//------------------------------// // Friends Forever VI: Meaningful Gifts // Story: Friends Forever // by Snow //------------------------------// There are orphanages that are sadly underfunded, overcrowded and meager in their means and appearances; institutions in which unwanted children are housed until mercy is shown upon them or they grow enough to leave on their own life's journeys; sad places that happy families do not often consider, or dwell upon, for fear of an orphans fate becoming their own, or that of their child. ...This... was not one of those orphanages. The walls were colored brightly with playful designs on wallpaper that looked new, the air comfortable with no drafts to be found, and plentiful toys were stacked neatly where they belonged. There were foals of all sorts and races playing games with one another, or practicing a weak grasp on magic by stacking blocks. By the looks on their faces, they were happy enough, a few colts and fillies singing a nursery rhyme while jumping rope. Suffice to say that Twilight was rather pleasantly surprised by the sights and sounds around her even as her eyes scanned the various ponies for Sun Dew. She did notice that only a few of the dreamed ponies had any real definition beyond a cursory glance, though. Many older ones lacked a cutiemark, and their motions were somewhat repetitive. Only a small number of younger ponies had details such as cutiemarks, or individual hairs, whereas the rest were merely smooth, nearly cartoonish figures of color. 'They must be ponies she actually knows.' Twilight thought to herself, but as she looked about the room she couldn't spot the filly in question until she had turned almost a full circle. There, in one corner doodling on a piece of paper was Sun Dew. She sat by herself, but frequently glanced over at the group of ponies that Twilight figured were her friends. Normally, the purple mare would have approached quietly and watched, waiting until she was noticed, so as not to interrupt the activity, and she started to do just that, but Sun Dew noticed her immediately upon looking up, and some of the other ponies began fading from the dream, the Alicorns presence startling the small Pegasus. "Oh! Um, hello there." Twilight ventured, closing the distance at a sedate walk, carefully watching the small Pegasus. No answer came, however, just a pair of large green eyes looking back at her, a curious look on the filly's face. She didn't shrink away at the approach, nor did she make any move toward the new face. It seemed that she was fairly used to strange ponies visiting. Still, Twilight stopped a short distance away, and despite being several centuries old, she still hesitated. Making good impressions with new ponies never was her strong suit, after all. Her proximity did let her see the drawing, though. It wasn't particularly detailed, and the exact image seemed to shift with the dream, but the focus appeared to be several ponies with older ones present, and that made Twilight somewhat curious, and gave her something to hopefully start a conversation with. "That's a nice drawing. Are they your friends?" Twilight put on her best smile, her face and eyes soft, and the mare positively glowing gentleness (a far cry from a few other 'smiles' in her lifetime). For her effort, she received a small smile in return, and a slight nod, those green eyes still peering up at her. "Um..." Twilight reached for something to say; the silence was a little awkward for her. "Who's that with them...?" The question was both born of curiosity, and an attempt to encourage the girl to talk. For her effort, the filly turned and looked up at a Monday-Sunday calendar on the wall, with events written on it. On Saturday was marked 'Adoption Day'. "Oh... So, those are their new parents?" Nod. "...Aren't you... hoping for somepony to be yours, too?" The question was a bit more probing, but the filly didn't seem bothered by it. In fact, it seemed to Twilight almost like the filly was trying to seem... distant. As for the response, Sun Dew tilted her head ever so slightly for a long moment, and then rolled her shoulders in a shrug before nodding. 'Translation: I guess..?' Twilight's thoughts were the only words she had for company, and she started to become more and more sure that the filly just didn't want to talk. She could keep fishing for a topic to talk about, anything really, but something told her she would receive much the same responses. "...Alright then..." The Alicorn decided aloud, receiving an ear-flick from the filly. Twilight couldn't force her to talk, and though she certainly wanted to see Rarity, she figured that maybe a discussion in the waking world would go over better. Therefore, as she turned and began to walk away, Twilight said, "It... was nice meeting you Sun Dew. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable." Just before Twilight began working the waking spell, however, a small voice, sweet and very soft, almost inaudible, stopped her with a single word. "Wait." Surprise, more than anything else, stopped Twilight at first, making the tall mare blink a few times, sorting out whether she had actually heard anything. That was soon answered as a light touch on her hind leg registered. She turned, surprise still evident on her face, to see the young Pegasus, looking up at her again with those green eyes wide. The filly stared at Twilight a moment longer, then looked over at the group of ponies who still seemed to be playing, her gaze lingering there, then looking back up at the lavender mare, face questioning. It took her a moment to understand the question being asked, but Twilight shook her head in response. "No, I just came for you Sun Dew, though I'm sure your friends will be adopted in no time." A pregnant moment followed as the other ponies in the room faded from the dream one by one, until the two were left alone. Those emerald-green eyes never fell nor lifted as the small pony watched the Alicorn- who at this point was feeling a tad more uncomfortable than before. "This isn't like my normal dreams." Sun Dew's voice came again, still quiet, perhaps out of habit, and was neither a question nor a dismissal. A simple statement of fact, "After they talked to me, grownups would go over and take my friends to their new homes. I make them happy, even if they don't know it." Twilight could have expected any number of things from this quiet little artist; shyness, shock, disbelief, even fear. What she got, however, was calm, reasonable ('Or maybe "logical' would be a better word...'), and a little more analytical than she expected from a foal Sun Dew's age. "You knew my name, too." The words stirred Twilight from her thoughts, and surprise, the little Pegasus going on, and canting her head to one side at this, suggesting it was meant to be a question as well. "Um...” The lavender mare stated, oh-so-eloquently, her head leaning back a bit and a hoof rose. It wasn't that Sun Dew bothered her as a pony, but the personality was such she'd expect it with a mare, or at least an older foal than this. Come to think of it, was she like this as a foal? "Um..." Twilight tried again a moment later, before setting her hoof down and taking a deep breath, then letting it out. "Well, I guess there's no point beating around the bush is there? My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I know your name because you're actually at the palace right now. I'm visiting you in your dreams because..." Saying it out loud like this made her feel kind of like some kind of ghoul, visiting ponies in their sleep to try and resurrect her long gone friends. It must have shown on her face, because Sun Dew's head was canted to the other side when Twilight emerged from her thoughts, and the princess took the time to study the filly's expression. At first she had thought it almost disturbingly neutral, but the little cream-colored Pegasus' breathing was a bit too fast and her eyes a little too large, pupils dilated. It wasn't fear, exactly, but a mix between hope and trepidation. "...Because you are a very special pony." Twilight continued, and in her heart she knew she was speaking the truth, not just sugar-coated words. "You see Sun Dew, a long time ago I had a dear friend named Rarity who was kinda like you; she always offered up anything she had to those needed something more than her, and even a few occasions where she'd give something she needed away she needed..." The Alicorn descended onto her belly, to put herself on level with the green-eyed gaze directed onto her. She talked about Rarity's generosity, making her friends gala dresses even before her own, about how another of her friends became a model; something Rarity envied a great deal, but encouraged and helped maintain because she was truly, in her heart, happy for her friend, and wanted their happiness more than her own. She of course told the filly that everything worked out, but she talked, openly and fondly, answering a question or two, and soon Sun Dew was lying down, listening too. "...and you share a very special connection with Rarity. You, in your heart, are as generous as she was. I just met you and I can already tell that. That special connection would let me see her again, but you have to be asleep to do it. And... if you wanted to.... you could help me have her back." The smooth and confident voice the princess had adopted for story telling cracked at that, but she tried to hold a smile. A moment passed, Sun Dew looking into Twilight's eyes for a long moment. Her expression had softened a bit as she relaxed. She had listened without a word outside an occasional question , such as for clarification or to ask what happened next. Then, after making sure the story was done, she nodded. "Alright." "You- You don't have to Sun Dew." Twilight was a little taken aback at how readily the filly agreed. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to, and I don't want you to if you're afraid or-" "It's alright. I want to." The cream Pegasus didn't speak any louder, but there was conviction in her tone, and she even let a small smile touch her features. "...Sun Dew..." Twilight felt a smile tugging at her lips. 