14 - Twilight Time
They had gotten back after dark, with the help of one more quick jaunt in Spike's arms. Though the Seekers were worried that they were out so late, they were more satisfied that everything had gone well, and they now had a hundred gold coins each to spend as they wanted. Neither of them felt like celebrating, and instead retired to bed, and refocused on their training as the week slid past with barely a notice.
Twilight awoke with a stretch, looking around the already lit bedroom. She rolled out of bed and moved to a small mirror that was posted. It had been almost a month, and already Twilight felt a little exposed without her clothing. She summoned the clothes from her trunk and with a helpful spell she had learned, banished the dirt from it instantly. Clean and ready, she slipped into it and shook it into place, then got to working her mane with a simple wooden brush that had been gifted to her by Fast Shadow. Twilight was a little surprised. By the time she finished working her mane into its lustrous shine, Spike was usually up and about. She called to him, then reared up to peek into the top bunk.
He wasn't there.
Perhaps he had an early lesson? Twilight put it out of her mind and resumed grooming, now working on her tail. She trusted Spike to handle himself and come to her if things got out of hoof. She pulled the wide handle on the door, big enough for a hoof to easily slip into, and stepped out into the hallway. She moved to the common room, eager to break her fast. The usual breakfast wasn't present, instead just simple snacks and a pitcher of water. She took one of the baked treats and began to nibble on it as she looked around. She spotted Under Score enjoying a snack of his own and she went to join him.
"Good morning," she greeted, "Why isn't there breakfast today?"
Under looked up at her, surprise on his face, then understanding. "Today is a holiday. The first day of summer. Most ponies, and many others, are giving reverence to the Sun Queen, which means the chefs took the day off."
"Oh!" exclaimed Twilight, "Like the Summer Sun Celebration! Will your princess be there? I would love to see her."
Under Score shook his head slowly, "The Queen has no daughters, or sons, that I am aware of, though I admit I prefer to study the arcane over politics."
Twilight flushed at her mistake, "Ah, yes. I mean your Queen. Will she be there?"
"We're on the edge of the empire," said Under, directing a hoof westwards, "The capital is west, in Viljatown, and the Queen only rarely makes appearances since the attack."
"Attack?" asked Twilight as she popped the last of the fried dough into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully, "What attack?"
Under folded his book shut, certain that no reading would occur while his eager student was filled with questions. "I wasn't there to witness it, but they say some hot-headed dissidents almost took the capital. The Queen escaped unharmed, but has stopped being seen regularly since then. A lot of rubbish, since you ask. We have better things to be doing than small-minded politics."
Twilight shook her head with disbelief, "I can hardly imagine someone attacking the princess like that. I mean, just normal ponies? Attacking her? Is she... not liked?" Her voice hitched, trying to phrase her words carefully.
Under waved a hoof at her, "Nevermind that. She's liked by most, and the empire's a fine place with her at the throne. Your world must be a fascinating one if the idea of young foalish ponies is so absurd."
Twilight's voice broke with shock, "Foalish is one thing, but attacking the prin, er, Queen? It would be unheard of!"
"Your princess must be very liked."
Twilight was quiet for a moment before she nodded, "She... she is, and she is my teacher, um, before you, I mean, before I met you." A nervous giggle escaping her as she clopped her fore-hooves together awkwardly.
"Why don't you take today off? You could use some time with the people." An expansive gesture is made at the city as a whole, "I'm a hypocrite for saying it, but a little time away from books would do you well."
Twilight lifted the bag free of a pocket that had her coin in it, "I guess I should spend some of this," she murmured.
Under leaned over with a few soft arcane words, and the bag shone an angry red.
"What was that?" asked Twilight, "Looked like an abjuration."
"Very perceptive," he said with a soft nod, "It is a little trap, if someone besides my favorite hybrid reaches into that bag, they won't be getting the end of their arm back," cautioned Under with a rakish smile on his wrinkled face.
She wrapped her forelegs around him suddenly, giving him a firm hug before she set all hooves to the ground and started for the door, "I'll go have some fun, OK?"
"Don't do anything I would not," spoke the wizard, watching her until the door closed behind her.
"If I was half a century younger, perhaps," he muttered to himself before opening his spell book and resuming his reading.
Twilight left the Seekers compound and followed the sounds of excitement. Under Score had not been lying, the streets were filled with the signs of a festival. She admired the sun icons hung from every available surface, and the bright yellow cloth that hung from poles and the tops of buildings. She soon found herself on a main street and it was packed. Every available space had a body in it, four or two-legged, all eagerly bumping and jostling as they shopped, ate, and celebrated, most with smile.
Twilight's spirit soared as she waded into the crowd. It was a little overwhelming, certainly, but seeing so many happy faces felt more like home than anything else she had seen since coming to this strange world. Her nose suddenly flared as she noticed an irresistible scent and followed it to the small rolling cart. Operating the cart was a donkey. He smiled at her as she inspected his wares but said nothing. They looked like some kind of fried dough balls slathered with some kind of buttery glaze, covered in all manner of nuts and mildly sweetened. "I must have it," she said, raising a hoof to point, "How much?"
"For you, royal blooded, a silver piece," spoke the Donkey with perked ears as he reached to remove a skewer that held one of the treats.
"Oh, make it ten then," she said as she placed a golden coin down on the cart. "Happy Summer!"
The donkey accepted the coin, scooping it into a pouch that hung at his neck and quickly getting ten kabobs into a bag for her. "You must be new, madame. It's Summer Sunrise, opposite of Summer Sunset. Enjoy the holiday," he wished her as she accepted the bag of delectables.
