//------------------------------//
// Happiness and Tears 
// Story: Dark Matter 
// by moguera 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 2:  Happiness and Tears

Apple Bloom sobbed, trying her hardest to keep from making too much noise without much success.  Ultimately, to muffle herself, she pressed her face against the smooth, purple scales of the dragon who held her in his arms.
Spike did his absolute best to comfort the yellow filly, holding her tightly and trailing one set of claws through her flowing red mane, trying to avoid jostling her trademark bow.  His mind went back to when she had first come in the library.  Fortunately, there hadn't been anypony else in at the moment.  Even Twilight Sparkle was out, helping her coltfriend, Arkenstone, plan the reconstruction of his teahouse.  The moment their eyes had met, Bloom had dropped her saddlebags and rushed straight at him, nearly knocking him over in the process.  Spike found himself glad for the bulk he'd gained over the course of the past few months.  He wished his newly-formed wings were large enough to wrap around her, but instead settled for coiling his tail across Bloom's back and gently rocking her back and forth.
He desperately wanted to know why she was so upset, but right now, Bloom clearly wasn't in a speaking mood.  The only thing Spike could do at the moment was hold her and hope that she calmed down enough to talk to him.
As the minutes wore on, the sobs began to fade and Bloom's trembling began to subside.  Finally, she was quiet as she relaxed in the young dragon's embrace.  Spike pulled back just far enough that he could get a good look at her tearstained face.  "You wanna talk about it?"
Bloom sniffled hard, looking as though she might break out into fresh sobs.  However, she clenched her eyes shut and used one forehoof to rub at her eyes.  Seeming more in control of herself now, she opened her mouth to speak, but was immediately cut off.
"Hold on!" said Spike quickly, before leading Bloom to a nearby pile of cushions.  With a sharp tug of his hands, he pulled her back up against himself and relaxed letting the two of them fall into the pile.  Holding her close, Spike leaned in to plant a tiny kiss on her muzzle.  "There," he said, "That's better."
Bloom snorted quietly and giggled, before tucking her head under Spike's chin and resting up against him.  "Thanks," she said.
"Now, what's bothering you?"
"Ah..."  Bloom sighed.  "Ah'm just so...Ah'm so angry sometimes.  Ah scare mahself.  Dawn was havin' a real hard time today and Ah just went and snapped at 'im."
"Is it because of Granny Smith?" asked Spike, gently scratching Bloom's back with his claws, something that ponies really seemed to appreciate.
"Yeah," said Bloom, clearly not happy to admit the fact, "Ah know it ain't right.  It ain't Dawn's fault that she died.  Yeah, that damn cultist came because 'o him, but that don't make it his fault.  He didn't do anythin' wrong, nothin' to deserve somepony tryin' to kill 'im like that.  But...whenever Ah think 'bout how Ah won't see Granny again, Ah just get so mad..."
"I understand," said Spike, "It's hard, isn't it...losing a pony you love...?"
Bloom nodded up against him.  "Yeah, it is.  Have ya ever lost somepony like that?"
"No," Spike admitted, "I've been lucky not to lose anypony I really care about yet.  Twilight's still here, so are her parents, so is Princess Celestia, and everypony else I'm really close to..."  He kissed Bloom's forehead.  "...including you."
"Ah'm glad," said Bloom with a sigh.
"So...is it really Dawn that's bothering you, or is it something else about all of...this?" asked Spike.
Bloom was silent for several minutes.  For a little bit, Spike was worried that she was going to ignore the question altogether.  Then, to his relief, she answered.
"Ah think...Ah think, maybe...Ah think Granny's the one Ah'm really angry at."
"Granny Smith...?" mused Spike, "...Why?"
Bloom sniffed and ducked her head down.  "'Cause she lied to me."
"She did?"
"That's right!" exclaimed Bloom, whipping her head back up, angry tears spilling out of her eyes, "She lied right to mah face, tellin' me everythin' was gonna be all right!  She said that and then she went and..."  Bloom let out a choked sob and buried her face in Spike's chest once again.  "Right up to the end, even when Mac told me what the doctor said, even when the end was gettin' closer and everypony could see it, Ah still believed that she'd get better.  Ah thought she was gonna come out of it and everythin' was gonna go back to the way it used to be...all 'cause Granny said everythin' was gonna be fine."
Spike tightened his hold on his fillyfriend as she started crying again, holding her as sobs rocked her body.  With one hand, he resumed stroking her mane, doing his best to offer what comfort he could.
