sort of a surprise, so you'll have to follow me if you want to see it! Trust me, you won't regret it." Her curiosity getting the best of her, she got up and said, "Alright, then." Nodding her head and smiling, Rainbow Dash got up and flew into the air; low enough for Sweetie to follow, but high enough to see where she was going. The two of them weaved through the vast crowds of ponies for several minutes until they reached the outskirts of town. Looking ahead, Sweetie could see that she was leading her to a small bridge that arched above a small creek. When they were in front of the bridge, Rainbow landed on it and prompted the filly to stop. "We're here," she announced with a grin. "Great," Sweetie said unsurely. "W-Where is it?" "Wait here, I'll go get it." Before Sweetie Belle could even blink, Rainbow was airborne and gone in a flash. She wore a confused look for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and turning towards the ledge of the bridge. At first she looked down at the water below her as small ripples began warping her reflection. After a moment or two, she lifted her head and gazed out at the moonlit sky, a smile forming as she began looking at the vast amount of twinkling stars that surrounded the moon. It's so pretty, she thought as she rested her head on the ledge, closing her eyes and taking in a breath of the crisp night air. "Okay, we're here!" she heard Rainbow call out. Turning her head, she had to do a double-take as she felt her heart come to a stand-still. Rainbow was hovering in the air with a smug look on her face while below her, Scootaloo stood there, wearing a simple pink dress with white trim lining the bottom. Seeing the sight of her smiling friend brought a huge smile to her face as she let out a gasp of surprise. However, the thoughts of what happened, mixed with everything that they had said to each other, made her gleeful face disappear and turn to one of guilt. Immediately, she turned her head away from her and closed her eyes, trying desperately to prevent herself from either crying or running away [whichever came first]. Neither of them knowing what to say, the three of them remained silent for many moments. Seeing the look on her face made Scootaloo drop her smile and look at Rainbow Dash with concern while shrugging her shoulders. Lowering herself, she lightly pushed her closer to Sweetie Belle, prompting her to say something. All it got was the filly biting her lower lip while her eyes fished around for something on the ground. "Well, I'd love to say and chat, but...I think I hear somepony calling my name..." Rainbow said as she quickly put a hoof over her mouth and began calling her own name in a fake, high-pitched voice. Reverting back to her normal voice, she quickly added, "Catch you two later!" Quickly, Rainbow Dash flew into the sky, leaving the two fillies alone. "Ah'm so glad ya came 'round, Apple Bloom," Applejack said with a smile as she gave a passing pony a plate for the banquet. "It makes me happy ta see ya willin' ta try and put everythin' that happened behind ya." "It sure is, sis" Apple Bloom responded with a smile. "Ah don't know what ah was so worked up 'bout. Everythin's gonna be a-okay!" As Applejack smiled and trotted over to another table, Apple Bloom smiled sinisterly while rubbing her hooves together. Okay, Apple Bloom, she thought. Ya know what ta do. Once ya see him, ya have ta tell him the truth, the whole truth, and nothin' but the truth! Once he knows the truth, he'll understand everythin'. Nonchalantly, she began organizing the silverware on one of the tables to make herself look busy. All the while, she kept her eyes out for any signs of Rumble. Trotting to the other end of the table, she was fortunate enough to spot him amongst the crowd, casually trotting up to the punch table for a drink. Bingo, she thought with an evil grin. Then, she cleared her face of anything suspicious and trotted up to Applejack. In the most innocent manner she could muster, she asked, "Applejack, can ah go enjoy the party?" "Shoot, 'course ya can, sugar cube. Ah'll say ya earned some time ta enjoy yerself," she said. "Have fun!" "Thanks, sis!" she called out as she began trotting towards the crowds of ponies. When she was certain she was out of eyesight, she quickly began making her way to the punch table. Luckily, she caught a glimpse of him beginning to leave, heading towards one of the tables with a plate in his mouth. As she began to follow him, she smiled and said, "Here goes nothin'." "Hey, Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo said in a low voice as she trotted closer to her. Her head still turned and her eyes softly closed, Sweetie Belle whispered, "Hi." Falling silent for a moment, Scootaloo sighed as she scratched the back of her neck. Her eyes darted back and forth from the ground to Sweetie Belle and back again. She took several deep breaths as she mustered up enough courage to say what she had to. "Sweetie, I...wanted to talk to you...about what happened..." she began, straightening her posture. The only response she got was her closing her eyes tighter, as if she were bracing for the worst to happen. Sighing, Scootaloo continued with, "I'm...I'm sorry." In a flash, Sweetie Belle opened her eyes and turned to look at Scootaloo. "W-What?" "I'm sorry for...yelling at you and...saying all those mean things...and for hurting you...without letting you tell me what happened." The initial shock wearing off, Sweetie lowered her head as her ears drooped. "No, Scoots," she said. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't... " "You have nothing to be sorry about," she interrupted. "I'm the one who should have listened to you instead of blaming you for something I didn't know anything about." Scootaloo hung her head as she felt her heart beginning to sink. "If...If you love Rumble more than me...I completely understand. Just...please tell me why you..." Before she could finish her sentence, Sweetie Belle put a hoof over her mouth to silence her. "I don't love Rumble more than you! I don't love him at all! I tried to tell you before; it was all a big misunderstanding!" Moving Sweetie's hoof off of her mouth, Scootaloo asked, "Well, if you don't love him, why did you kiss him?" Sighing one last breath, Sweetie Belle began telling her the whole story from the beginning. She told her about how she felt when they first met Rumble, how Apple Bloom unintentionally reminded her that they were the same feelings she had when she fell in love with her, and how she tried to hook him up with Apple Bloom, since she had the crush on him. As she spoke, Scootaloo sat on her haunches with her mouth slightly ajar; all of this was happening right under her muzzle and she was oblivious to all of it. Furthermore, it only set in stone that she had said what she did to Sweetie Belle without really knowing what was going on. "When he gave me the necklace, I just acted without thinking about it," Sweetie said shamefully. "The feeling went away after he kissed me. I thought something was wrong, so I kissed him again to see if it would come back. When it didn't, that's when I knew that I didn't love him...but it was too late, because...well, you know what happened after that." If ever there was a time for silence to follow, this was it. Sweetie Belle lowered herself in guilt on the ground as Scootaloo blankly stared into the abyss, trying her best to take in everything. Seeing that she was still lost in her thoughts, Sweetie Belle continued. "Ever since you broke up with me, I tried to move on, I tried to be with him to see if I was really happy being with a colt instead of a filly, but I just couldn't. You're the only pony that I love, Scoots, even if you don't feel the same way about me." Scootaloo opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it in order to get her thoughts together. Looking at the ground, she began recollecting how she had felt the past several days while connecting it with everything Sweetie Belle had just told her. Then, she looked up to see she was still on the ground, tears starting to stream out of the corners of her eyes and drip onto the cobblestone beneath them. Wiping her own eyes clear and sniffling, Scootaloo finally said, "Of course I love you, Sweetie Belle. I just...thought it was you who didn't love me anymore. I thought you were happier with Rumble and wanted to be with him, so I lashed out without even thinking about it. It was like my mouth kept moving, but my mind went blank." "R-Really?" asked Sweetie as she stood up straight and wiped her eyes. Scootaloo nodded. "I...I guess I thought that...you and me...everything...was just a..." "A phase?" Sweetie Belle asked, finishing her sentence. They stared at each other for a few moments before Sweetie smiled, making Scootaloo follow suit. Then, the two of them started laughing a little bit, both of them covering their mouths in an attempt to calm themselves down. They didn't know what they were laughing at or why, but they didn't question it; sharing a laugh with each other made them feel better than they had in a while. "Scootaloo?" Sweetie asked when their laughing had finally subsided. "Yeah?" she asked. "I'm really sorry that I broke the promise I made. If it wasn't for me, none of this would have happened. Nothing would have come between us like it did. Can you ever forgive me?" Without hesitation, Scootaloo brought her into an embrace, holding her tightly with both of her hooves. Sweetie didn't give it a second thought as she returned the gesture, resting her head against her neck and shoulder as a wave of comfort washed over her. "I forgive you, but you have nothing to apologize for," Scootaloo said softly. "All of this was my fault. I'm the one who broke our promise. Can you forgive me?" She looked into her eyes and said, "Of course I forgive you." "So..." Scootaloo said hesitantly. "If you want to...do you...you know...do you want to..." Sweetie Belle couldn't help but giggle as her friend tried to find the right words. Thinking she knew what she was going to say, she asked, "Are you asking for a second chance?" Scootaloo nodded as her cheeks flushed. "If you want to, that is." Bringing her into an embrace again, she said, "Of course I will. You've given me so many chances before. It's only fair that I do the same." Hugging her even tighter than before, tears of joy streamed down Scootaloo's face as she whispered, "Thank you." The two of them released one another as they looked into each other's eyes. Their eyes glistened like diamonds, mostly from their tears and the vibrant light of the moon. Having said those words of forgiveness, their hearts began to flutter with a feeling of belonging. For the first time in the past several days, both of them felt a feeling of joy that they had missed for so long. "I love you, Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle said softly. Smiling, Scootaloo said in a matching tone, "I love you too, Sweetie Belle." Then, both of them closed their eyes softly, leaned in, and gave each other a kiss beneath the starry-night sky. It lasted longer than either of them anticipated, but they didn't mind. The longer they stayed, the more it showed just how much they cared for each other, and how much they loved each other. Reluctantly, they backed away from each other and opened their eyes, both of them smiling as tears of joy remained in their eyes. "Come on, Sweetie," Scootaloo said. "Let's get back to the party. We still have a lot of Festival to enjoy, and we can enjoy it together!" "Okay!" Sweetie said excitedly; she was finally ready to enjoy herself the way she wanted to. The two of them trotted side-by-side off of the bridge and into town, their tails entwined with one another. What they didn't know was that that high above them, hiding on the closest cloud, a certain Pegasus was watching them. As she watched them trot into Ponyville together, she smiled and had to wipe her own joyful tears away; thankfully nopony was there to see her do it. "Way to go, kid," Rainbow Dash said with a smile. "I knew it'd work out."