A Brighter Day
Have you ever woken up feeling completely rested? I mean truly refreshed, like you aren't sure how you never noticed how terrible you actually felt the night before, because that’s all that passed through my head.
My nightmares had been banished, and we had a potential source of information on our foe. There was never a time my body and mind felt that great, and I lazily wondered if I could find a way to bring the bed back with me, even if I had to drag it with my teeth.
The bed I awoke in was a glorious four-poster behemoth with pillows softer than a sack of bunnies and clouds. Even the bed in Soft Down's inn was a bed of nails compared to this pile of win.
I couldn’t stop smiling as I looked around the guest room, taking in the color scheme. It looked like red was the go-to color for nobility and lesser royalty, similar to how purple was on my old world. For once, not a single thought protested me thinking that world was behind me. Sighing with contentment, I nestled back into the pillows.
A few minutes later, a rogue beam of sunlight slipped between the curtains and, of course, poked me in the eye. Rolling over didn’t stop the light for long. Covering my head with a pillow kept it from my eyes, but I could still feel sunlight beating down on me, more distracting than comfortable.
"Dammit, Celestia. Leave me alone, this bed is comfy," I grumbled through my ultimately ineffective pillow shield. The light’s intensity increased and I swore I heard sizzling. I didn't think ponies could get sunburned, but I probably shouldn't tick her off. "Alright, I'm up."
Face met floor as my leg caught the covers. I’d forgotten my leg was still broken.
The last few dregs of sleep were rubbed from my eyes as I yawned and looked around the room. The bed was large and took up most of the floorspace, but they still managed to fit a wardrobe, chest of drawers, and vanity, all of which were made of the same dark, polished wood. Two doorways, a single and a double, led out of the room, and going through one let me freshen up in a ridiculously decadent bathroom. Considering most of what goes on in a bathroom, it was a silly place to have a lot of decoration, but whatever, I don't own a castle.
"Morning, kid." He stretched and groaned with satisfaction as several joints popped. "Damn it feels good to be back out here. Maybe it's just the bed though."
"Yeah, I love that thing."
"Your stuff is over here, next to the bed."
My goggles rested atop a note on an end table. Ignoring the few droplets falling from my recently washed mane, I sat back on the bed and read from the delicate stationary:
Sterling Gears, please come to the Court of Day when you awake. There are some things we need to discuss before you depart Canterlot. –Princess Celestia
Luna's comment about Celestia being the less artistic sister suddenly made much more sense.
"You'd think her hoofwriting would be more legible after however many years."
"Maybe you're holding it upside down? No, wait, guess not. I think you’re just supposed to meet her at the Carp of Day? Wait, that says ‘Court’ doesn’t it?"
After turning several corners, the pastry I’d grabbed was gone, and there was still no clue what path led to the Court of Day. I resolved to ask the next guard, and the directions led back the way I had come and then some.
Two identical guards guarded, as guards do best, the tall double doors standing between me and the Court. The fine-grained wood everywhere else in the castle was here as well, accentuated by gold and silver filigree. A large solar emblem dominated most of the wood. Although relatively simple when compared to the other woodwork, these regal doors stood proudly, welcoming all who sought a royal audience.
"Sorry I'm late. I couldn't find the castle directory. I'm Sterling Gears, Princess Celestia left me a note."
The two pegasus soldiers glanced at me in tandem, nodded, and opened the doors with practiced synchronization. Truth be told, it was a little creepy how closely they mirrored one another. With a second gentle creak, the door closed behind me, leaving just me and a pristine white alicorn, who “innocently” whistled as soon as she saw me.
The room was almost spartan: there were no elaborate decorations or fountains, just a checkered marble floor, the carpeting, and unlit candelabras. Sunlight streamed through stained-glass murals, but it was slightly disappointing to see these were just extravagant, colored windows. The ones with all the events must have been elsewhere. If not, I was going to start flipping tables. I’d probably get kicked out of the dining room, but it’d be worth it.
"A knock on the door would have been a much nicer way to wake up." A respectful distance from her, I stopped—or at least I assumed it was respectful. For all I knew, I was supposed to stay back at the door, and all that stood between me and being piledrived was the current absence of guards. "You didn't have to nearly light my ass on fire."
"I haven't the faintest idea of which you speak." Her grin and amused tone spoke differently. "I trust you slept well?"
"First half was a little rough, but it ended well enough."
"There's something I don't like about her. I keep thinking about all these 'careful what you wish for' stories." Dave frowned and took a step back. "Watch your step."
Celestia chuckled and beckoned me closer. "Come forth, there is no need to speak from such a distance. I was unable to meet you elsewhere—have to listen to the nobles sometime, you see—but as you can see, it is just you and I. Thank you for keeping my sister safe."