'Generosity. Right.' "I want you to know... No matter what happens or what you decide, you're still a very special pony, and... I also want you to know that when you wake up there'll be the offer for a new home for you at the palace. With me I mean." The smile turned a little unsure. Even after a thousand years, this just wasn't a situation with which one can become familiar. Being visited by an Alicorn in her dreams? No problem. The idea of bringing back a thousand-year-dead mare? Alright, if it'd make her new friend happy. Being told that she'd have a new home- a new mother- if she wanted one? Altruism or no, that was enough to shatter the overly mature facade, and in a moment of deja vu, there was suddenly an excited foal prancing around Twilight, a very excited voice going "YesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesYES!" With a laugh, Twilight interrupted a view into her own foalhood by trapping Sun Dew under one wing and hugging her to her side, before standing up and looking at her. "Alright, knowing that, do you still feel comfortable?" There was an excited nod; the subdued filly had taken a vacation and in her place was a jubilant foal, seeming excited even then, and it was with that jubilation, that warmth, the joy, and hope that Twilight reached within and touched on the old ember of her friendship, which had begun fanning into a healthy flame once again. So it was with that warmth and light that Twilight's crown lit, bathing the dream in a brilliant glow, only part of which had to do with actual light, and when Twilight's eyes opened again, she found herself with two white forelegs around her neck and a familiar purple mane tickling her nose. "Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you thank you." The cultured tones of Rarity’s voice were alone enough to bring tears of joy to Twilight's eyes, even though she knew what to expect. "Thank you, darling. I'm so proud of you, and I'm so so grateful. You have been positively wonderful, and I daresay you've gotten absolutely stunning with your sewing, if I do say so myself." The hug was broken as Rarity settled onto all fours again, her crystalline blue eyes meeting Twilight's lavender ones, sharing emotions, and tears. During this exchange, the aquamarine-maned filly looked between Twilight, and Rarity with curiosity and interest, though remained respectfully silent... even if she had wiggled her way beneath one of Twilight's wings again during the conversation. "Rarity..." Twilight finally found her voice, "I just wanted to keep my promises. To keep you all close and in my life for as long as I could. I never expected to get to see you, any of you, again. I did my very best to-" "Twilight dear," Rarity interjected, holding up a hoof. "You did wonderfully. I thought I was being very clear. I know what you did for me, for all of us, and I couldn't be happier with you, or prouder of you as a friend. Or as a pony for that matter! Why, I was telling Sweetie Belle just awhile ago how lucky we were to have you in our lives for as long as we did, and there's not a day that's gone by that we haven't thought of you, too." Rarity held Twilight's gaze, an understanding and warm smile on her muzzle, before breaking it and looking to the cream filly that had been content to fade into the background, as was her wont. "And who might you be dear? Well the new bearer of my own element of course but as much as that tells me of your character, why don't we get to know one another a bit better? Oh and those wings are simply gorgeous!" Sun Dew had emerged from Twilight's side upon being addressed, and shuffled the very same wings being praised by the alabaster mare, unfolding one a bit hesitantly. The feathers, much like her fur, were a shade of cream; yellow and nearly white, but her contour feathers (those feathers providing shape and more warmth than actual support in flight) were a darker shade of yellow, bordering on golden. "Oh yes those are positively divine. But I'm sure we have plenty to talk about beyond that. My name is Rarity, a pleasure to meet you." "...I'm Sun Dew." replied the filly, unused to being lavished in so much attention, and still out of her shell because of Twilight's offer. In fact, her resemblance to another Pegasus had Rarity beaming, and Twilight shaking her head with a similar smile. 'I should leave these two to it, I still have a certain pink typhoon to say hello to after a thousand years, and I need to get some restful sleep soon myself!' The words played through Twilight's mind, but Rarity, glancing at her during the inner monologue, broke off from describing her special talent as if she had read the mind of the Alicorn. "Now Twilight, don't you even think about leaving without a word." Another hug startled the twilit mare as well, more-so because she found herself nuzzling back, a long elegant foreleg curling around her friend. "Now Twilight Sparkle, no matter what happens we'll always be your friends, and not just because of what you've done for us. We all love you to pieces Twilight, and we've each lead the happiest lives, and happiest afterlives we could have imagined thanks in no short part to you." Rarity held Twilight another long moment, before returning to Sun Dew. "Now dear, I believe Pinkie was about to bounce a hole through the ground when I left, and there's no telling what she'll do if she gets too excited." It wasn't a