"Why?" asked Bloom, her voice practically a whisper, "Why did Granny say that?  Why'd she lie to me?"
"Because," said Spike with a small smile, "I don't think she was actually lying."
"Huh!"  Spikes words knocked the filly for a complete loop and she whipped her head back up to stare at him in astonishment.  "How can ya say that?"
"Bloom...do you know how old Granny Smith was?"
Bloom's light-orange eyes blinked in surprise at the question.  She resumed staring at Spike before she blinked again.  "She was...she was uh..."  Bloom frowned.  It was a question she'd never asked, never even considered.  Granny Smith had been there when she was born, helped to raise her since before she would have been old enough to even remember what her parents were like.  Even Big Macintosh and Applejack never seemed to consider the question.  But, for as long as Bloom could remember, Granny Smith had simply been there.  Even amongst gatherings of all of their relatives from across Equestria, Granny Smith was something like a permanent fixture, an unchanging constant, for everypony going back to the oldest of Bloom's great uncles and aunts that she could ever remember meeting.  For lack of a better term, Granny Smith had always been.  The question of how long had never factored into it.
"Let me put it another way," said Spike, "Do you know how long Ponyville's been around?"
"Miss Cheerilee said that it's been 'round fer..."  Bloom wrinkled her face as she tried to remember the lecture in question, but the exact date eluded her.  "...fer a long time.  Hundreds 'o years...?"
"That's right," said Spike, nodding, "Now...do you remember the story Granny Smith told for Family Appreciation Day at your school?"
Bloom nodded.  That had been one of the best days of her life, the day she'd managed to turn back all of Diamond Tiara's embarrassing insults and provocations.  Granny Smith had told the story of how she and her family had set set up a farm, before stumbling on the Zap Apples, which led to her striking a bargain with Diamond Tiara's own ancestor, which led to...
Her jaw went slack.  "No way!  Why didn't Ah see it before?"
"That's right," said Spike, "I don't think Granny Smith is really your grandmother, but your great-great-great-great...however many greats it is...grandmother.  I don't know how, but she's been around for hundreds of years.  She's seen entire generations of the Apple Family come and go."
Bloom's jaw still refused to go back up.  Her mind was struggling to wrestle with the incredibly improbable fact.  How had she never noticed?  How had almost nopony else noticed?  Or...if they had, why did nopony say anything?  Did Applejack and Big Macintosh realize it?  If they did, then why hadn't they told her?  What did it all mean?
"Why does that make it all right that she's gone now?" asked Bloom finally.
"I think...I think that Granny Smith was ready to go," said Spike, "She's been around for Celestia only knows how long (and I mean that literally).  She's watched entire generations: your parents, your grandparents, your great-grandparents, and so on...come and go.  You lost her but...Granny Smith has lost so many other ponies over the years.  But she stayed strong.  She kept watching over you and everypony else in the Apple Family right up until the very end.  She spent the last of her life making sure that you and your home were safe."
Bloom swallowed and nodded, her own mind struggling with the facts.  Granny Smith had always seemed like a loving, wise, yet slightly kooky grandmother, whom she could always bring her problems and difficulties to.  Smith was somepony who would listen to the filly's worries, comfort her, and then provide some sage advice that would make things better.  The idea that Smith had dealt with almost the same kind of loss that Bloom was struggling with now, and had endured that loss over and over again, made Bloom's heart shudder.  She suddenly felt very small.
"That's why I think she told you it was all right," said Spike, "She meant that it was all right for you to let her go, to move on.  I think she believed you didn't need her to look after you anymore."
"Ya really think so?" asked Bloom, once again looking up at her drakefriend.
Spike planted a light kiss on Bloom's lips.  "I'm pretty sure."
Bloom couldn't keep a light giggle from escaping her.  "When did mah dragon get so wise?"
A blush spread across Spike's cheeks and he bashfully scratched at the spines behind his head.  "Uh...I guess it's just natural talent."
That got a genuine laugh out of the filly.  "Ah'm sure it is," she said, leaning against Spike once more and closing her eyes.
"Feeling better?" asked Spike.
"A little," said Bloom, still sniffling a tiny bit, "But Ah'd feel a lot better if ya'd just shut up and hold me."
Spike smiled warmly and wrapped both arms around Bloom once again.  "I think I can do that."
They lay there quietly until Bloom drifted off to sleep in Spike's arms.