Moving to the edge of the dais, I snorted. "Keep Luna safe? I barely had to do anything. She's a great shot."
"Hell yeah she is. I don't regret giving her that gun at all. Well, maybe a little at the beginning." He smirked as he motioned towards the leg she had injured.
"You let no harm come to her, and that is all I ever ask. I discussed some of what transpired with her, but it was a very brief chat considering all that occurred. She mentioned an explosive device used to level a large building. Would you care to elaborate?"
"I don't know if we levelled it, since we didn't really check how much damage it did. I showed Luna how to make it, though, so if you guys ever need to blow something up she can also take care of it. If you can find the materials, that is."
"I see. What are you planning on doing with your knowledge of destructive implements?"
"Not sharing it to the public, that's for sure. I'll tell you what I know when the information actually comes to mind, but I don't have any intent to start a bombmaking course."
"I dislike censoring information from my little ponies, but what you know can easily be mishandled. I'm glad you were already planning on keeping it private, as that's one less thing I must demand."
"What are the others?"
A small folder floated from behind her throne, gently hovering in front of me as it opened and displayed the pages within. "These are your identification papers, everything here marks you as a citizen of the Kingdom of Equestria. These will be filed away, but copies will be sent once you have an address.
Celestia gave me a few minutes to gleefully bounce around like an idiot. "It is your secret to tell, but I strongly suggest you entrust it to as few as possible." The high from the documents had yet to fade, and what she wanted was already expected. "I trust I do not need tell you that as a citizen of Equestria, you fall under its laws and will not endanger its occupants without consequences."
"Of course. Don't worry, I don't play around when it comes to safely using explosives."
"Sure you do. Just not others' safeties."
"I would be a terrible regent if I did not worry. Now, I assume you will be returning to Ponyville, so I sent word ahead to Twilight Sparkle to prepare a reading list for you." That wouldn’t be good. "Yes, it will probably be as much, if not more, than you expect. She will help get you up to speed, and in return all I ask is for you to continue sharing your knowledge through her."
"As if she'd let me hide it from her anyway." I smirked.
"Yes, I doubt that would end well." She looked out a window and frowned. "It seems we have run out of time, as I do have further appointments today. Are there any questions you need answered before you go?"
"Yeah, how do we guarantee a straight answer out of you?"
"Where can I find an inferno crystal? I'm trying to start thaumite production, and that's all Fido needs to smelt wolf’s ore, I think."
"I will have one sent to the chariot." She scratched some information onto a scroll and sent it off with a puff of magic.
"Really? No epic fetch quest? No searching some distant, dangerous temple full of traps?" The lack of a grand adventure was upsetting.
Celestia tittered and waved me off. "Of course not. They're uncommon, but hardly rare. Consider it a donation to the sciences."
"That's it? No catch?" He scrutinized her poker face for any hint of deceit and failed.
"I'm not one to look a gift princess in the mouth. Thanks, Celestia."
"You are welcome. Now go, you have a life to enjoy." She smiled again, and the exit opened with a gentle tug of her magic.
"Don't mind if I do. Tell Luna I said bye and thanks as well." My injured leg felt weird—I spun around to catch a glimpse of Celestia winking before the doors shut entirely. I hadn’t even noticed until just then. She was good.
"Would have been nice to get that done earlier. At least Luna had the excuse of being tired from dragging your ass into the dreams."
A well-dressed unicorn called my name and motioned for me to follow. "Right this way, ma'am. Princess Celestia had transportation prepared to return you to Ponyville."
My attempts at striking a conversation crashed and burned—apparently this stallion's special talent was despising small talk. He was either a high-end servant or a mid-rank noble. On the plus side, his disdain wasn't directed towards me specifically. He just had a prickly personality.
Mentioning my excitement over a chariot ride, I learned railroad travel had been suspended until further notice. I’d almost forgotten there was still trouble out there. When we reached an open ledge where two pegasi waited with my chariot, he nodded and left without another word.
One of the guards was much more amiable, and gladly conversed with me during the flight. She, who introduced herself as Raindance, chuckled as she motioned to the other guard and described him as “hilariously shy around mares not disguised by Royal Guard armor.”
Finding it hilarious, I proceeded to tell him every one of Vinyl’s lewd jokes I could remember. Raindance eventually had to silence me because she didn't want to lock up from the laughter and drop out of the sky. Wind Watch—a.k.a Private Bashful— proved the armor's glamour did nothing to prevent or hide blushes.
The ride was something that wouldn’t be forgotten soon. Untamed land sped by below us, and the only major sign of civilization was the dark line of railroad tracks. It was exhilarating to feel the wind on my face and in my mane.