dismissal so much as an offer for Twilight to continue, one which the Alicorn took with a grateful smile, and bow of her head, but not before looking to the filly. "Sun Dew, remember what I said. Don't do anything you don't want to or feel comfortable with, and Rarity, she's a smart filly, make sure she understands what's happening OK?" Sun Dew smiled, and smiled wide to Twilight but didn't actually respond, she just let the warmth in her eyes speak for her. Rarity, however, was much more vocal, as always. "Of course dear, I wouldn't dream of anything less. Now off you go." With one more look at her friend; knowing that even though Sun Dew had a good heart and wanted to help, it didn't mean that she'd have Rarity back; Twilight lit her horn with a soft whisper of magic, and found herself stirring awake to... humming? Princess Celestia of the dawn sat by her sister, humming a familiar little jingle, the words long forgotten, but it was pleasant enough to wake to. The radiant light of the morning sun filtered in through one window, igniting white fur in a glow that only partially had to do with the physical world; it was as if Celestia's own warmth and love radiated out from her just as the sun's spread from its heart. It was a sight which Twilight had become familiar with, and yet through all her years it never failed to make her reflect on how blessed she was to share such a close bond with her, and Luna as well. Luna, on that note, was sipping another cup of tea, and helping Celestia with her scroll-work while she maintained the spell… Or at least she had been before Twilight woke with a wiggle and yawn. "Good morning Celestia, Luna." "And to you my dearest student." Celestia responded, rather wryly. It was a ritual they shared since the early days of Twilight's youth, harkening back to her first lesson, in which she was deathly afraid about proper protocol of greeting the Princess in the morning, worrying that perhaps suggesting it was a good morning indicating there were bad ones, or other worries that seemed nonsense to think about now. Likely this was why the ritual had prevailed for so long. "Mm. Good morning Twilight. The papers you requested are waiting for you in your bedroom, whenever you're ready to deal with them either way." Luna sounded tired. Even if she didn't actually require sleep, it certainly helped, and the mane of stars and moonlight reflected that, drooping listlessly across the Alicorn's back. "Papers?" Celestia asked with a brow quirked as she smiled and draped a wing over Luna. "Why Twilight, I thought you hated the tedium of scroll work." "Um... hehe. Well Tia... It... turns out that Sun Dew here is an orphan... and a very special pony as well. I... I'm going to adopt her, whether she ends up Rarity, herself, or anypony in between. And... on that note we need to talk. A guiding hoof for our subjects has lead ponies to be far happier than not, and peace that's stretched for centuries... but I worry that it might not be enough." Celestia, in turn, canted her head to one side, considering Twilight's words, and then bowed her head in acknowledgement. "Of course Twilight, we can talk about anything you want, and I must say I'm proud of you for your decision." After the exchange, Twilight looked over to Sun Dew's sleeping form and saw there... no necklace. "Oh..." Disappointment weighed heavily on Twilight's mind, but the pillars of the other elements, shining in the morning light around the necks of their new bearers gave her the strength to keep smiling, as did the knowledge that either way, she was gaining a wonderful new friend.. or perhaps 'daughter' would be more accurate. Now there was a thought that would take some getting used to. Still, she had one more pony to- Wait. Wait wait wait. "Buh." Twilight realized something that had been poking her in the back of her mind from the moment she learned which of the two remaining ponies was the new Generosity. "That..." Celestia and Luna couldn't help but smile, looking to each other curiously, amused by Twilight's reaction, then looked back. "That's a unicorn." Twilight's voice came, finally. Her wings had unfurled uneasily and she found herself standing up and back, away from the sleeping pony; a cheerful red filly in her early teenage years, with a golden-yellow mane tied back in a ponytail, with the cutiemark of six confetti streamers. Luna, drawn from her fatigue by the odd reaction, tilted her head. "Yes that is generally a given, what with the horn and all." Humor flavored her voice. "But-- That's a unicorn. The new element of Laughter is a UNICORN." Twilight announced, exasperated, and staring at Celestia and Luna. "....And?" Celestia ventured, her smile turned into a look of mild concerned. "Celestia... don't you remember who that is? That's Pinkie Pie. Pinkamena Diane Pie. Could end up. With magic. Don't you remember what she used to do without magic?" Now that gave both Luna and Celestia pause, looking at one another in concern, then back at Twilight in unison. "Oh my." Pinkie Pie... or a pony that might end up very much like her. A unicorn. Well, Equestria had handled worse.... Right? "...A unicorn!" To Be Continued in Part VII: Warming Laughter.