MLP: Against the Darkest Night

by Memphiston

Chapter Two: Insight All Around

Chapter Two:
Insight All Around

Twilight’s room echoed with the taps of hammer as she used one to mash the nails into the wall. Purple and white aura glowed around the tool, some nails, and the shelf she had just bought. Spike was under the table, retrieving the books he had stashed beneath. Clumsily he tried to collect them all in one stack and walk them over to Twilight, only to have them topple over right in front of her. The unicorn rolled her eyes in slight annoyance as she used one of her hooves to stack up the books into an orderly fashion. Simultaneously, the last nail was hammered into the wall, and the shelf seemed to fly over on its own, setting itself on top of the peg’s bulkheads. Twilight then turned her magic to the books, carrying each one up to the space on the shelf and placing it in her own little specific order. Soon enough the eight volumes were packed snug together between two wooden holds.

“Perfect. Everything’s picture perfect now.” Twilight reveled, gazing upon the neatness of her house. Everything was where it was supposed to be, no books stashed in hidden crannies, no instruments away from the drawer, container or shelf that they belonged. Twilight’s summer cleaning was finished.

“You know, isn’t there only supposed to be a spring cleaning Twilight? I mean, for you it’s every single season.” Spike complained, leaning on a nearby wall. Twilight merely shrugged.

“I like to keep tidy, so what?” Spike raised his eyebrow in disbelief.

“Tidy? This is like obsessive super mega clean. Last time I saw a single spot on the floor was when we first move-”

BANG! A sudden quake shook the entire house for a few seconds, the source of it coming from the roof. Several objects toppled out of their place, either landing on the floor, or crashing into whatever lay below them. Twilight’s reaction, a facehoof accompanied by a groan. Spike looked up to the ceiling, then back at the annoyed unicorn.

“…Twitchy tail?” Spike referenced Pinkie Pie’s Pinkie Sense fiasco. From what he remembered, “Twitchy Tail” meant something was going to fall from the sky. Twilight swiftly moved to set everything back into place, not even caring to notice that one of her ceiling windows opened up, on its own. The tapping of the window against the wall is what grabbed her attention. She quickly swerved back around, before mimicking the wide-eyed gaze that had spread across Spike’s face moments before.

A familiar set of pearl white hooves, decorated with majestic golden coverings. Following was the large, unmistakable sun cutie mark, a pair of beautiful, feathery wings, and finally the stunning, transparent, flowing rainbow mane, owned by only one, single pony. Landing before Spike and Twilight was the ever so regal, yet humble, Princess Celestia, head bent a bit down so she could fit through the window.

“Princess Celestia!?” Both of them murmured. Twilight and Spike both kneeled in acknowledgement, before Celestia bought her hoof up, signaling them to stand. The messiness of the room dissolved from Twilight’s mind, replaced with wonder as to why Celestia had come. But it suddenly shot back into her thoughts: How could she have her home looking so disorderly in presence of Equestria’s ruler! She scurried to put everything that knocked over back up right again, but was stopped by the tall white mare.

“Oh Relax, Twilight. Don’t worry about that mess, it can wait.” Twilight looked back, and then nodded in compliance, ceasing her magic and returning to face her mentor. The princess slowly walked over to her. “I just came by to hear your report on everyone’s progress for the celebration. I didn’t want you to have to come all the way to Canterlot since Spike’s burping side effect would probably interfere with sending reports.” Spike sort of had to nod in agreement. There was no telling what his belches would do to the scrolls. “I trust that everything is in order?” Twilight shook her head vigorously.

“I checked on everyone, and everything is going flawlessly. Rainbow Dash and her cloud control group cleaned up the skies with time to spare. She told me they’re just waiting to intercept a rogue storm cloud. Pinkie asked Rarity to design a second set of decorations since she and the Cutie Mark Crusaders finished putting up the ones she already made. She kind of overworked herself making a whole second layer for the whole town. Heh, we sort of had to stop her ourselves.” Celestia chuckled at the comment.

