Chapter 5
Chapter 5: The Days Go By…
There’s an old saying in the history books… no one really knows who said it first, but since they did it has spread like wild fire due to its complete truth… Time flies when you’re having fun. And Twilight Sparkle was having the time of her life, her friends made sure of that. If she wasn’t studying for anything that was ACTUALLY important she’d get dragged off in one direction or another by which ever friend happened to snag her first. Usually it was Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash, but often enough she’d join Fluttershy and Rarity on a Spa trip they did once a week. Rarity insisted she come along more often due to the stress her intense study habits induced on her body but Twilight found herself pretty well de-stressed thanks to her companions.
Luna had also found her sweet spot. During Astrology class she’d play the role of the student and Starshine the ever eccentric teacher who literally had his head in the stars; but the moment the bell rang to be dismissed to club activities that act vanished and they were once again Moona and Starry, fiery rivals intent on wiping the floor with the other. And of course Luna made friends with every other member of the club as well, after seeing what she was capable of the bets often leaned towards her and she took pride in that. She had even managed to make friends outside the club as well. There was a cellist she met in her music class that often came over for tea, and a girl who played the lyre as well but she was a bit of an odd ball always talking about mythical creatures like mermaids or aliens… but she was interesting to listen to when she got on one of her rants before her roommate came by to drag her off to whatever class she was SUPPOSED to be in.
Luna even occasionally hung out with Twilight and her friends as well, and Spike of course who often complained about the short number of males his age around. It was high school and he was only technically seven years old. There weren’t many seven year olds hanging around the high school. Even Applejack and Rarity’s little sisters ended up being a bust as they ended up only being five years old, nowhere near his age. Although he did find some luck when he went into town and found out that there was a new family that had just moved in and they had three boys and one older girl who went to the school with the girls. Two of them, Rumble and Shady, were his age. He took to them like a magnet even though they attended the elementary school in town instead. So with even Spike finding friends now Celestia was more than pleased with their progress.
But, just like Zecora had when she took care of the injured Rainbow Dash, she could see the spark inside each of them. She hadn’t been sure when she saw Twilight unleash her full power the day of the exam, but now she was certain that these six girls had a very powerful destiny on each of their shoulders. It would be a while before fate would reveal itself and ensnare them in it’s dangerous web but Celestia had no doubt it would happen. Even goddesses had their limits in what they could do with mortals, and changing their fate just because you happen to care very deeply for them is something out of her reach. So instead she planned… she predicted the day the event it would occur and planned it all out so that at least none of them would get hurt. Scared and forced to run from unknown terrors maybe, but at least they wouldn’t be harmed. But for now she’d let the bonds grow and deepen, watch the tiny seed she had planted take root and grow into the powerful tree it was meant to be.
December 15: One day before Holiday break.
“Twiiiiiii, come on already! You’ve packed enough for a month and we’re only going to be gone a week! We have to go to the pep rally!” Spike called from the front door. Twilight was of course frantic making sure she had packed all the presents they had bought and enough clothes for the week they’d be visiting home in Canterlot.
“Coming Spike! I just need to check everything one more time and then we can-!!!” she was cut off by Luna grabbing her by the back of her sweater and dragging her out of her room kicking and screaming while she just calmly sipped her coffee.
“Stop struggling Sparkle, you knew this was coming.” She stated plainly as she dragged the girl out into the hallway and towards the elevator. Twilight gave in and stopped struggling and righted herself in the elevator. Her hair had started to stick up in places and she quickly smoothed it back down. She normally didn’t fuss over her hair but Rarity had gotten in the habit of nit picking lately and she wanted to make sure she’d be safe from her wrath. Everyone was going home for the holidays to some extent, Applejack would be spending almost all of her time at the farm since her extended family would be staying with them for a week and there was a lot of preparation to be done. Rarity was also going back home, her family had a cottage somewhere on the outskirts of town that they lived in and she was dying to see her baby sister again. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were both taking a flying carriage up to Cloudsdale that night, although neither of them really ever talked about their families Twilight knew they had them. Even Pinkie Pie was going to visit her family for the first time since she’d left for the school. She wrote letters but said the farm was a bit too far of a travel to just visit whenever she wanted.