The dragon and the filly were not nearly as alone as they first thought.  The front door of the library had been opened a crack, just wide enough for the two unicorns to observe the pair as Spike comforted Bloom.  Had they been noticed, they would have been recognized instantly.
"Oh my," whispered Rarity, bringing a hoof to her lips as she watched Spike and Apple Bloom from the door, "I had no idea the poor dear was so distraught."
"She's not the only one having trouble," said Twilight Sparkle, looking in from her place next to Rarity, observing the situation with wide, violet eyes, "Applejack and Big Macintosh are struggling too.  It's bad enough that Granny Smith's gone, but they have to keep on taking care of the farm while they're at it.  I'm worried..."
"Applejack actually seems to be doing well, given the situation," said Rarity, "I think she got enough sense of closure from the funeral that she was able to move on.  She's been a veritable pillar of strength for both dear Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh."
"Yeah," said Twilight.  She remembered everypony leaving Applejack and Red River alone at Granny Smith's grave.  When they had come back, Applejack looked more at ease than she had in days.  Granted, there were still times that she looked about ready to break into tears, but she seemed to overcome those moments quickly and go back to work.  Her enthusiasm had dulled a little, but she pressed onward all the same.
Big Macintosh was much more difficult to read.  The stallion's stoic continence was a pokerface that could put the most skilled Las Pegasus card shark to shame.  He worked through the days, never seeming to give any sign of the pain such a loss must have inspired in him.  However, in a few conversations with his wife, Ditzy Doo, Twilight had heard that, in private, Macintosh was still very distraught over Granny Smith's death.  However, as long as Ditzy was with him, it seemed that Macintosh would endure as well.
That left the youngest of the Apple siblings.  Bloom, at her tender age, was still somewhat inexperienced in dealing with death.  She had been too young to remember the deaths of her parents.  Since then, the closest she had come had been the incident when an assassin named Willow had come to town, aiming to kill Dawn, but had ended up killing herself to avoid capture and interrogation.  Even then, Bloom had been shut inside the schoolhouse and had learned about Willow's death secondhoof, well after the fact.  As a consequence, she was probably the one having the most difficulty coping out of all three of siblings.
"I think I'll go to the farm," said Twilight, "I can let Applejack know where Apple Bloom is and I'll help with the chores too.  Bloom needs Spike's support right now."
Rarity nodded.  "I'll offer what help I can as well.  Sweetie Belle's been telling me just how bad her temper has been at school.  Giving her some time to sort things out would be best."
Twilight shut the door and turned to face Rarity with a toss of her dark-purple mane, whipping its hot-pink streak through the air behind her head.  "But there's something else you wanted to talk to me about, right?"
"Of course," said Rarity, "I'd nearly forgotten."  After all, said topic had driven her to seek the company of her lavender friend in the first place.  Twilight had been at the remains of her coltfriend's teahouse, helping Arkenstone with the plans to rebuild the place after it had been wrecked in the process of his battle with Terra Heart.  Twilight had suggested that they adjourn to the library, which had led to them stumbling across the rather private moment (though, fortunately, not too private) between Spike and Bloom.
A swirl of blue magic lifted up the flap of Rarity's saddlebag and she extracted the letter she'd received earlier that day.  She sent it drifting over to Twilight, the blue magic being supplanted by a purple one as Twilight's power took hold and she brought the letter up in front of her face for perusal.
A smile spread across Twilight's face as she worked her way through the letter.  "That's very generous of Fancy Pants to put this together."  However, her smile faded as she neared the end.  "He wants me to come to Canterlot for this."  Twilight lowered her letter and gave Rarity a dubious look.  "This sounds kind of suspicious to me."
Rarity sighed.  "Please Twilight, it's Fancy Pants after all.  He is one of the most trustworthy stallions in all of Equestria.  If he is asking for your attendance, then it is because there is a genuine need for it.  More importantly, you know that we don't have to worry about him trying anything untoward."
"I suppose you're right," said Twilight with a resigned sigh.
Rarity had a point, after all.  Holding the official title of Marquess of Manehattan Island, the dapper stallion was one of the few members of the Noble Court whom Twilight and her friends could genuinely count on.  Unconcerned with the trappings of his rank, Fancy had sold all his official holdings in Manehattan and gone into business, becoming one of the richest and most successful ponies in the nation.  Because of this, he was uninterested in the largely pointless power struggles that plagued the Noble Court, many of which hinged upon Twilight as several members saw her as a powerful piece in their plans due to her very strong ties with Princess Celestia.  He'd proven to be a staunch and valuable ally to Twilight and her friends, at one point even coming to Ponyville personally to advise Rarity not to conduct any business with the Canterlot nobility in order to protect her.
