//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: A Still More Glorious Dawn Awaits // by CDRW //------------------------------// A Still More Glorious Dawn Awaits Chapter 3 By CDRW Predictions and Prophecies ~ Starswirl The Bearded Two Sisters go forth this day in doom and destiny. The one shall be called Endless and the other Eternal. The one shall be clothed in power and glory. They shall look to her for hope. Her robe shall be sackcloth and they shall see silk. Her feast shall be ashes and they shall taste honey. She shall despair and they shall prosper. The other shall be clothed in beauty and wisdom. Those who would look upon her shall not see her or know to desire her, for she stands in the darkness, the Unseen Shield, protecting all from harm. In her soul lies virtue, but in her heart lies corruption. Their strength is the strength of all ponies and their weakness is the weakness of all ponies. The one without the other is lost, and the other without the one is fallen. They shall look and not see. They shall listen and not hear. Darkness shall fall and with it all pony kind. But though darkness comes and the mists enshroud them, they shall not falter. For in their sin is righteousness and in their despair is hope. Though power and wisdom fail, glory and beauty fade, they are Endless and Eternal and they shall not end, but shall rise once more. The darkness shall wane and the dawn shall come, brighter and more glorious than all that were before. Twilight Comprehension ~ Day 1 "Are you all ready to go Twilight?" Celestia asked as she stepped into the room, interrupting her ponderings about the book she'd found earlier in the library. History of Equestria, a Foal's Guide.. Twilight leaned miserably over the side of the chariot and watched as the ground slid away a thousand feet beneath her. "Ready and waiting Empress! Spike's just gone to get Shining Armor—he's my brother you know—so he can have somepony get the chariot ready. You don't have to worry about a thing. We'll come back with some qualified ponies if we have to scour Tartarus itself to find the right ones for the job!" Could Celestia really have a sister? Empress Celestia smiled pleasantly at her, and any last doubts that Twilight had about leaving faded away. "That's wonderful Twilight. Just be sure you don't overtax yourself. Get plenty of rest and make sure you don't forget your magic exercises in the morning." "Of course I will Empress," Twilight cheerfully lied through her teeth. Normally, she wouldn't even be able to consider lying to her mentor, let alone be able to pull it off, but this particular lie was one she'd been repeating her entire life and practice if nothing else made it roll smoothly off her tongue. She wasn't going to break her tradition of putting off going to bed as long as physically possible just because this was the first time in years that she was spending the night away from the palace. "Twilight," Celestia began, pulling her mind back to the matter at hoof. There was a strange undercurrent in Celestia's voice that she couldn't quite put her hoof on. Something nopony who wasn't familiar with the Empress would have ever noticed. "Are you going..." she trailed off uncharacteristically. Twilight probably imagined it, but for just a moment, something in Celestia's face changed. She wore the same small smile that she always did, but it seemed a little less certain. Her eyes were filled with the same benevolent kindness they always held, but they seemed a little less deep. Then it was gone and Twilight was looking into the face of the Empress Celestia that everypony knew. Endless and unchanging. "Are you going to remember to send me reports of your progress each night Twilight?" Twilight tilted her head quizzically. "Of course Empress." "Wonderful." She smiled at Twilight and then turned to the door. "I look forward to hearing how this trip advances your new studies." Her horn glowed faintly and the door swung quietly open in the hold of her magic. "Wait Empress." Twilight raised hoof imploringly, the words out of her mouth before she thought. The Empress looked back over her shoulder, one eyebrow arched. "Yes?" "Oh um," she looked down at the floor and kicked the carpet with one of her hooves. "I was wondering. Just idle curiosity really. Uh. Do you...do you have any family?" Celestia didn't hesitate. "Of course I do Twilight. I have all of Equestria for my family." And with that she was gone. Nothing. No answer. Had she asked the question wrong? Did Celestia not get it? Was that just a roundabout way of saying no? Or a way of avoiding an answer altogether? Maybe she was trying to tell Twilight that it was a silly question. Why couldn't the Empress ever be straightforward? Something the Empress had said a long time ago popped into her mind, from the time when she'd actually worked up the nerve to ask her just that. "Because then you only have the answer to the question you asked, when the journey to figure it out on your own could have taught you the answers to so many more. My role is simply to point you in the right direction." She sighed again and decided to go over her checklist of stops rather than dwell on it. "Spike. Where's my clipboard." "Right here Twilight." He reached down and pulled it out of the backpack he'd stowed next to him in the chariot. Twilight magicked it out of his claws and started reading the first page. Their first stop was Hoofington. They'd spend the afternoon searching for ponies and then spend the night