And of course Twilight, Spike, and Luna would be returning to Canterlot to celebrate. Luna would have never admitted it aloud but she was severely missing her sister and the servants that lived in the castle. And Twilight was missing her parents and her older brother who was coming home for the holidays from his college. She was giddy at just the thought of seeing Shiny again.
The three of them arrived at the entrance to the Auditorium to find Rainbow and Fluttershy waiting for them. Rainbow was pacing back and forth impatiently and Fluttershy was shifting back and forth on her feet toying with her hands as she peeked out from behind her hair and spotted them approaching.
“Sorry we’re late… Twilight was having another panic attack.” Spike explained with a thumb pointed at his sister. Rainbow huffed impatiently her scarf the same hues as her hair and embroidered with her mark hung loosely around her neck as she glared at them.
“It’s about damn time! Me and Flutters have been out here freezing our asses off waiting for you guys!” she growled, Rainbow was really more of a summer person...
They were lead inside to where the other three were saving them seats. Twilight and Spike sat down but Luna spotted a group of her own friends not too far off and decided to sit with them instead. The Pep rally served a dual purpose, it allowed the headmaster to wish his students a safe holiday season as well as announce the exam schedule for when they returned from the break, and after he was finished with that the Drama department put on a play about Hearth’s Warming Eve, which was the big holiday most were celebrating around this time of year. There were also smaller ones like Christmas and Hanukah but in Equestria holidays meant enchanted logs that burned a multitude of colors in the fireplace and the entire family gathered around it while they exchanged presents and stories in its warm glow. It also Twilight’s favorite holiday next to national book week.
When the play ended they all stood and joined into the well-known Heath’s Warming song The Heart’s Carol. Singing happened to be another big part of the holiday and was something Twilight did pretty often when no one was really around to hear her; except Spike, but little brothers don’t count. When they left the auditorium after that Rainbow seemed to have her energy back despite the thick layer of snow that had layered the ground while they had been inside.
“Man I never get tired of that play! Hey Pinkie who’s your favorite character in it? Mine’s totally Commander Hurricane! They say he had a kid after the founding you know, maybe I’m related to the guy!” she stated with a smirk plastered on her face.
“Omaigosh Dashie! That WOULD be awesome! But I like Chancellor Puddinghead Waaaaaay better! She was always laughing and having fun, just like ME~~~!!!” She squealed bouncing around not even making an indent in the snow as she did so.
“I for one find myself relating to Princess Platinum the most, legend says she was a divine beauty and had a sense of style that was un matched by anyone for centuries to come! What about you Abigail…?” she asked turning to the blonde who was rubbing her hands together and blowing in them her breath fogging as she did so. She frowned at the name, she had let it slip once and Rarity had made a habit out of using it instead of the nickname she preferred. It drove the cowgirl insane.
“Fer the last time Rare it’s jus’ Applejack! And… Ah guess Ah liked that Smart Cookie character… she had her head on straight and kept the chancellor out of too much trouble. What about you ‘Shy…?” she asked passing the baton off to the reserved girl currently bundled in a rather adorable looking yellow sweater.
“Umm… I-I liked Private Pansy… she was the one who showed the others kindness first and… she also taught the commander how to care as well… like me and Dash… What about you Twilight…?” she asked quietly fiddling with the sleeves of her yellow sweater which were just a bit longer than necessary.
“Clover the Clever of course, she founded the first school in Equestria and was trained by Star Swirl the bearded himself! She’s a lot more than just a character though she’s a major historical figure in education…! How about you Spike…? Wait, let me guess, the narrator.” She snickered her purple hair in her face a bit from being pushed down by the hat she wore on her head to keep the cold out.
“Heeeey! That’s not fair! You’re supposed to let me say it!” he whined. But Twilight just rolled her eyes.