"I suspect that certain other members of the Noble Court may have had a hoof in Fancy making this request," said Rarity, "After all, it's only natural to have an actual member of the Ponyville community, one who endured this disaster and is personally affected by it, to make a direct appeal in order to secure more funds for the relief efforts.  I am sure that many of them made a variety of qualifying statements in order to make sure you were the best, if not the only choice."
"Lovely," growled Twilight.
"But," continued Rarity, "We both know that Fancy would not have asked you to come if he wasn't confident in his ability to ensure your safety.  You will be his guest after all, so you will be staying at his estate.  I am certain he has measures in place for the actual function as well."  Her smile widened mischievously.  "I also noticed he made provisions for you to bring a plus-one, as it were.  I am sure you know who you'd want accompanying you."
Twilight's demeanor relaxed slightly as she nodded.  "Yes.  I know who to bring with me."
"Then, between him and Fancy Pants, I am sure that none of those cads will be able to so much as twitch their noses in your direction," said Rarity with a titter, "If they can be bothered to lower their noses in the first place."
Twilight couldn't help but giggle at her friend's words.  "I certainly hope so."
"Excellent," said Rarity with a sharp nod, "Then I shall endeavor to make sure you are suitably attired.  I understand that, the last time you attended one of these functions, you had to make due with one of your mother's hoof-me-downs.  While I am sure that it was perfectly serviceable, I am sure that you were mocked for it nonetheless."
Twilight nodded in agreement.
"This time," declared Rarity, raising a hoof toward the sky, "You shall put all those prissy ponies to shame.  I shall craft a dress to showcase your splendor to all of Canterlot!"
"Um...no need for anything too fancy," said Twilight, "I know you're still waiting for the Boutique to be repaired."
"Oh pish tosh, Twilight dear," said Rarity dismissively, "A minor setback such as that is no hinderance to my muse.  I can easily take care of your needs at my parents' house."
"If you say so..." said Twilight a bit uncertainly.  Despite Rarity's assurances, she couldn't quite shake the ominous feeling that hung over her.



"I'm back," said Rumble as he shut the cloud house door behind him.
"Hey there bro," greeted a gray pegasus with a white mohawk, peeking out of the living room, "You're a little late today."
"Sweetie and I took Dinky home," said Rumble, "Apple Bloom needed to visit the library."
"Oh," said Thunderlane, "Well that was nice of you.  How's everything going?"
"All right," said Rumble with a sigh, "Bloom's still upset about Granny Smith's death and Dawn's been looking like he's about to explode."
"That good, huh?" said Thunderlane, wrinkling his nose.
"Yeah," said Rumble, "Are the girls back?"
"Cloud Chaser is making a grocery run," said Thunderlane, "Flitter's upstairs with Storm Front.  You can go see them if you want."
"Okay," said Rumble, already making his way to the staircase.
The cloud house wasn't theirs.  It technically belonged to Scootaloo, though it was being held in trust by Scootaloo's mother, Melon Cream, until the filly came of age.  In the meantime, Scootaloo had offered to let Rumble and his family use it, seeing as their house had been a casualty of Terra Heart's attack on Ponyville.  Rumble had to admit, the idea of living in a cloud house had taken some getting used to.  Even though he, Thunderlane, Cloud Chaser, and Flitter were all pegasi, they were much more used to living on the ground.  Thunderlane and Rumble had actually been born and raised in ground houses.  Making sure you knew which surfaces were safe to put objects on was something that took a little getting used to.  Rumble's textbooks were looking a little more battered now, after a couple of falls through the floor resulting from him not looking where he was putting them.
The stairs took him up to a hallway, which ran the length of the house's upper floor.  There were a couple of guest rooms up here, along with the master bedroom, which had once belonged to Rainbow Dash.  Rumble went straight to door of Rainbow's old bedroom and looked through.
"Hi Flitter," he said.
A purplish-gray pegasus looked up from the book that she'd been reading.  "Oh!  Welcome back, Rumble," she said with a bright smile, her flowing, pale-green mane dancing through the air as she turned to face him, "Did you have a good day at school?"
"Yeah," said Rumble, coming in and looking past Flitter at the stallion laying on the bed.