“…And what about Applejack and Fluttershy?” The alicorn asked. Twilight’s thoughts returned to the problems both of her friends had expressed to her, with Applejack’s “lack of variety” and Fluttershy’s blossoming relationship. Twilight decided to keep it to herself for now, until she could find a way to help them herself.

“I caught a bit of Fluttershy’s music when I went to see her. All I can say is that her recital will blow last year’s out of the water.” Celestia let out a smile, but it wasn’t one that symbolized her being impressed. But rather a smirk that made it seem like she knew something. Twilight didn’t notice the leer’s true meaning and went on. “Applejack’s got more than enough apples for Ponyville to feast on tonight. She let me and Spike have a bit of what she plans to serve. It was simply superb.” Spike nodded with a grin, patting his belly. There was a quiet moment between the two ponies, lasting almost a minute, until Celestia finally broke the silence.

“Well it’s good to see everyone’s doing a fine job.” Celestia complimented, knowing Twilight was keeping things hidden from her. But she would rather wait until Twilight felt ready to share them with her. The unicorn had a contained relief wash over her, signified by an otherwise unnoticeable whisper of a sigh. The winged unicorn then continued. “There was also something I wanted to talk to you about, regarding…an addition to the celebration’s normal schedule.” Twilight’s ears perked up at the use of both addition and schedule in the same sentence due to her need for organization. She listened intently as her teacher paced towards one of the large windows, looking out upon Ponyville. “I’ve been thinking about Ponyville and its citizens, and how they all constantly tell stories about how you and your friends saved Equestria time and time again.” Twilight let out a humble chuckled, scratching the back of her head with her hoof.

“Well, it wasn’t just us. We couldn’t have done it without the Elements of Harmony.” Celestia nodded in agreement.

“The thing is that everyday people see you, talk to you, and socialize with you like every other pony. You six are never a secret, nor should you ever be. But, I feel it is wrong to keep secret the tools you six used to combat all of the evils you faced.” The alicorn turned to meet eyes with her student. “Which is why, tonight, I plan to unveil the Elements to all of Equestria, so that all may gaze upon them and know that it is those six aspects: Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, Honesty, Loyalty, and Magic, that keep our world safe.”Twilight understood what her ruler meant; ponies could always hear rumors and stories about the elements, but remain skeptical unless they can see them for their own eyes. Doubt was a natural thing for any pony, and doubt could always evolve into panic, and then to chaos, and with this revelation, the legends could become reality, and no pony could ever doubt again. Twilight’s mind pumped that all out in the mere moments between Celestia’s explanation, allowing her to keep her attention on her teacher’s speech.

“After that I plan to lock the powers away, far and deep, so that no one, and I mean no one but you six can wield them when needed.” Twilight felt an undeniable sense of honor, trying to keep it hidden as she never liked to showboat. “And when I say far and deep, I mean that even I will not be able to unlock the barrier I plan to set upon them. Only in a time when harmony’s existence hangs in the balance will the gems reveal themselves to you.” Twilight slowly nodded in understanding. Celestia stood by her apprentice, and gazed into her eyes with the utmost trust. “After Discord managed to break past the vault I had the Elements in, I don’t trust myself with their protection. Only those connected to the Elements should be entrusted with them.” Twilight turned her gaze to the floor, pondering her teacher’s announcement. Celestia could see the deep contemplation boiling in the teenage mare’s mind, knowing she had to set her mind at ease.

“I’m sorry I came to you with this last minute, Twilight. I know it is a lot of sudden news but I felt you needed to know my decision.” Twilight nodded in agreement.

“It’s okay Princess, I understand. I’m glad you came and told me regardless of the time.” Princess Celestia smiled. “So I’m guessing the unveiling would be taking place before you raise the sun?” The ivory alicorn nodded.

“Yes, I set it to be right before, that way everyone’s dancing and partying will be out of their system. I want everyone to be focused when the time comes.” As she replied, Celestia a mere bit of her magic to open one if Twilight’s windows, flapping her wings once in preparation for her departure. As a light wind filled the room, Celestia turned back to her student, leaning her head down to get close. “Twilight, I’ve never really expressed how much you and your friends mean to me, to Luna, and to all of Equestria. Everything you’ve done for every pony, if you and your friends weren’t around, who knows what Equestria would’ve been reduced too…” Twilight blushed.