They gracefully landed in front of the Golden Oaks Library. I grabbed the small canvas pack containing the inferno crystal, waved goodbye as the guards departed, and was promptly tackled by Princess Twilight Sparkle.
"What was it like? I need to know everything you saw and did, and if you can remember it, everything Princess Luna did to send you there. What kind of circle did she use? I bet it was Starswirl's Mnemonic Binding, right?" Our muzzles were inches apart, and she was staring at me like she would stare at a first-edition encyclopedia set.
"I think you need an adult."
When the world came back into focus, there was an alicorn standing over me. "And I thought Pinkie was the excitable one."
"What—oh, heh." Twilight helped me up. "I guess I did get a little carried away. You're the first pony other than Princess Luna to traverse the realm of dreams! Did you take any notes?"
"How would I have brought them with me?"
"A valid point. I bet it would be possible to carry over inanimate objects with an appropriate..." Her voice became an incoherent mumbling as she trotted back into her home, the door closing shut behind her. The door opened again just as I’d turned to leave. "Wait! Sorry, come on in. The princesses gave me a list of books to lend to you."
"She's a bit more absent-minded than I remember."
The library was more of a mess than usual, and Spike was tiredly running all over the place in a vain attempt to eliminate the clutter. He caught my expression of pity and slowly nodded while glaring at the alicorn.
"Are you alright, Twilight? You look—" Would it be better to break it to her nicely or just be honest? Eh, whatever, somebody had to say it. "—completely insane in the membrane."
As she opened her mouth, I pointed at the disastrous library and her frantic assistant. Her ears fell back and she frowned. "I can't help it. Thirty ponies are missing, Gears. Thirty! And I can't find any way to track them down or stop it from happening again. They have to be somewhere, right?"
"Frazzled mane, bloodshot eyes, dark bags under her eyes." It wasn’t hard to figure out what Dave was getting at.
"You didn't sleep much last night, did you?"
"No she didn't," Spike called as he hastily swept the stairs.
"I slept a few hours, had a weird dream. I-I'll be fine." She looked away from me and sighed. "I'm just so worried. What kind of princess can't keep other ponies safe?"
"One that exists. Go get some sleep or I'm going to find Zecora and ask her to help me make a tranq-dart." I gave her a friendly push and she almost toppled. "Look, you're barely standing."
"I do believe this pony is correct, though I prefer a method less direct." Turns out a pile of books can hide a zebra until she pokes her head around the side. "To exhaust yourself like this is unwise, go to bed, please, and close your eyes."
The zebra’s appearance made me jump. The two opaque phials hanging from her bag clinked together as she walked towards us. As she drew closer, there was the pleasant smell of dried herbs, a scent that lent her an air of enigmatic wisdom.
"Hey, it's the zebra from the racism episode." There were some odd looks as I tried to kick him in the shin. It couldn't actually hurt him, but he still got the message.
"Just working out a kink from the ride back. At least I won't have to look for too long. What are you doing here?"
"The forest is less safe than usual these nights, and this princess asked for my assistance against these wights. So I am here, for now, until the danger has passed, then I will return to the comfort of my forest home at last."
"I'm going to hug you now." Was all the warning Zecora had before I glomped her, carefully, so as to not disturb the mixtures she carried. Surprise, confusion, and amusement fought for control of her face, and I was back across the room before she shrugged and pretended it never happened. "So, Twilight, how bout 'dem books."
The fledgling alicorn mouthed an apology to Zecora as she led me to a stack of thick books that wobbled back and forth. "I took your unique situation into account when I selected these, so hopefully they don't seem to bizarre." Her voice was quiet enough neither Zecora nor Spike had a chance of hearing.
"From Filly to Mare: What You Need to Know About Growing Up." Dave was literally rolling on the floor, laughing.
Twilight blushed and looked away. "Yes, well, I did say unique situation."
"You could always tell me instead of giving a book on it."
"S-sorry, I really shouldn't."
"Relax, Twilight, I'm just messing with you. Like I'd ask royalty to give me the talk about the birds and the bees." It wasn’t my fault she made it way too easy. "Here's a fair warning, though. If you have a test planned for that book, I will do my best to make you blush on every question."
"I think we can skip that test then."
"Awesome, I'll get started tomorrow." I wasn’t really looking forward to a particular book though.”
"Tomorrow? What's stopping you from starting now or when you get home?"
"Don't really have a home, yet, I'll just pass out in the caves." Twilight winced. "It's safe there, and I don't want to risk being outside after dark, even after everything Luna and I did. As for starting right now, you're going to bed soon, whether you like it or not, and I'm not going to risk waking you up. That reminds me. Hey, Spike!" He dashed to us and teetered back and forth, his eyes barely open. "Get Twilight some tea you think will relax her the most." I looked at the dragon-shaped cloud of dust he left behind. He must have liked that idea.