Storm Front looked only marginally comfortable in his current position.  He was lying on his back, one wing splayed out at a slightly awkward angle, thanks to the cast and bandages around it.  One foreleg was immobilized in a similar manner and his barrel was wrapped in bandages as well.  His body had once been covered in taut, compact musculature, something that Rumble both admired and envied.  Now however, he was looking thinner and leaner, the consequence of the multiple healing spells he'd been subjected to over the past several days.  Even with substantial meals and nutritional supplements, his body was still weakening from simple atrophy.  Still, his expression was calm and relaxed as he turned to look at Rumble with his faded-green eyes.
"How are you feeling?" asked Rumble as he approached the bed.
"About as well as usual," said Storm, giving his student a small smile, "The doctor tells me that I probably won't fly as well as I used to, but being able to fly at all is something worth celebrating."
"What about your arm?" asked Rumble, looking at Storm's right foreleg, the one in the cast.
Storm looked down at the limb in question.  "I'll be able to walk on it, at least."
"So you won't..."  Rumble blinked, feeling tears come to his eyes.
"So it would seem," said Storm, "It appears that my days as a martial artist are over."
Rumble gasped, "But you..."
"Don't worry, I'll still be able to teach you," said Storm with a small smile, "I've been working on some things to help with that.  If you go to the library, Twilight Sparkle should have a training manual I've been working on for you."
"B-but..."  Rumble couldn't stop the tears from coming out of his eyes.  "But what about you?"
Storm smiled.  "I'm all right with it.  I can accept what happened."
"But it's not fair," said Rumble...
"I don't think fair had anything to do with it," said Storm, "Things are what they are.  You simply have to accept what can't be changed."
Rumble sniffed and turned to run out into the hall.  Storm blinked at Rumble's departure.  "Did I say that wrong?"
"I think so," said Flitter with a sigh, giving her coltfriend a sober look, "Are you really sure you're all right with this?”
Storm laid back and stared up at the ceiling.  "I'm not like Red.  He truly pursued the Art for its own sake and sought to refine his skills above all else.  He always looked for jobs that gave him the opportunity to build his experience.  That was how he ended up with me.  After what happened in Guoxia, I ended up being the one following him.  But I never shared his passion.  To me, it was more of a means to an end."
Flitter reached up to rest a hoof against his foreleg.  "But that doesn't mean you didn't care about it," she said, "I can tell it hurts you."
"Admittedly, I was very proud of what I had done," said Storm, "I took a weapon that had been discarded by unicorns and built a style of my own around it.  It saved my life and I ultimately came to love what I had created.  But it still isn't the same thing."  He turned and smiled at Flitter.  "That's why I'm glad that I can still at least teach Rumble.  He truly loves it and I think that it will help him find the kind of pony he wants to be."
"What about you?" asked Flitter, "Will this help you find the kind of pony you want to be?"
Storm chuckled.  "I think so," he said, "It's just as well, given that I was planning on giving up working as a mercenary.  I probably won't be able to work directly with the weather anymore, but Raindrops is already offering me an administrative position.  She said, and I quote, 'I'd much rather have you in the office than in the air.'  I think she likes the idea of having somepony around to take care of all the paperwork for her."
"But...what about your wing?" asked Flitter, looking at the limb in question.
"Not to worry," said Storm, extending his uninjured wing, "This is my writing wing, so I'm fine."
Flitter blew a breath through pursed lips as she fought to keep from giggling.  "Oh you," she said.  She leaned in and gently kissed Storm on the cheek.  "But you owe it to Rumble to give him a better explanation when he comes back."
"All right," said Storm.



Fluttershy jerked her head up at the sound of the door gently closing.  She knew that Caramel was slated to be in a little later.  Like many of the ponies who had lost their businesses during the battle Caramel was working to put his skills to use for the sake of the ponies who'd been displaced by the disaster.  For Caramel and his employer/business partner, Bon Bon, that meant working at the kitchen and mess tent that had been erected to provide meals for all the ponies who'd lost their homes.
While Ponyville itself had suffered severe damage, the outlying farms had been more or less untouched and were able to provide a steady supply of food, which the farmers were happy to donate, free of charge.  Filthy Rich had stepped in as well, using his business to bring in additional supplies, all paid for out of his own pocket.  Between Rich and the farmers, the inhabitants of Ponyville would at least be well-fed while they waited for their homes and businesses to be rebuilt.