“You always pick him because it was the first dragon Hybrid who originally narrated the tale.” She countered with a roll of her eyes. Spike wasn’t wearing anything Wintery to keep him warm except a purple and green scarf Rarity had knitted him because she didn’t know his inner fire kept him warm despite the weather. He hadn’t taken it off since she gave it to him last month... seriously, he slept in it.
Spike crossed his arms and blew out a small flame from his nostrils. “You’re just not fair…” he muttered. “Luna, you were alive during all of this, did you know any of the characters personally…?” he asked the moon goddess. She nodded and flexed her gloved hands in an attempt to warm them.
“Yes… I knew all of them very well, although I was personally attached to Clover because of her relation to Star Swirl… Although my sister held each of them fondly in her heart. She still does of course, but you are right… you all do resemble them greatly… especially you Twilight. I can’t count the number of times I’ve found myself nearly calling you Clover by mistake.” She admitted with a slight giggle after wards. Twilight was beaming and radiated happy that almost knocked even Pinkie off her feet.
“You really mean it princess?! I’m like Clover the Clever, really?!?!?!” she exclaimed zooming right up so she was staring eye to eye with Luna.
“Uhhh… Yes…” she replied slowly pushing her away. “You two share many characteristics… for example, your habit of spending days on end slaving over your studies… or your paranoia over tests… and she also had a severe case of OCD just like you do.” Luna explained with a sly smirk. Her five friends all laughed at that and Twilight kicked at the snow and hid her face partially in the purple turtleneck she wore under her sweater. “Ah, and it was also her mentor Star Swirl who noticed her anti-social behavior and placed her under the care of Princess Platinum in the hopes she would make some real friends. Sound familiar…? Although you didn’t have to go on a rouge adventure across a foreign frozen waste land only to be trapped in a cave with your kind’s sworn enemies and then in your dying moments overcome the boundaries your race set and make friends with your ‘enemies’ and save the lives of thousands as a result… but other than that you are all pretty spot on.” she mused as she hummed the Carol and walked on while the others just stood stunned at the morbidly half assed description of their country’s most precious legend.
“Anyone else feel like they need a really tall glass of hot cocoa right now…?” Dash asked. Six hands flew up in an instant and they all rushed off to the campus café for a snack and just said warm drink.
A waitress with the name of Mocha delivered their drinks, seven hot chocolates and one double shot mocha latte with a caramel swirl and extra foam. That of course was Luna’s as she never drank normal coffee claiming it was too bland, Celestia always got on her about it saying that at that point it wasn’t even coffee it was just diabetes in a cup. Most of the group got some kind of holiday treat to go with their drinks, Pinkie being the exception as she always carried a bag full of the confections so there was no need to buy any more. Spike was not eating anything to be considered sweet by human standards, he had produced a small bag of gems he used as both money and snacks. Mostly snacks though. Rarity watched him select a particularly shiny sapphire from the bag and he bit it in half like a carrot.
“Spike dear… I’ve been meaning to ask for a while now but why do you eat gems…? I’ve seen you eat normal food quite often so it’s clear you can eat it but I was wondering if it’s a necessary part of dragon culture to eat them so often.” Rarity asked leaning on a white gloved hand. The green haired boy swallowed before he responded to her his face slightly red as he did so.
“W-well… it… gems for dragons are like, oh what would be the human equivalent…? Uhh… they’re like vitamins kind of… but not… we don’t absolutely NEED them to survive, but they help us grow and develop normally. They also happen to taste like candy to us. Well… most of them. I’ve had a few really bad ones that tasted bitter so I try and stay away from those.” He explained to the best of his ability.
“Oh…? That’s interesting. Is that why you eat so many, because you want to grow up faster…?” she asked tucking a lock of perfectly curled purple hair behind her ear.
“No, he eats that many because he’s often quite bored and it’s available often enough, Equestria being known for being over flowing with jewels. That’s partially why my sister became fascinated with dragons so long ago, they are powerful beasts who draw power from the earth, soar in the skies, and can perform elemental magic with as much ease as breathing. A skill that, mind you, our best magic users take years to perfect.” Luna explained with a careful sip of her coffee.
