Sisters in All but Blood

by scifipony


Chapter 1 - Postcard from the Past

I reclined under a tree on a red-checkered tablecloth, a breakfast picnic spread to my left and an open book under my right hoof. I levitated a whole-wheat daisy sandwich. A warm breeze ruffled my fur, auguring for a pleasant hot day.

Just I as took a bite, a brown stallion in a blue postal uniform and peaked cap trotted up. “Are you Princess Celestia’s personal protege?”

I grunted and waved my hoof as I worked to swallow quickly. I started to cough and grabbed my lemonade. The sour helped. “She doesn’t usually call me that.”

A gray aura levitated a package wrapped in yellowed craft paper tied with dusty string. “This must be for you.” It landed with a book-like thump and emitted a cloud of dust, flipping a spoon that had been in the way.

I read the mailing label. I shook my head and started, “That’s not me—”

“You are her personal protege, right?" He tapped a piece of paper. "Says 'Or Celestia’s Personal Protege'". The delivery instructions specified that it be delivered today, but it had been franked with a royal seal ten years ago—prior to my entrance exam to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. “Sign here.”

I wasn’t going to say no to a book. I mean, who would, especially from the Princess? I tore off the paper, looked at the cover, and groaned. Myths and Sciences, Multi-site Equinepological Discoveries. The pretentiousness of the emerald-eyed gold-gilt unicorn on the cover did not bode well for hard science. Had Celestia planned the fluff in her curriculum that far in advance? My annoyance faded, though, as I remembered the book had been intended for a previous protege that had not made the grade, or quit, and disappeared.

Who was this Sunset Shimmer?

I absently took a bite from the sandwich, skimmed the forward, then reversed the tome to the index. Timing: it was a clue! Not the ten years ago, but today, the day before the 1000th Summer Sun Celebration. I scanned for anything related and didn’t much notice the sun creeping into my shade, nor that my drink, sandwich, oat scones, and hay fries disappeared as I grazed unconsciously.

“And the harmony has been maintained in Equestria ever since?”

I stopped and tapped my chin with my hoof. “Elements of Harmony? I know I’ve heard of that before, but where?" The pink-maned mare was obviously one of Celestia’s ancient ancestors, but the histories didn't go that far back. I shook my head. And this Nightmare Moon character had the same name as the cannibal winter harbinger in some Nightmare Night celebrations, though that was usually a winged oryx, not an alicorn. Celestia had prepared me to see these connections; the cannibal boogy-mare that scared little children was the only one that correlated to tomorrow’s celebration.

I huffed, stood, and threw my picnic remnants into my right saddlebag. I chewed on an errant bit of my mane, waiting for the next connection. Right! I remembered a book amongst the many given me by my mentor at Hearths Warming Eve: "Predictions and Prophesies!

I galloped off, at the last instant remembering Myths and Sciences. It flew up behind me and shoved itself into my empty opposite saddlebag. Connections. Connections! It was obviously some sort of test.

“There you are, Twilight!”

I actually screamed, though I quickly squelched it and skidded to a halt before an array of my unicorn college friends who blocked the sandstone pavement road. There stood Lemon Hearts, a hefty chartreuse-maned yellow mare, plus bubbly blue doll-sized Minuette, and Twinkleshine—who with her pink mane and off-white coat reminded me of the good sister in Myths and Sciences, minus the wings. Always the first to speak up about matters of right and wrong, she of course reminded me of something I had forgotten in the heat of the chase. “Moon Dancer is having a little get-together in the west castle courtyard. You wanna come?” She leaned forward to let her sarcasm drip so she didn’t have to add, You, who led Moon Dancer to believe it would be a good idea to have a party in the first place…

I looked at the girls. I looked at the book. A test. “Oh, I’m sorry, but I’ve got a lot of…”

Twinkleshine’s blue eyes bored into me. I looked up into the sky, seeing the sun and thinking of Nightmare Moon who wanted to bring eternal night.

Ughhh!” I began pacing. Celestia was testing me. “I’ve got to study!” but Twinkie held her ground as I paced. Sensing my body language, the other two spread out and turned sideways, blocking my dodge to the left as Lyra Heartstrings trotted up. I noticed that she, like the other three, had a brightly colored foil-wrapped present, tied with a bow, balanced on her back. At home, I had a red one that had taken me a hour to wrap, even after reading how. “Ughhh! Look, Celestia sent me this book ten years ago…”

When I finished, Minuette chuckled and said, “That’s quite a story. And probably important, too, but Moon Dancer is really putting herself out to thank you and us, mostly you, for getting her out of her depression about her grade in Astronomy class, you know, and you helping her keep from flunking.”

Lyra, the queen of green—minty green—piped up, “Yes, some story. There’s something mysterious and urgent about the whole thing. Look, I’ll go to your place and talk to the little guy—” her name for Spike “—and find Predictions and Prophesies and have him look up these, um, elementary thingies.”

“I’ll write it down.” I got out a sheet of paper and jotted instructions.

Lyra watched the moving feather quill and parchment, pacing with me. She said, “You’ve got really bad handwriting. It would improve if you didn’t depend on the little guy.”

“Ughhh!”