Caramel was supposed to be working the dinner shift tonight, so he wasn't going to be back until later.  However, Fluttershy thought it was still a little early for Dawn to be home.  Perking her ears, she listened for the sound of hooffalls, the lightness of which told her it was indeed her colt as Dawn came trotting into the kitchen, where Fluttershy was assembling the feed for her animals' evening meals.
"I'm home," said Dawn quietly, a bit more quietly than usual.
Pausing in her task, Fluttershy turned to face the colt, smiling warmly even though she was still a bit worried, his near-outburst that morning at the front of her mind.  "Welcome back," she said, "You're early."
Dawn nodded, shuffling uneasily.  Fluttershy could see that something was bothering him, especially from the way he was avoiding meeting her eyes.  "Is something wrong?"
"Not really..." said Dawn, still shifting nervously, "But...I have something I need to tell you."
"What is it?"
Dawn finally brought his eyes to her.  "I'm sorry."
"For what?" asked Fluttershy, her eyes widening.
"I know I've been making you nervous lately," he said, looking away again, "My temper's been...short and I've been forcing you to deal with it.  I'm so sorry."
"Dawn," said Fluttershy, pressing her hoof against his chin and using it to guide his eyes back to hers, "Look at me."
Dawn did so, and continued doing so when Fluttershy lowered her hoof away.  "Dawn, I love you.  I know that this has been very hard for you.  I'll admit that I've been worried.  But I'm not scared, not of you."
"You're scared for me, right?" asked Dawn.
Fluttershy nodded.  "How did you know that?"
"Scootaloo said the same thing."
Fluttershy giggled.  "Well, I'm your mother and she's your fillyfriend.  Given how well we know you, we'd never be scared of you, not anymore."  She reached out and drew him into a hug against her.  "Even with how angry you've been getting, you're doing so well."
"I'm just so frustrated," said Dawn, a slight whimper in his voice, "I feel so useless."
"I know," said Fluttershy, stroking her son's mane as she felt his tears dampening her coat, "But we'll be here for you, at your best and your worst.  This is your home.  You need to rest.  Let us take care of you."
"Okay," said Dawn.
"Is that all you're frustrated about?" asked Fluttershy, still holding him and gently rocking in place.
"Not really," said Dawn, "I feel...stifled, like how you might feel when you have a bad cold and your nose and ears get plugged.  I don't really feel...all there...that's why it's so hard."
"It'll get better," said Fluttershy, "The doctor said your magic is coming back.  You just need to give it time."
"I know..." said Dawn.
"It's still hard, isn't it?" asked Fluttershy.  She began to giggle.
"What's so funny?"
"It's just...Rainbow Dash was the same way," she said.
"Huh?"
Tittering, Fluttershy led Dawn to the table and sat him down with a cup of chilled barley water.  "There was a time when Rainbow hurt her wing and couldn't fly.  She was stuck in the hospital and couldn't go anywhere..."
Dawn listened as Fluttershy related the story of how a confined Rainbow had eventually discovered Daring Do and the concept of reading for entertainment.  He found himself chuckling as he listened to his mother relate Rainbow's desperate attempts to hide her new hobby from her friends and even sneak back into the hospital to steal the book.  His mother had told him many stories about the exploits of herself and her friends over the months.  Dawn always loved listening to them.  Hearing that somepony else had also had to struggle with the frustration of being disabled by an injury helped mollify him somewhat.
By the time Fluttershy had finished her story, Caramel had returned from his shift and the family settled down for their evening meal.  Though Dawn was careful, he still ended up having a couple of accidents.  However, even when he was starting to feel frustrated, he simply had to look at the two ponies across from him and the feeling quickly evaporated.  I suppose it isn't all bad, he thought to himself with a small smile.



"Thanks fer yer help, Twi," said Applejack as she brought the large pot of soup to the table, "Ah'm sorry ya ended up pickin' up Bloom's slack like this, but Ah'm guessin' she needed it, huh."
"Yeah," said Twilight, "She was pretty upset.  But Spike was doing a good job of helping her get through it.  I didn't want to interrupt them.  Besides..."  She seated herself at the table.  "It's worth it to get the chance to eat some Apple Family cooking, right?"
The orange mare barked out a sharp laugh, the motion bouncing the worn stetson that rested atop her head.  "That's the truth," she said, "There ain't nothin' that can beat our down home cookin'."
"I don't know..." said Twilight with a wry smile, "Arkenstone and Spike are pretty good in the kitchen.  I don't think you can beat them."