"I am," she confessed, looking around the crowd a moment before she hovered a kabob in range to snap into the baked good. Her eyes fluttered shut in pleasure as she savored it before she looked back at the donkey, "You're the first donkey I've seen, no offense."
"We are... uncommon," spoke the donkey, "And many of us avoid larger cities."
"Oh," replied Twilight, "Well it's nice to meet you. My name is Twilight."
"Long Road," returned the donkey, raising his hoof and bumping it with Twilight's when she returned the gesture.
"Have a great day, I'm going to look around," said Twilight, excusing herself as she trotted down the street, enjoying bites of her first score of the day.
She heard somepony speaking in loud tones, but couldn't make it out. After some nudging through the crowd, she saw Dawn Event. He was dressed in fineries that glistened brightly in the sun, catching every ray and refracting them into brilliance. He was giving an impassioned speech on the glories of the Sun Queen and Twilight approached to hear him better.
"...Land rouses from its sleep, spring sees the first reaching of the new life, but now we are woken, and stand tall and ready. Let us enter summer, the season of the Sun Queen, and know that we are all blessed with every breath of warmth within her breast. While every season carries her fond wishes, it is summer in which she rules supreme. Remember that the sweat on your brow is not a burden, but her own kiss upon you."
Twilight was fascinated by the impassioned tones he spoke with. The ponies back home had simply accepted Celestia. She was an unrefuted fact, one you could see with your own eyes. This 'Sun Queen' would never lock eyes with the ponies of this place, and that somehow made it all the more special that she put their faith into her anyway.
She was snapped out of her reverie as he rose onto his hind-legs and spread his fore-hooves wide. Some strange spell washed over the crowd in a wide burst of golden brilliance, leaving Twilight tingling all through her body. She noticed many couples suddenly depart, the crowd thinning with their leaving. Confused, but wanting to see more, Twilight pressed further down the street, leaving Dawn Event to continue his sermonizing in peace.
The next sight to capture her attention was a troupe of purrsians. They were performing acts of wild acrobatics, with spins, flips, and flying that drove the crowd to wild cheers and enthusiastic claps and stomps of approval. The winged felines were living up to the reputation of their species as they contorted themselves in their motions through the air, leaping and spinning wildly. Twilight saw there was a box set out just in front of the performing area, littered with coins, mostly copper and some silver. She withdrew one of her own gold coins and tossed it in. A moment later a purrsian had landed in front of her. The male feline grabbed her in soft paws and swept her up into a dance quite abruptly, barely giving her time to squawk in surprise as she was whisked around to the wild cheering of the crowd. She wasn't even sure when she had gotten up to her hind-legs, but there she was, being danced by this cat. Though she had little idea how to do the steps, the feline had enough grace for them both as he dipped her back and casually sent her spinning off into the crowd that caught her and cheered.
Flushed but amazed, Twilight staggered along. Summer Sunrise was quite the holiday!
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Channel positive energy?
5460334
Heh, I don't think channeling tingles, especially if you aren't hurt at the time. And it wouldn't match up with the reaction.
My best guess would be Detect Magic
Twilight knows prestidigitation? With everything that spell can do, I'm amazed she hasn't conquered the world by now...
In any case, I'm quite enjoying this, and I'm looking forward to more. Still, I have to wonder about Equestria. Twilight's been gone for a month now. Have they been looking for her? If so, how? I'm imagining panicked reports of a keketar that turns out to be Discord.
5460775 Silly stallion, that is a cone and usually invisible.
5460945 How could she not learn that one?
Poor Equestria indeed. Too bad for them, Twilight is mine! For now...
Thanks for reading!
My First thought on the spell is that it's the clockwork fertility rite, but I doubt it.
This is the chapter this fic was born to have. Filled with nothing but unadulterated lore and world building. Easily one of my favorite chappies so far. Looking forward to more of this.
5493490 I don't think you will be disappointed! I love me some adventuring, and I love me some world building, so expect plenty of both as you read on.
You're close on that spell, though not nearly so specialized.
Thanks for being a reader and double thanks for commenting.
oh god dam it it was a fertility spell wasnt it
5593263 I had long given up that anyone would figure it out. You win one internet.
It doesn't say what kind of trap it is which can make this paragraph very confusing.
5862108 Tweaked!
Wonder if Twilight will find out the hard way that the Queen isn't all Big Good like Celestia...and is in fact a little genocidy.
5864857 I can't answer this without spoilers!
5593266 I'm surprised. You pointed out couples were leaving eagerly, I was thinking it was some kinda sex spell. Of course I don't know anything about this game/world it's crossed over with. Only DnD and Shadowrun slightly. And that's more the Games using those, and not the actual boardgames with the rule books and so on. lol
5895444 Well, sex in the oldish timey connotation, as in foal making. It wasn't ultimately important what he was doing, hence it was never described much. The story is not enhanced with this knowledge.
Present tense?
5962617 Fixed!
So... 12 gold was enough to cover two sets of tailored clothing, and they're getting paid 100 each, and that's only a portion of the fee for the job.
What the hell was that goat growing on his farm that he could afford the fee???
6172006 An excellent question, though there is the possibility that the fee didn't come entirely from the farmer.
6172050 A very wise town when they pay to remove a problem before it directly affects them.
She wrapped her arms around him suddenly.....uh..arms? ;P
and isnt it passionate? impassionate words sounds is without passion..i think ^^
anyway great chapter :D
6497398 Fixed. It will be years later and people will still be finding things.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impassioned
Dawn is our Solaire! PRAISE THE SUN!
6873061
Praise the moon.
6910341 For the moon brings us SALVATION!
FOR PRINCESS LUNA
This story really brings your world to life for me!
11561492
Exactly as I tried to do. Everglow is its own beast, not 'Equestria but...'.