“Elemental magic…? Ain’t that like fire, earth, water, and air…?” Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes, but it’s also more complicated than just that. When we use magic we have to pool it from inside ourselves and then channel it into a spell through the Starcrest on our foreheads.” Twilight explained tapping the mark gently. “But dragons don’t do that. You’ve seen him use his fire magic before, it isn’t a spell he’s using. He’s just channeling magical energy from his surroundings and harnessing it in a concentration that comes out as a flame. He and purebred dragons do this without any chanting, or memorizing, or even too much motion. They can manipulate elements like you and I can move our limbs. But they do it using not their own energy but Natures. Does that make any sense…?” Twilight asked with a small hopeful smile. The other’s slowly nodded but Pinkie was of course the odd man out.
“Whoa! That’s really neat Spike! Can you really move around the air and stuff whenever you want?!” she asked her poofy pink hair bouncing up and down with her in her seat. In response Spike looked over to where a waitress had set down a pitcher of water and he pointed at it his hand turning into scaly purple claws as he did so. The water flowed out of the pitcher and snaked towards them like a river in midair winding around in loops above their heads. Rainbow slowly reached out and stuck her finger in the flow to see if it was in fact still water. The wetness along her finger proved it was and they watched as it carefully winded back over to the pitcher and filled it back up with its form. His scales retracted leaving pale skin behind and he grinned over at their awed faces.
“Good enough answer for you…?” he asked in return.
The girls of course showered him with praise and Rarity leaned towards Twilight. “I have to admit… were he just a few years older I might have considered him as a suitor…” she whispered. Twilight nearly choked on her drink after hearing that and pounded her fist to her chest in an attempt to clear away the liquid. She got it down and took in a deep breath. Spike caught her eye and tilted his head curiously but she simply waved her hand dismissively and he went back to showing off minor forms of the magic he controlled. Like creating a mini tornado on the tip of his finger and sending it towards Rarity’s steaming drink to cool it.
Twilight’s thoughts went a little haywire after that. She was stunned by what Rarity had said sure, but it wasn’t as if she was opposed to the idea… it was painfully obvious that Spike was head over heels for the older girl, and if she could return those feelings then great. But that age gap was something that wasn’t so easily overlooked. Even by her lenient standards. SHE didn’t even date, and had no intention to any time soon. Her seven year old brother was definitely not ready for that kind of relationship, or Rarity for that matter. They may have been in high school now but they were still only thirteen! But her birthday was less than a month away now… and Rarity’s was shortly after that. Fluttershy, Applejack, and Dash’s birthday’s had already come and gone and Pinkie’s wasn’t until summer. Hell while she was at it Spike turned eight on the first day of spring! They were all getting older of course… but they weren’t old enough for THAT yet.
Fluttershy noticed the distant look in her friend’s eyes as she had been swirling her drink around in its cup for a few minutes now and gave her a gentle poke on her arm. Twilight jerked slightly stopped stirring her drink around and looked to the aquamarine eyes of the girl beside her.
“Are you alright Twilight…?” she asked softly. Twilight nodded and picked up the fruit tart shaped like a snowman that she had picked out and examined it.
“Yeah… just wondering what I’ve missed back at home while I’ve been here… my older brother is coming home from college so I’m a bit anxious to see him again.” She replied simply. Well, it wasn’t a lie. She was looking forward to seeing Shining Armor again, but it hadn’t been what was distracting her. But somehow telling the shy girl about her concerns over her little brother’s crush didn’t seem like a very good idea. Fluttershy looked back at her hot chocolate that sat in front of her with a small smile on her face.
“I know how you feel… I have an older sister and she’s hardly ever around either… given she’s quite a bit older than I am and she already has a family of her own, but I still miss her greatly.” Fluttershy replied before she took a careful sip of her hot chocolate. Twilight blinked in surprise.