“Thank you, princess. That’s quite an honor coming from you, but Equestria’s always stood proud and tall under your rule, way before we came around. It wasn’t just us that kept Equestria strong.” Another smile grew across Celestia’s face as she leaned down to nuzzle her student.

“They could build monuments to your humility, my student.”The princess faced the window, flushing her wings out once more before making a small glance at her underling. “I know there are several other things going on in your friend’s lives Twilight, particularly Fluttershy and Applejack.” Twilight shot her gaze up in surprise as the princess continued. “You need not worry about them, my student. Applejack’s protectiveness will be an obstacle for her brother and Fluttershy, but you’ve seen her inner strength. She’ll overcome.” Celestia assured. Twilight felt a subtle wave of relief flow through her, knowing that Celestia was always right…always.

“I know I shouldn’t be telling you this, but your other friends are a lot better at keeping their own feelings secret.” Again, surprise grasped Twilight’s sight, and redirected it to the alicorn. “That’s right…Fluttershy isn’t the only one experiencing a blossoming fondness of others. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, even the hardened Applejack herself, they’re seeds of affection have begun to sprout.” Twilight continued to ponder everything she was being told. Rarity did let on a bit about her own feelings, but she would’ve never seen it in the eyes of Rainbow or Pinkie, and especially not in Applejack. Maybe her observational skills weren’t as sharp as she had thought. The train of thought halted at the continuation of Celestia’s discourse.

“I’ll see you at the celebration, Twilight. But don’t wait around all night for me to appear. Dance, eat some food, go nuts, have fun. It is a party after all.” With that jest, the royal alicorn hovered out through the window and flew off into the sky, disappearing into the clouds. As she faded from view, a mystic white aura surrounded the window doors, shutting them closed. A moment of silence fell upon the room, until Spike broke the noiselessness.

“So everyone’s apparently in love…that’s…interesting…” He turned and cocked an eyebrow, hoping to get a laugh out of the unicorn. Instead, Twilight immediately shot him a look of annoyance.

“Spike…never become a comedian.”

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It was nearing 8:00 at night, and all of Ponyville was outside, piling into the streets, making their way to the Grand Festive Centre. The massive building would be this year’s host to the Summer Sun Celebration, with every able-bodied pony in town piling inside. Behind the towering light gray stone walls, every pony of the party staff was scurrying about to make sure everything was ready. Twilight and Spike got their early, she being chief organizer and all, to oversee everyone’s preparations.

In the front of the manor lay the setup for Fluttershy’s recital, which would perform after the initial mingling session that every party started with. The yellow pony was arranging all the stands for her animals to stand upon when the time came, knowing everything had to be stable and perfect for her choir of creatures. While opposite of her was Octavia, the professional violinist pony who had performed at the Grand Galloping Gala last year. She was checking the instruments of her four pony orchestra, who would be backing Fluttershy’s melody with their own sound. The two had collaborated on the project since the beginning of planning, discovering that the mixture of orchestral melody and grandiose tune nature’s creatures formulated a harmonious mixture that was sweet, sweet sugar to the ears of any pony who heard it. The dark gray haired mare tested the tuning of strings on her own personal violin, plucking each plastic strip one at a time, making sure the twang from each one was at the appropriate pitch.

Octavia always prided herself in her ability to express beautiful, regal music to her peers, and always made sure her group was able to give their best, and only their best, in every performance. Plus, she felt she had to make up for the ear-ravaging random noise that was Vinyl Scratch’s musical work. Musical was a word that couldn’t even accompany anything of Scratch’s, it was bass-heavy, synth-powered, techno garbage to her ears. She was nowhere to be found on the dance floor when the synth started running and the static drums began to hiss. Usually she would be outside, waiting until the torture to hearing had ceased, before returning to mingle.