"Alright, fine. I guess a little nap does sound wonderful. You better be back here bright and early tomorrow. You have a lot to learn."
"Good enough for me, later Twilight. See ya, Spike!" A groggy “later, dude” was his reply.
Twilight Sparkle sighed in defeat as she slumped into a seat. "I must be tired if I'm letting you of all ponies convince me."
"She's right, you know."
I made sure to say goodbye to Zecora as well on my way out and made a mental note to ask her later about brewing potions, because how could that not be fun?
Ah, early afternoon Ponyville. The smallest hint of dread was the only thing out of place as I began my trek to the gem hills, and even then, it was barely noticeable behind the bright scenery. Other than that, it was just like a normal day. So peaceful. So quaint. So utterly boring I found the idea of watching paint dry to be more exciting.
Sure, there's joy to be found from basking in warm sunshine or feeling the cool breeze rustle your coat ever so slightly, but those were things for normal ponies to enjoy. For me, a calm day just creates tension while waiting for things to go south.
"You could relax just a little." He'd been chatting ever since we left the library, but he was understanding of my reluctance to reply. Still, I managed to ease up a little bit, prompting a small smile from him.
When we finally got out of town, was able to speak. "So, how was it last night after we finished?"
"Peaceful. It was just really nice to be done with that mess. I wonder what info Luna will beat out of that beastie."
"I don't envy it, that's for sure. Still freaks me out though."
Dave nodded. "Same here. We've seen some messed up shit, and that's pretty high on the insane-o-meter. Nothing we can do until Luna contacts us about it, and you better believe she will. We're the most experienced at dealing with it, as sad as that is."
The chat continued back and forth, smoothly flowing from one subject to another. It felt good to actually consider Dave as a friend, although realizing how long it had taken made me feel a bit crummy.
More of the path was committed to memory with each trip. Everything had a feeling of familiarity around it as we walked, until a crude building shattered it.
It was fairly large, about the size of a one-floor ranch house, and built from barely shaped stones stuck together with poorly mixed mortar. No glass occupied the windows. Instead, they had a simple cloth curtain hanging over two wooden crossbars. There were three distinct sections, but the lumpiness made it hard to be certain. A parched, thatched roof sat on top of everything, conforming to the odd shape like loose wrapping paper. The only entrance was also the most well-built part of the dwelling: a sturdy iron doorframe around a thick, plain door. No light shone from inside.
"What?" Dave shrugged. I could have sworn he was grinning, but nothing looked out of place whenever I looked at him.
"Let's see who's home. I'm sure they'll explain why they built it."
No answer came when I knocked, but the slightly ajar door opened further at my touch. There were vague shapes in the darkness beyond, and only the lack of voices kept me from running. There were a few faint glows, but they revealed nothing. Suddenly, the lights were uncovered.
It turned out nearly a score of diamond dogs shouting "Surprise!" was frightening, and I would have sprinted back to Ponyville if it weren't for the beaming pony, party supplies, and giant banner displaying "Welcome Home, Beta!" Dave stepped in and to the side and gave Pinkie a thumbs up.
A grin split my face as everything clicked. This wasn't just any ramshackle hut that smelled of dirt and dogs. It was my ramshackle hut that smelled of dirt and dogs… and it was perfect.
Those creatures were still out there, but we could afford a night spent partying.
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UPDATE!!
Personally, I am surprised that Celestia wasn't standing beside sterling's bed and answered to that.
ps. when did you change the description? or was it always this way?
WOO! ALRIGHT!!! YEEEAAA!!!! SO AWESOME!!!
*Gets weird looks from everyone*
I mean... It was good...
3065125
Either last night or the night before that. Just felt it needed to be changed up a bit.
:D
Remember to not touch the stained glass. At may be nigh invulnerable and rediclulously smudge resistant, but that stuff is stained glass in fancy patterns, so no touchy.
If it had actually been Pinkie, of course, then any question beginning with "Pinkie Pie, why..." would have been doomed to futility.
3065161 ...Nice emulation of Snowflake. ...Or is it Roid Rage? ...Hmn...The white Pegasus with the ridiculously huge muscles and relatively tiny muscled wings.
Good grammar.
3078918
Bits. It's a prostitution joke.
3065161 Professionally?
"No light shone from inside."
Finally ! Someone who understands the correct use of irregular verbs.
Oh, happy day !
3065464 This is now my favourite comment.
And now I am as well!
5120384 Wat? Please, explain.
Zecora is best pony
aaand
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