Applejack gave her friend a mock-glare.  "Are ya sure ya wanna be sayin' that when yer sittin' down at mah table, gettin' ready to eat mah food?"  In spite of her words, she was smiling as well.
"Of course," said Twilight, "You want to prove me wrong, don't you?  You're the mare who brought the Royal Warrant back to Sweet Apple Acres after all."
A low chuckle came from the other side of the table.  "I'm afraid she's got you there."
Applejack turned her faux-wrath on the azure stallion, whose wheelchair was currently parked at the table.  "Hush you."  She couldn't keep the facade up long and quickly broke down into light chortles.
Red River smiled back at her and leaned just far enough from his chair to plant a quick peck on her lips.
Applejack's mirth faded, replaced with a look of concern.  "Careful there, hon.  Ah don't want ya fallin' out 'o that.  And Ah certainly don't want to go to the doc and explain how ya went and broke somethin' else."
"All right," said Red, still smiling.
"How are your injuries, by the way?" asked Twilight, now directing her attention to the mercenary across the table.
"Recovering," said Red, "It shouldn't be too long before I can leave this wheelchair behind.  Then I can start working on a new spear."  He paused and rolled his eyes upward in thought.  "That last one certainly lasted a while.  I hope I can remember how to do it properly.  It may be a little tricky to get waxwood here."
"I'll talk to Arky and see if he can help," said Twilight.
"Well...I might try something else," said Red with a shrug, "It's fun coming up with new designs occasionally.  At one point, I was actually considering making the shaft out of lignum vitae."
"Um...okay..." said Twilight, trying to think how such a dense, heavy wood would be a good idea for a weapon as light, precise, and flexible as Red's spear.  However, she decided not to think too hard about it.
The door to the outside opened, accompanied by the sound of small hooves scampering across the floor as Dinky came rushing in.  "I'm back, Aunty AJ."
Behind the little unicorn came the familiar light-gray figure of Ditzy Doo.  "Slow down," she said, "You don't want to trip up anypony."
"Okay," said the filly over her shoulder.  She was already scrambling up into her seat so that she could reach the table.  Twilight couldn't help but smile at the filly's energetic spirit.
"Hi Twilight," said Ditzy, as she seated herself, "Thanks for helping out with the chores."
"It was the least I could do," said Twilight.
The door opened a second time, now accompanied by the much heavier footfalls as the large, red form of Big Macintosh came ambling in.  As usual, Twilight couldn't make heads or tails of his placid expression.  But she imagined that his hoofsteps were slightly heavier than she remembered.
"Welcome back, Big Macintosh," said Twilight, "Did you have a good day?"
"Eeyup," said the stallion flatly, sitting down next to Ditzy, who gave her husband a worried look.
"Any problems with the deliveries?" asked Applejack from the kitchen counter.
"Nope."
Twilight could see that Applejack was suppressing the urge to sigh heavily.  Twilight could see why.  Big Mac was already known as a stallion of few words.  However, the loss of Granny Smith seemed to have cut what little verbosity he possessed in half.  One word answers seemed to be all anypony could pry out of him anymore, even those closest to him.
Still, Twilight was relieved to see the corners of his mouth turn up in a small smile as Ditzy leaned over and started rubbing her cheek against his shoulder, giving off small, catlike purring noises in the process.  Leaning down, he gently pecked her cheek and exchanged a nuzzle with her.  I guess that, so long as he has Ditzy and Dinky, he'll be all right, thought Twilight.
Dinner was a relatively quiet affair.  Twilight and Applejack chatted over recent events.  Besides continuing to run the library, Twilight was assisting Mayor Mare in coordinating reconstruction efforts and keeping track of the relief supplies for the displaced population.  Progress was being made.  The financial and physical aid being supplied by the Equestrian Government was fairly substantial and most ponies would be able to get back on their hooves once everything was over.  The fact that an influential pony like Fancy Pants was also working to bring in additional money for the effort helped even further.
"Still, Ah'm sorry ya have to go back to Canterlot," said Applejack, "Ah know Fancy Pants is gonna be lookin' out fer ya, but Ah can't help but feel like them nobles'll just wanna gawk at ya like yer some kinda freak on display."
"More like proposition me with 'extra-special' offers concerning additional aid," said Twilight flatly, "But they won't dare try to interfere with me while I'm with Fancy Pants.  Arky will be there too, so everything should be fine."
"The thing that bothers me is what's goin' on with the Cult," said Applejack, "After everythin' they did, the Princess can't be plannin' to let 'em off the hook."