As the violinist placed her instrument down in satisfaction, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were helping with the fare and food tables, setting up the tablecloths, organizing the centerpiece, a tall, glass sculpture of the sun, and finally, setting all of the course selections down in their designated places. Apple pies, caramel, chocolate and candy apples, and many other apple-based delicacies decorated the tables, awaiting consumption by the dozens upon dozens upon dozens of guests that lay behind the great red doors of the hall. The waiting room was near full capacity and only a little over half of the intended guests took up the space on its floors. Now everyone was bolting twice as fast before the door bust open with a tidal wave of ponies behind it. Everything was almost ready, only a few last second placements of chairs and bits of décor were being made. Twilight, Spike, Octavia, Fluttershy, and all the other ponies of importance to the party’s conception lined up in front of the door, primed and ready to greet their guests. Twilight nodded to one of the service ponies, who proceeded to pull up the door bar, and slowly unfasten the great red and brass gates. An ocean of colts, mares, fillies, and stallions stood outside the doorway, all eager to pour inside and run amok. But they knew they had to respect the benefactors of the celebration, and waited for their welcoming. Mayor Mare marched in front of the small group of party staff and spoke, her voice twice as loud thanks to a short-lived voice amplification spell.

“My fellow citizens of Ponyville, I am honored to welcome you all again to this year’s annual Ponyville Summer Sun Celebration!” A booming cheer emitted from the mass of mounts quickly toning down to allow the mayor to continue. “Before we begin the night, first we must cover the curriculum. Tonight will begin with a bit of a mingling session, allow all ponies to catch up and meet with their friends, followed by the dual performance of both Fluttershy’s Nature Choir and the Octavian Orchestra. After that, we will proceed with the banquet, and the rest of the night is to, for lack of a better word, PARTY TILL THE SUN RISES!” The previous cheer was a whisper compared to the one that boasted out of the crowd this time. Every pony was stamping and jolting with eagerness, practically counting every second before Mayor Mare would let them commence.

“…And so, without further ado, let the celebration begin!”

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A small soft string ballad gave ambiance to the entire hall as the mingling session commenced. Groups of about five to eleven ponies scattered the floor, most either embracing in reunion, engaging in conversation, or raiding the table for refreshments. Ditzy Doo and Carrot Top had the latter occupied, vacuuming up a whole row of food before anyone could even touch a succulent bit. Luckily the other rows of banquets would settle the hunger of any pony that passed by.

At the left of the hall where the majority of windows resided, stood the several members of the Wonder Bolts, most of which were occupied with the seemingly endless admiration of fans. Spitfire and Soarin were present, being the most publicly prominent of the flying squad, as well as three others, usually unseen until now. The first was Solaris, a tall, red-orange pony with strong bright-orange eyes, seeming to own the unspoken role of the leader of the Wonder Bolts. The second one, standing to his left was Sprite, a light pale green pony with blasted-back dark green hair, decorated with lime-green streaks. Lastly, the one to his right was Sonic, the newest recruit, an eager, young colt with a mane of sky blue. He was still getting used to the fame, so he seemed humble with all of the admirers showering praise and questions upon him.

Only a few feet from the flying squad were the Mane Six, each preoccupied with their own exchanges with other ponies. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were being commended on the decorations, Fluttershy was off with the orchestra and performers, getting ready for their performance, and Twilight and Applejack were just making small talk with several others, many complimenting the cowpony’s culinary skills. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, well, everyone except Rainbow Dash, who was giving a deep, envious stare at the sky blue performer across the hall. She has spent a good chunk of her life and energy trying to get the attention of her idols, and out of nowhere this new colt is picked to join their ranks. Why was he so special, what did he do that impressed the team so much? She leaned towards Twilight’s ear.

“Hey Twilight, I’ll be right back. I’m gonna go say hi to the Bolts.” Twilight okayed her, and Dash dashed across the floor to meet the famed flyers. She slinked on over, passing two other mares, before looming behind the sky-blue colt fledging. After some moments of silence, with Dash’s ominous presence driving away the rest of the fans, she finally spoke.