there. In the morning they'd travel to Cloudsdale, and then go to Ponyville where they'd spend the night. After that, Appleloosa. Then Las Pegasus the next day. And they'd have just enough time to go to Manehatten for a few hours the day after that before they needed to head back to Canterlot and spend the next two days finishing up everything for the Summer Sun Celebration. Twilight nodded. That all seemed right. She flipped the page up and started writing a new checklist on the sheet behind it. "Right, let's set down my itinerary for Hoofington." Rarity Comprehension ~ Day 1 "Ooh, that's good. Yes, very good. A little lower if you could dear." Rarity felt herself melting under the skilled hooves of the new masseuse the spa had picked up. Where in Equestria had they found this mare? It was like Celestia herself was working the knots out of her back. And Goddess knows it would take a pony like Her to make them go away. Her week had been a little stressful so to speak. The spa pony—What was her name?—pressed her hooves hard into the small of her back and worked them in circles to knead out a particularly dense knot. Rarity gasped. It hurt a bit at first, but soon enough that one eased away like all the others. "My, you have a lot of built-up tension Miss Rarity. Is everything alright?" "I'm just swamped with work Sweet Spot." Yes, that was her name! And what an appropriate one too. "Everypony decided to wait until the last second to order their dresses for the Summer Sun Celebration and I have been working non-stop to get them done. I'm run completely ragged!" She would have swooned dramatically, but a pony can't very well do that when she's already lying face down on a massage table. "Two weeks of eighteen hour days will make even the best of ponies get a little tense," she said, her voice bouncing as the masseuse pounded on her back in a staccatto. "I'm almost done though. If I push hard, I might be able to finish them all by the day after tomorrow." "Well I wish you the best Miss Rarity. If you do finish early I'd recommend you take the rest of the time until the Celebration off. This much accumulated stress isn't healthy for a pony." "Yes, you're right. I should do that," she murmured as she pressed her face deeper into the hole in the table while Sweet Spot continued her work. "I really shouldn't be here at all you know," she couldn't help going on. "I should be back at the boutique working, but it's the weekly spa visit for Fluttershy and myself. Dresses or no dresses I can't just miss that. It's our thing. Skipping it would be unthinkable for a lady such as myself." She squeaked as Sweet Spot dug into her spine. "You're tensing up again Miss Rarity." "I'm sorry dear. It's just that I can't imagine why Fluttershy isn't here. She wasn't at home when I went to pick her up, so I thought she must have already come to the spa, but she wasn't here either. It isn't like her to just skip a visit, and with all the work for the Summer Sun Celebration I've been doing, this was the first chance all week I've had to spend any time with her." "Something probably just came up suddenly that she had to take care of." Sweet Spot said in a soothing voice. "I'm sure she wanted to come as much as you." Rarity sighed. "I'm sure you're right. I'm just disappointed that I won't be able to see her again until the celebration. Not unless I do manage to get everything done early." *** All too soon, Rarity's spa visit came to a close and she found herself walking back through the streets of Ponyville, relaxed and trying not to think of the fabric explosion that was sixteen different dresses waiting for her back at the Carousel Boutique. She stopped and watched as bustling groups of ponies walked through the streets, going about their various businesses. It was no Fillydelphia, but for such a small town Ponyville was surprisingly vibrant. She'd made the right decision coming back here. There were so many good ponies here. Rarity turned the corner onto main street. As she was passing the town hall, an older, grey earth pony opened the double doors of the grand (for Ponyville) building. "Rarity!" Mayor Mare cried and hurried excitedly towards her. "Just the mare I wanted to see!" "Miss Mayor, how nice to see you." She smiled and met the mayor halfway, shaking her hoof warmly. "How can I help you? I hope you aren't looking to place an order for the Summer Sun Celebration," she said a tad worriedly. "Because I'm afraid I've stopped accepting commissions for that." "Oh no no no, this is much more important than dresses!" Mayor Mare leaned in uncomfortably close to Rarity's face. "I have just received some mail from Canterlot. By dragon-fire no less! The palace is sending a representative to Ponyville to look for qualified ponies to help work on the Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot, presided over by Celestia herself!" The older mare made a little "squee" noise and pulled away from Rarity's face. She would have been relieved to have her personal space back, but she was too busy taking in what the mayor had just said. Canterlot! Rarity's heart started beating quite a bit faster—Empress Celstia!