“You have an older sister…?!” she exclaimed in disbelief. Fluttershy retracted slightly and Twilight winced when the others looked at her as well. “S-sorry… I didn’t mean to shout it’s just… well you and Dash have never really discussed your home lives so…” she explained scratching the back of her head out of nervous habit.
“Oh it’s… alright… my life isn’t all that exiting to talk about anyways.” Fluttershy murmured as she toyed with the ends of her hair. Dash blew a raspberry to that.
“That’s a load of crap Flutters. Her family owns over half of the businesses in Cloudsdale and her father is the sole biological engineer that figured out to breed crops that would grow on clouds. Her family’s the second wealthiest in Cloudsdale for Pete’s sake!” Rainbow explained her arms crossed in defiance. Fluttershy buried herself further in the depths of her hair in an attempt to hide from the gawking stares of her friends. Even Luna had nearly spat out her coffee. Rarity regained her senses.
“Second wealthiest…? If her father invented the cloud crop, which is used in every single cloud city across the world now, then who on earth could possibly rival that kind of wealth other than royalty?” Rarity asked dumbfounded.
“Yeah, an’ just how do ya know so much about Shy’s family’s finical standin’ anyhow…?” Applejack questioned the rainbow haired girl further. Cyan wings popped up in surprise and she looked around quickly in a panic. From behind pink hair she caught a gleam of aqua marine eyes and a small smirk that went unnoticed by the rest of the girls. Fluttershy calmly tucked her hair behind her ear and picked up her mug of cocoa and stared at it like she was deciding whether or not to drink it.
“The only family that exceeds mine in Cloudsdale is the owners of the weather factory, since they operate it and all of its minor branches all over Equestria they collect all the income that comes from control over the weather. They’re also famous for their invention of the liquid rainbow, to which they named their only daughter and sole heir to their wealth after. Right Rainbow Dash…?” she asked the gleam remaining in her eyes. Fluttershy was not cruel by any means, but she did have enough mischief in her to get back at Dash when necessary. Dash sent her a look that would have killed as Rarity let out a dramatic gasp and Pinkie started to strangle hug her cyan winged friend.
“Omaigosh Dashie! You and Fluttershy have to be like the two single most important people in Cloudsdale!!! That’s so cool! Do you live in like some kind of fancy cloud mansion with servants and maids everywhere?! Oh! Oh! OH! I bet you totalllllly met Flutter’s at some kind of fancy ball your parents were throwing right?! And you two were supposed to be like enemies because your families are like bitter rivals to the end but you thought Flutter’s was too sweet to be like them and Flutter’s totally thought you were like princess charming or something so you two became friends despite it and hung out behind your parents backs but they found out eventually and sent you away from your homes to some far off boarding school so you’d never see each other again but it turns out you two were sent to the same school and now you carry on your super-duper totally secret friendship under your parents radar and far away from where they can judge you riiiiiiiiiiight?!?!?!” Pinkie Pie asked while she bounced around the café acting out the scenes by herself while she ranted. Rainbow and Fluttershy gave each other a shared look of skepticism before Rainbow responded.
“Uh… actually I met Flutter’s at summer flight camp when we were like… eight. And our families aren’t like, bitter rivals or anything like that. Actually they approve of us being friends because they've all been friends since highschool AND it opens up trade stock between our companies. But uh, I do live in a big mansion with a lot of servants and stuff… so you got that part right…” Rainbow explained scratching her cheek slightly with one finger. Pinkie looked defeated for a second but then bounced right back to life when she heard she had been right about something. She took her seat again and happily munched on her sweets again.
“Well at least that goes to explain’ why ya have such a big long fancy name RD, mine’s just family tradition but yours has excuse of havin’ more dough than a bread factory!” AJ laughed her green eyes simply grinning from hearing the truth behind her roommate’s mysterious family matters.
“I for one am inclined to agree with Abigail, but while Rainbow has the excuse of pride getting in her way why have you withheld the truth about your family Fluttershy darling…?” Rarity asked turning to her own roommate. The others all nodded wanting to know why all except Dash who already knew and was grinning like a Cheshire cat because of it.