“So…you’re the new Wonder Bolt…” Sonic twisted his gaze back, meeting the resentful primrose eyes of Rainbow. The stare was held for a moment, before the Pegasus continued. “That’s quite the achievement, if you don’t mind me saying.” The new recruit chuckled with humility at the comment.

“Well, um, thanks. Believe me I’m just as surprised as everyone else. I never expected to become one of them in my entire life…ever.” Rainbow’s face morphed from a spiteful glare into a perplexed look. She’s always heard stories about how the members of the Wonder Bolts ate, slept, and dreamt about fame and being a part of the lineup, nothing anything else.

“You mean…you never wanted to become a Bolt?” Sonic tilted his head, knowing that his words were slightly misunderstood by the winged mare.

“Heh, no, that’s what I meant. I mean, I always thought they were really cool and that to become one was the luckiest thing that could happen to any pony, but I never thought that I, myself, would even be considered for a spot. I mean, I’m not even that good a flyer.” Rainbow Dash was torn between believing in his assertion of mediocre flight skills, or that his self-description was severely warped by extreme modesty. The jealousy cultivating deep within her tipped the scale to the former, and right before she could open her mouth, a familiar yellow and bright orange Pegasus popped up behind the rookie flyer.

“Oh, so all those triple helix skyrockets and swan dives you seamlessly performed were all just a bunch of flukes then?” Spitfire praised, wrapping a hoof around her new teammate, who was blushing with slight embarrassment. Rainbow’s scowl evaporated, morphing into a wide grin, walling the contempt she had for the colt behind a barricade of teeth. Spitfire turned to face the rainbow mare. “Ah, Dash. Nice to see a friendly face. I see you’ve met our little rookie, heh.” Spitfire ruffed up Sonic’s mane playfully before hopping off his shoulder to a stand. “Let me tell you, this colt’s wings are like magic. He can literally, make any turn at any speed, like a dang hawk. You should come and see him in our show next week…” Rainbow’s jealousy was a slithering monster lodged in her throat, boiling up and ready to burst out with one more comment. “…then we can try and talk afterwards.” Rainbow froze, her confusion back with a vengeance. Spitfire cocked an eyebrow at Dash’s reaction. “What’s wrong?”

“Talk, about what?” The sky blue Pegasus asked.

“Didn’t Soarin ask you?” Dash shook her head. She hadn’t seen much of Soarin ever since her great pie rescue, let alone spoke to him. Spitfire’s agape mouth indicated her shock. The fiery-haired Pegasus turned and called out to her teammate, who was hamming it up with two earth pony fans. Trotting on over, he maintained a casual look, but for some reason, tried to avoid Dash’s gaze, keeping his eyes on Spitfire and Sonic.

“You called?” Spitfire shot the dark haired pony to look of question and slight contempt, before marching up and leaning in close to his ear. Whispers were exchanged, some rose to hushed shouts, particularly from Spitfire. All that Dash could make out from the quieted argument was “Should have told her, all this time I thought” and “Get over there” before the conversation went silent, with Soarin looking down to the floor in embarrassment. With a strong hoof directing his way, Soarin slowly trotted up to Rainbow, now completely lost. “Um, hey Rainbow Dash…uh, listen, umm…can I talk to you alone for a minute?” Rainbow’s ears fell as she pondered the reason why the Pegasus would want to speak in private. Given the argument she had just witnessed between the two performers, it was something that Soarin had been keeping quiet for a while. He led her up the stairs towards one of the balconies overlooking the rear garden, and seated himself on the floor, looking up at the night sky. Needless to say Rainbow was at a complete loss for any attempts at piecing this puzzle together, so she just went along with it, taking a spot next to the performer.

“Long time no see, huh?” The dark haired pony managed to spit out, with Dash giving a slight nod as a response.

“Yeah…a bit under a year…wish I could’ve seen you guys earlier.” Soarin let out a “hmm” of understanding before a silence came over the both of them, lasting for quite a few minutes.