—and went into adrenaline-fueled overdrive. "A—." She suddenly found herself feeling very warm and she started fanning herself with her hoof. "Are you saying..." "Yes!" Mayor Mare shouted triumphantly. "The representative is arriving tomorrow afternoon, I believe the letter said her name was Twilight Sparkle, and I need you to decorate the town hall so that when she arrives Ponyville makes the best possible impression." She stepped forward and asked breathlessly. "You will do this for us right? Think of how much it would help Ponyville if they chose some of our very own citizens to help oversee the Canterlot Summer Sun Celebration! I will of course, recommend you immediately if they need a pony with your particular talents, and I don't see why they wouldn't need a pony with your particular talents." "Yes!" Rarity blurted out. Wait! Dresses! "I would love to help." Wait, tomorrow? TOMORROW? Rarity trotted up the town hall steps with Mayor Mare, stopping at the door when the grey-maned pony addressed her again. "Thank you so much Rarity. You have no idea how much good this is going to do for Ponyville. Why don't you spend the rest of the afternoon brainstorming and when you get here in the morning we can talk details." Mayor Mare beamed hugely at her and stepped inside, leaving Rarity on the front steps as the rest of Ponyville went on about its business. She just stood there for several minutes, the smile slowly melting off her as the full implications of her promise sunk in. She was going to have to complete all sixteen of those outfits overnight if she was going to do this and go to Canterlot with Twilight Sparkle. The thought that she might not be chosen did occur to her of course, but she immediately squashed it like a bug. She couldn't afford to think like that if she was going to be in her business. Her heart accelerated from adrenaline overdrive straight into 'imminent coronary.' "No, none of that Rarity." She turned and trotted back down the steps to the street. "This is a Very Important Pony arriving from Canterlot. Mayor Mare is right. It's is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get my name out there among the Elite." Twilight Sparkle. That name sounded familiar. Rarity kept track of all the big movers and shakers in Canterlot Society, just a little hobby of hers, but this Twilight wasn't one of them. At least not one of the usual ones. But the name was definitely familiar. She shook her head. That was tomorrow. This was today and she suddenly had an impossible deadline to meet. She picked up her hooves and started walking a little faster, ignoring the little burning feeling that was starting to eat at her stomach. "First thing first," she said to herself. "I need an espresso maker and a forty ounce mug." It was going to be a long night. Good thing the store was on her way home. Applejack Comprehension ~ Day 1 Applejack opened the front door and led Fluttershy inside. Applejack started nudging her towards the kitchen, and though she looked at the earth pony with a confused look, she went in. Applejack motioned for her to take a seat at the large wooden table, which she did without complaint. "First thing's first sugarcube," she said as she walked over to the counter where Applebloom had left the remains of Granny's pie. "We need to get some food in you." "I don't really feel like..." Fluttershy whispered. Applejack stood up on her hind legs and pulled a plate down from the shelf above the counter, setting it next to the pie tin. "Now I know you probably don't feel like eatin' at a time like this, but trust me, it'll make you feel better when you're done. There's nothing that helps a pony get her legs back under her better than puttin' some grub into her belly." "Oh...ok." Applejack opened a drawer and got out a fork, placing it on the plate next to Fluttershy's pie. Then she picked it up in her mouth and took it over to the shrinking mare. "Now eat up," she said gently. "I'll be right back." She watched Fluttershy take her first bite of pie and then walked into the hallway that came off the kitchen. Neither Applebloom nor Granny had been in the living room or kitchen when they came in, so they were probably in their rooms. At the end of the hallway, a bare wooden set of stairs went up to the second floor. She looked up them, and suddenly realized that she was really tired from all the digging she'd been doing that morning. Her legs felt like rubber. She paused a moment, then started up in spite of the tired protesting from her legs. At the top, she went to the first door on the right and, forcing herself not to hesitate, she knocked on Applebloom's door. From the other side came a muffled "Yeah?" "Applebloom, ah need you to go get Granny and wait in the living room. If she's nappin' go ahead and wake her up." Applejack wasn't going to take any shenanigans or dilly dallying from her sister, and her voice reflected it. There was a moment of silence on the other side of the door and then a soft thump followed by little hoofsteps coming to the door. It creaked a little as Applebloom pushed it open and stuck her head out. "What's goin' on?" she asked, looking up at Applejack's serious expression. There was a tradition in the Apple family. If any Apple, no matter how old or young, had something on their mind, they only needed to say one thing and from that point on everything they said would be heard. It was a tradition that went back as far as the Apple family line. It had gotten them through the worst of times and Granny said it was probably the reason there still was an Apple family at all. Her father had said it when Filthy Rich had offered to buy the farm. Granny had said it when she'd gotten the news that their parents had gone missing. And Big Mac had said it when he'd decided to join the reserves. Applejack had only used it once before, when she was a