“Go on ‘Shy, tell ‘em alllllll about it.” she sneered. Fluttershy let out a squeak that sounded an awful lot like a dog’s chew toy as she looked down at the table and played with her hands blushing furiously as she did so.
“O-Oh… well… I um… I had heard that Dash was going to be going here for high school and um… well I wanted to go with her… so when I told my father about it he signed me up that very next day. But… we got in a um… small argument over what classes I should take and um… he kind of uh… meep…!” she squeaked before she could finish and hid behind her wall of pink hair. The group all turned to Dash to finish for her. The prismatic haired girl was more than willing.
“She broke half the bones in his body because he didn’t want her to taking anything but courses in agriculture and plant sciences. He was in the hospital for the entire summer and the news of her little tantrum spread like wildfire through the city. So now she doesn’t like people to know who she is because she’s afraid they’ll connect her back to the incident. That’s also why her last name isn’t listed on any of the rosters. She hacked the system and deleted it.” Rainbow Dash explained with a sly smirk across her face. Everyone now stared absolutely dumbfounded at the girl before them. Even Pinkie Pie had her jaw to the floor, literally I might add. Suddenly they were all looking at the girl in a completely different light.
Rarity was of course the first to regain the ability to speak and she addressed the girl with a slightly weary but mostly stable tone. “S-so… is that why you looked so nervous when you were packing your bags dear…? You were worried about seeing your father again?” Rarity asked. Fluttershy looked up again and shook her head.
“Oh, um, no actually… I speak with my father all the time, he’s actually very proud of me for not only standing up for what I wanted but for managing to take down someone of his size… my father is a very large man compared to normal standards. I was worried what they are getting me for presents. They always go out and but big extravagant things for me but I’m afraid I just never use them… I’ve never had the heart to tell them so, so they just end up buying more and more for me every year.” She explained before taking a cautious nibble at her cookie. Rainbow scoffed at that.
“At least your parents don’t shove you in ridiculous looking dresses and tow you around their Hearth’s Warming ball on an invisible leash to see if you catch any of the royalty’s eyes. I swear they treat me like I’m a prized doll or something…” Rainbow groaned running a hand through her short hair. Rarity’s eyes sparkled like gems at that.
“A ball you say?! And being dressed up and pampered like an elegant princess to catch the eye of the benevolent royalty?! How could you complain Rainbow! I’d KILL to your life!” she sighed dramatically raising a hand to her forehead and falling back to rest against the booth they occupied with a dreamy smile plastered on her face.
“Yeah well Rainbow Danger Dash was born to soar in the skies at sonic speeds and earn the admiration of thousands with her amazing flying skills, not prance around in frilly dresses and flirt with snooty high society nobles. No offence princess.” She added with a nod at the moon goddess.
“None taken, my family is famous for having entire flagpoles shoved so far up their asses that they can’t bend at any angle anymore.” She responded with a casual wave of her hand. Rainbow snickered at that and Rarity frowned.
“And I’ll show you exactly what I show my parents every single time they try to tell me I don’t know WHAT destiny has planned for me.” She said as she hovered up from the table and pulled up the leg of her jeans so they could see her cutiemark. “THAT is not the mark of a high class lady, that’s the mark of a born racer who slows down for no one and laughs in the face of those who say otherwise.” She declared before she bent down into Rarity’s face and let out a short laugh to prove her point. She landed back in her place beside Applejack and folded her arms while Rarity crossed her arms and pouted to herself. Rainbow smirked knowing she had won the argument and bit down the last of her tart and chugged down the remainder of her mildly warm cocoa. “Come on ‘Shy, the taxi is going to be here in half an hour and we still have to get back to the doors and gather our bags.” She said as she flew up from the table and landed neatly on the outside of it instead of bothering her friends to get up. Fluttershy did the same but turned to her friends with a smile on her face.