“I already thanked you for saving my pie right?” The pure strangeness and awkwardness of the sentence narrowed Rainbow’s eyebrows the same as if she had been staring into the sun. Would’ve used that kind of a question was that? Thought the both of them, Rainbow because it was indeed, a weird question, and Soarin because of all the things he could’ve dead he had to spew out that oozing mess of syntax. If this was ANY other pony, Dash would’ve allowed her tail to brush on the other’s face as spun and trotted away, but this was a member of the Wonder Bolts. To exhibit her normal reaction would be insulting to the colt, brutally damaging her chances of becoming one of them. So she just grinned, managing to keep the annoyance and confusion under wraps.

“Yeah, you already thanked me.” Silence, once again. Soarin’s eyes zipped around as he slowly tried to come up with his next words. Levels of awkwardness reached new heights, to the point where Dash had to take control of the conversation. “So what were you and Spitfire talking about? I think I heard her say you were supposed to ask me something?” Soarin jolted at the reminder.

“Um yeah, actually, I was supposed to ask you something but, I kind of fell off track.” This time Dash couldn’t help but roll her eyes this time. Fell off track…for almost a whole year? Dash had given up trying to make sense of the blather this Pegasus was spewing, and began praying that he would stop beating around the bush. The navy blue haired colt then jerked up in realization. “Not that, it wasn’t my top priority! It’s just that a lot of things kept me from doing so…”

“Doing what?” A hint of displeasure squeezed into Dash’s tone, causing the other Pegasus to become more anxious.

“Well, it’s complicated. There’s what Spitfire wanted me to ask you, and then there’s what I wanted to ask you, but I can’t choose what to ask first.” A solemn, drawn out groan echoed in Dash’s mind. All she could think was, GET TO THE DARN POINT ALREADY! The build-up was beginning to become too much. She was, again, forced to take the reins of the conversation, driving it forward.

“Well, maybe you should just choose one. Does it really matter which?” The colt sighed, acknowledging that Dash’s impatience was beginning to spill. He took a deep breath, replacing the tense look on his face with a new, determined one.

“You’re right, you’re right, Dash.” Another breath. “Okay…” He turned to look Rainbow Dash straight in the eye. Her magenta eyes almost retreating against his emerald ones. “Dash, would you…want to…g-”

“What are you two ponies doing out here?” The two Pegasi sharply turned to see Mayor Mare, with a stern look on her face. “You two shouldn’t be lollygagging out here. Every pony needs to head downstairs and take their seats for the performance, and that includes the both of you.” As the mare retreated to the auditorium, the two Pegasi looked at each other. Soarin sighed in disappointment.

“Never mind, I’ll ask you later.” With that, the Wonder Bolt stood and walked away. Dash could hear mutters of self-loathing and put downs, which of course, drew her further into the arms of misperception. With a mountain of questions piled up in her head, sprinkled with the suspense of finding out Spitfire and Soarin’s questions, she chased after him.

“Wait, Soarin, why don’t you just tell me now? What’s so important?” Soarin let out a noise that sounded like the mix of a groan and a sigh.

“Look Dash I swear I’ll tell you later. But if we don’t get downstairs then we’re really gonna hear it from every-”

“Will you two lovebirds get down here already? You’re gonna miss the orchestra!” From the stairs below popped out the ever-so energetic Sprite, giggling at his own taunt. Soarin’s face seared to a bright red, jerking over to face the vibrant-green Pegasus.

“Fizz, get out of here! Don’t you have your own seat to take!?” Sprite grinned at Soarin’s retort, before disappearing behind the wall below. The blue Pegasus sighed in embarrassment before glancing back to Dash. The redness in his face was still prominent. Dash’s solution to lightening the discomfort came in the form of a chuckle.

“Fizz…?” She asked. “I thought his name was Sprite.” Soarin nodded.

“Stage name, most of the Bolts have them. You think all of our names starting with an S was a huge coincidence?” The both of them aired out some the awkwardness with snickers, but the scentless stink of ineptness remained. “We uh, we shouldn’t keep the others.” Rainbow agreed, and with no hesitation, Soarin bolted away from the situation, hoping the wave of failed socialization wouldn’t pursue.