filly and she thought she was being given an unfair share of the chores. "I'm calling a family meetin'." And like magic, Applebloom scampered off to find Granny. Applejack couldn't help but smile sadly. Applebloom might be a hoof-full sometimes. And she might sometimes get caught up in her own head like earlier. But when it really mattered, she could be counted on to serious up and do her part. She was a lot like Macintosh that way. She walked back into the kitchen just as Fluttershy was taking her dishes to the sink and starting to wash them. Applejack strode across the room and put her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder, causing her to jump and almost drop the plate. "You feelin' a little better?" Fluttershy nodded hesitantly and softly said, "Yes...I think." "Good," Applejack said. Feeding a pony did the trick every time. "Don't worry about the dishes. I've called a family meeting, but I think you should go wash up real quick first. You're a mess right now and this'll be hard enough on everyone without them thinking something happened to you too. The bathroom's down the hall. You should get yourself cleaned up real quick-like and then meet the rest of us in the living room." "O-okay." Fluttershy stepped away from the sink and then paused. For a moment, she stood in place with a torn look on her face and one hoof in the air. Just as Applejack was about to ask if something was wrong, she spoke. "Um Applejack?" "What is it honey?" "A-are you alright?" she asked with a fearful look. "I'm fine Fluttershy, now move along." Applejack picked up the plate and began rinsing it off in the sink. Fluttershy didn't go though. She looked like she was going to shrink and vanish into one of the cracks between the floorboards, but she didn't move. "It's just that...I..." Applejack turned the faucet off, put the plate down in the sink and turned around. "What is it Fluttershy?" "You..." There were tears in her eyes again. "D-do you blame me for...this?" Oh dear Celestia. "NO." Fluttershy winced, and Applejack mentally kicked herself. "No Fluttershy," she tried again. "Why in tarnation would I blame you for this?" "W-well it's just that..." She trailed off into something that Applejack couldn't hear. "Say that again?" "Well...I brought the letter, and he's your brother and...you know." She shrunk even further behind her mane. Strangely enough, Applejack did know. She knew exactly what Fluttershy was asking. "Fluttershy," she started speaking, in a tone that brooked no argument. "You're family. It doesn't matter if Macintosh is here or not, you are an Apple now and you'll always be an Apple no matter what happens down the road. You are a special mare and Macintosh was lucky to meet you. You're family. You should know that by now. And I don't want you getting any funny ideas about going back to your own house when we're done here. You're staying the night here. I wouldn't make a stranger spend a night like this alone and you ain't no stranger." Fluttershy looked like she was going to break down again, but Applejack would have none of that. Not now. She gently, but firmly pushed Fluttershy towards the hallway. "Now get on down to the bathroom and clean yourself up. We've still got to tell Granny and Applebloom and they're going to need you to be strong if we're all going to get through this together." Obediently, Fluttershy nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her. For a moment, Applejack's tiredness threatened to overwhelm her, and she just wanted to go up to her bed and take a nap. But she still had a lot to do and this wasn't the time for that sort of thing. She sighed heavily and looked back at the sink. The plate and fork were there, a few crumbs and apple smears still stuck to them. She turned the faucet back on, grabbed the dishrag and started scrubbing, perhaps a little harder than was really necessary. In the background, she heard the shower turn on. How could Fluttershy really not understand that she was a part of the family? After all this time? When she was done with the plate and fork, she grabbed the pie tin, and then the dirty dishes that Applebloom had left behind. After a minute or two, she heard the shower turn off. Another minute later there was a soft knock on the kitchen door. There was a creak as the door opened and she heard Fluttershy's voice. "Um Applejack? I'm all done." Applejack didn't stop scrubbing the last plate or turn around. She just said, "Thank you Fluttershy. Applebloom and Granny are waiting in the living room. I'll be right in." "Okay." And with that Fluttershy was gone. Applejack put the plate away and just stood there, looking down at the empty sink. In the other room, she could hear Applebloom asking Fluttershy what was going on. Fluttershy's response was too soft to hear well, but it sounded like she was telling Applebloom that they needed to wait for Applejack to come in. She leaned up against the counter, trying to use it to support her weight as the tiredness in her legs grew until they felt like they'd turned into tubes full of zap-apple jam. "You can't do this now Applejack," she whispered desperately to herself. "They're waiting for you in there. You've got a job to do." She sank to the floor as her legs quietly and traitorously gave way beneath her. "Not now." Her eyes were starting to go all weird and blurry. "You have until the count of ten to pull yourself together and go in that room. One. Two. Three. Four... Five... Six... Seven. Eight. N-nine..." ... "...Ten."