“It’s been wonderful to chat with all of you, have a happy holiday, we’ll be back in a few days in time for the new year’s party.” She stated with a wave to them. They all waved goodbye as well wishing their own good tidings and goodbyes before the two winged girls left the café being sure to place a few bits on the cashier’s stand as they went. When they were both out of sight Twilight finally spoke.
“Anyone else have some kind of shocking back story they want to get out…?” she asked with an eyebrow raised. They all exchanged a few looks before Applejack raised her hand. Twilight pointed at her. “Yes Applejack…?”
“Does gettin’ in here on an academic scholarship count…?” she asked.
“That depends, what kind of academic scholarship…?” Twilight countered.
“English Literature and History.” She responded plainly.
“Yes. Yes it does. Care to go into detail…?” she asked folding her hands under her chin.
“Well… there ain’t much ta really tell, Ah just had a really good early start and Ah was just always really good at history.” Applejack shrugged as she took a large bite out of an apple fritter. Rarity however, ever the skeptical one rolled her eyes and scoffed.
“Somehow I highly doubt that you got in like that… from what I’ve heard your use of the English language is barbaric at best, the history part I can believe though. After all we do share a history class and you’ve had top scores all through the year.” She responded as she gagged a bit at the farmer’s rabid consumption of the treat. Applejack stopped in her destruction of the treat and swallowed dabbing at her mouth with a napkin daintily before she crossed her legs over one another much like Rarity had hers and removed her hat from her head and addressed the girl again in a dialect that reminded Twilight of high society proper’s back in Canterlot.
“Pardon me for saying such dearest Rarity, but I do not recall ever saying anything to you regarding my upbringing, you see although I come from a background consisting of many hardworking agriculture specialists I devoted a single year of my life to trying a different flavor in my life, meaning I paid my dearest Aunty and uncle Orange a visit in their estate in the Manhattan proper. There I was taught privately by my aunt every aspect of proper elegance and given the finest education money could purchase, I found myself drawn to the fine literature of Shakespeare and the unique style of one Edgar Allen Poe, as well as the riveting tales of Homer’s Odyssey, and so very many other famous wordsmith’s. But alas my true place, despite my Aunt and uncle’s caring open arms, was back on the farm, where my family and acre after acre of sweet apples called to me from miles away.” She stated her emerald gaze locking with the stunned sapphire across from her. Applejack uncrossed her legs and dawned her hat once more. “But Ah kept the lessons mah Aunt taught me up here,” she said tapping her head with one finger. “And because of that Ah got into this here school that mah parents had always talked about sendin’ me to when Ah was little. So ta put it simply enough Rarity, don’t judge a book by its cover. ‘specially not ‘round these parts.” AJ finished as she lifted her mug back to her lips.
Twilight looked thrilled to have another friend who could appreciate her love of books but Rarity just sat there too stunned to properly form words. Applejack’s eyes glanced up as the bell chimed in the café signaling someone had entered. She smiled and quickly stood up and waved.
“Hey, Mac! Over ‘ere!” she called. The others looked behind her all except for Pinkie who had seen the man walk in and was beaming as well. Twilight and Spike however were scared almost shitless a man massive proportion walked over to their table. He was probably pretty close to seven feet tall and had muscles bigger than Spike’s body built on him. Every inch of him looked to be chiseled muscle under his tanned skin. His hair was a golden orange color and his shirt reminded them of the old fashioned lumber jacks they saw on TV as little kids, being bright red and plaid in nature. He wore boots just like Applejack but looked older than hers and well-worn with a healthy coating of snow on them now. He carried an corduroy jacket over his arm as he walked towards him. Emerald eyes a few shades darker than his sister’s glanced down at them. “Guys, I’d like you all to meet my older brother Big Macintosh. But we just call him Big Mac for short. Mac these are my friends Twilight, Spike, and Rarity, and of course you already know Pinkie Pie.” She said gesturing to each of her dumbfounded friends that were nearly breaking their necks from how high they had to look up to see his face, except Pinkie who was waving like a mad woman.
“Nice ta meet ya’ll.” He replied in a baritone southern drawl. Spike was the first to speak.