"Celestia's working on it," said Twilight, "The problem is, she's worried about the degree to which the Cult Solar's members have integrated into the local Guards in the areas where they've settled.  She's trying to focus on getting as much done as she can with the Royal Guard alone, but that means she'll have to limit how many places she can hit at once."
"Why doesn't she just let the rest of Equestria know what happened?" asked Ditzy, "I'm sure that if she just made a statement about the Cult's actions, average ponies would start turning against it."
"That's what she did a thousand years ago," said Twilight with a nod, "But things are a little different this time.  It was apparent when the article about Dawn came out and we saw how little of a stir it caused.  Sure, we had a few ponies come to town trying to kill him, but it was way less than what we were expecting.  Whoever is running the Cult Solar appears to have a substantial degree of control over the flow of information to the group's members."
"How so?" asked Ditzy, canting her head.
"Well," said Twilight, "The article about Dawn contained a direct quote from Celestia, denouncing the Cult.  But, in order for that denouncement to stick, ponies have to believe that it really came from Celestia.  I'm willing to bet that the ponies running the show have convinced their followers that anything printed in the newspapers, or any other source for that matter, which disagrees with the Cult's principles to be slander produced at the behest of Princess Luna.  Unfortunately, they've got most of their members so thoroughly wrapped up in the Cult's narrative that only a direct statement from Princess Celestia in pony could possibly hope to break through it.
"And, of course, the problem with that is that Princess Celestia can't be everywhere.  She still needs to run Equestria, so it's not like she can go on an extended tour of Equestria's outlying towns to talk all the cultists down."
"Ah guess Ah can understand that," said Applejack, looking forlornly down at the table, "After all, that's what it took fer me."
Beside her, Red leaned over and gently nuzzled her cheek.
"I think everything is going to be all right," said Twilight, "Princess Celestia has some sort of plan.  She's apparently going to need Spike's help to carry it out, so he'll be serving as something of a communication hub to keep her forces coordinated once they head out."
"Ah sure hope that the little's guy's okay with that," said Applejack, "Ah remember what the poor fella went through that one time with Discord, when the Princess sent all them letters through him at once."
"I think he'll be all right," said Twilight, "He's grown a bit since then and he wants to help with this."
"Do we know when the Princess is gonna start?"
"She couldn't give me a definite time," said Twilight, with a shake of her head, "But I'm sure that it's going to be any day now.  She'll want to strike while the iron is hot."
As Twilight and Applejack chatted more, Red became pensive, thinking back upon the conversations he and Storm Front had had with Arkenstone about the Cult's, or at least its leader's, true objective.  He wondered if that unknown objective had been achieved yet.  I hope there is still time.



In at least one sense, Princess Celestia had already taken action against the Cult Solar.  Barely a day after the battle in Ponyville, the press had learned of what had taken place and word had gone out.  In order to protect certain ponies, some of the information about the incident had been omitted.  However, what the stories did say was that a high-ranking member of the Cult Solar had carried out an attack against Dawn Lightwing, dealing severe damage to Ponyville in the process.
However, even more important than that was what accompanied the reports of the disaster.  Princess Celestia had made an official declaration with her authority as a Princess, declaring the Cult Solar to be an extremist organization and a threat to Equestria.  Two things stood out about this.  Official declarations by the Princess were rare enough on their own, which made this one significant in its own right.  More importantly, this declaration had been made solely by Princess Celestia, something that had not happened since Princess Luna had returned from the moon.  Since Luna's return, the Princesses had always made joint declarations as a demonstration to Equestria that Celestia regarded Luna as her equal and co-sovereign.
As a consequence, disturbed murmurings slowly began to make their way through the Order of Celestial Light's membership as ponies fretted and worried about this new development.  Many of the higher-ranked members were quick to make the same arguments they always had, that the declaration wasn't real, that it was a falsehood printed by the papers to undermine their faith and sow discord between them.  However, even those most wholly devoted to the Order's cause were slowly growing more concerned, as other worrying signs from Canterlot made themselves known.



Meanwhile, in Ponyville, as the latest train of supplies and relief workers pulled in to the station, two ponies who were not part of the workforce slipped out to hide amongst the wrecked buildings of the town.  Dodging townsponies and construction workers, the pair slipped from shadow to shadow, slowly making their way ever closer to a particular house, where a certain fashion designer had taken up residence.
They settled in silently and waited.