At the top of the stairwell Dash finally had a moment to sort through the mess of confusion that had amassed in her brain. Spitfire’s sudden agitation, Soarin’s nervousness…Sprite’s lovebirds comment, they all had to mean something. All of these factors don’t come to light unless…

“No…” She muttered.

All of these factors don’t come to light unless…Soarin planned to ask her on a date…

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Almost every pony was seated in there designated spot, save for a few stray mares. Mayor Mare and several others kept piling the wandering ponies in when they stumbled upon them. Right now she was hurrying along both Bon Bon and Lyra, the mare couple obviously agitated at the mayor’s interruption of a secluded moment. Sprite zipped in, letting two fillies ride on top of him, before landing near the third row and letting the kids return to their parents. Four of the Mane Six were settled at the very front of the audience, eagerly waiting for the opening of the crimson curtains. Twilight however occasionally turned her head from side to side, hoping to catch her friend Dash in her gaze. She wondered what kept her, almost all of the invited Wonder Bolts members were seated, save for Sprite who was spending some last second time with the fillies he collected. As she gazed at the archway between the hall and auditorium, she caught the multi-colored Pegasus, hovering through the crowd before taking the neighboring seat. She was uncharacteristically quiet, with a blush so strong, it seemed painted on. Twilight tilted her head.

“Dash, what happened? Are you okay?”Rainbow glanced up at her concerned friend. Her only response was a single nod, accompanied by a slight smile.

“Yeah, everything fine. I’ll talk to you about it later.” Before the unicorn could give another question, the room lights dimmed, the spotlights shined, and the hum of an activated microphone flowed through the room. The Mayor trotted up to the stand, before tapping the mic to make a sure it was on. Then she began.

“Well, every pony, it’s that time of year again. The time where we all come together to celebrate the luxury our beloved rulers bestow upon us every day. This year a few of our citizens created an amazing performance, to which we dedicate to the Princess of Daylight.” The curtains behind her unfastened as she moved to the side, allowing the bulk of the stage could be seen. At the center of the stage stood Fluttershy, as humble and timid as ever, with the orchestral assembly surrounding the area behind her. “Leading our Nature Chorus this evening is none other than our very own Fluttershy…” A loud, thunderous applause arose from audience, just as a deep blush arose on Fluttershy’s face. Through the loud static-like sound of ovation, Mayor Mare continued. “Accompanied by none other than the Canterlot Octavian Orchestra!” The praise boasted in loudness, with Octavia and her troupe all giving a slight bow in acknowledgement. This time the Mayor let the clamor fade away on its own before giving the rest of her introduction.

“Now, without further ado, I present to you, our Summer Sun Orcapella.” The lights on the stage bloomed with multiple colors, all focusing on the cast of birds and their leading pony. The cream-colored Pegasus faced her avian companions, clearing her throat before taking a deep breath.

What came next could be described only as a soft, beautiful melody of pure, unadulterated majesty. Fluttershy’s voice flew up and fell low in a series of notes, and once she her tune has finished; the assemblage began to imitate her exact tone. Then the strings came in, followed by the piano, and finally the percussion.

The orchestration began.

Comments

[ShadowKick]

I've put this on my read later list. The premise sounds simply fantastic, and I hope to see more chapters in the near future for me to peruse in my free time.

[Dreec]

Seems interesting to say the least. On my read later list!

[lmrm7]

I started reading it and added it to my read later list; it seems very good, but have you considered changing the formatting to be aligned on the left? It may just be me but it's annoying reading in the current centered format. Do whatever you see fit though!

[Spanner]

You got me at the epic Twilight picture. SO much win. She's like a super sayin, but in pony form

[Memphiston]

Fixed the format, I centered it because I figured it would look neater, but then i looked again and it is annoying reading it that anyway, glad u guys like what i have so far.

[Pleaseworkforonce]

"The winged Pegasus then continued" OMG ITS A WINGED PEGASUS I THOUGHT THAT WAS IMPOSSIBLE might want to fix that