“Whoa… you’re HUGE!” he commented. Big Mac chuckled a bit and blushed slightly as he scratched his head freeing some left over snowflakes from his messy short cut hair.
“He gets that a lot.” Applejack stated laughing with her brother. “You here ta pick me up an’ drive me back to the farm…?” she asked turning back to face her brother.
“Eeyup…” he responded with a nod. Applejack stood from her seat taking her jacket with her.
“Well, Ah guess that’d be my cue to take mah leave as well, I’ll see ya’ll on New Year’s then. And Rairty fer Celestia’s sake shut yer trap, you’ll catch flies like that.” She said leaning over and physically shutting the fashionista’s mouth closed. That seemed to snap her out of her state as she blinked a few times and managed to respond to the farmer.
“Terribly sorry, don’t know what came over me. It was a pleasure meeting you Macintosh, and I’ll see you later as well Abigail. But my time has also come to depart as my parents are expecting me by the house before dinner and I still need to collect my bags from the dorms.” She announced standing and pulling on her snow white fur jacket.
“Well shoot, ya can hitch a ride with us back to the dorms, its mighty cold out there after all.” AJ offered as she pulled on her own fuzzy lined jacket. Rarity glanced out the window at the piling snow and gave a thankful nod at the two farmers.
“I’d really appreciate that, it does look dreadfully awful out there right now.” She commented with a look at the darkening sky.
“Eeyup…” Mac stated with a nod as he pulled back on his own jacket and un hooked a set of keys from his jeans. He and Applejack walked back towards the door Applejack leaving a few bits on the counter just like Fluttershy and Dash had as they went.
Rarity turned back and smiled at them all. “I look forward to seeing you all again at the party, until then have a very happy Hearth’s Warming Eve!” she called before she too left her money on the counter beside AJ’s and then followed the two Apple’s out to a large red truck that looked like it could seriously use a wash. When it pulled out and drove out down the street the remaining pair of siblings and the lunar princess heard Pinkie sigh contently.
“Something the matter Pinkie…?” Twilight asked eyeing the poofy pink haired girl. She blinked and smiled over at her waving her hand in dismissal.
“Nah, I’m totally fine Twilight…! I was just thinking… you know, these last few months went by really fast… It’s kinda spooky. Makes me feel like it’s going by TOO fast.” She admitted her bright blue eyes surprisingly calm for once. But Twilight smiled and looked out the window as well watching the snowflakes fall down from the sky and lazily come to rest on the growing snow banks.
“Yeah… it does, doesn’t it?” she responded dreamily. Spike and Luna both nodded and watched the snow for a little while as well. Eventually they’d all been sitting there so long that their drinks all got cold. Luna stood from her seat folding the napkin that had been on her lap neatly in front of her on the table as she did so.
“Well, I do believe that the royal carriage will be arriving at our dorm soon, shall we go Twilight, Spike…?” She questioned her two roommates. They looked at her and then at each other before they too stood.
“Yes… I suppose so, Pinkie do you want us to teleport you back to Sugarcube Corner…?” Twilight asked her normally energetic friend. She shook her head slowly.
“Nah… it’s only two blocks away from here and I’m weirdly used to the cold. I’ll be fine.” She responded with a smile at her friend. “Thanks for the offer though.” She added in a more Pinkie sounding tone. Twilight and Spike relaxed after hearing her say that and Luna dropped bits onto the table before they could even pull out their money.
“Lunaaaaaa, that’s not fair! You ALWAYS pay for our stuff!” Twilight huffed crossing her arms. Luna snickered and stuck out her tongue at the magic user.
“Too slow Sparkle, now come on, I can feel my sister’s impatient pacing getting faster.” She chided with a small grin. “Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve Pinkamena.” The princess called as she grabbed both of her roommates by their hands and teleported away before they could wish her the same tidings. Pinkie waved and smiled until they were gone before she let the act drop and stared back out the window into the same gray sky. Later that evening her mother would welcome her home with her favorite meal, her father would give her the biggest bear hug in history and her two sisters would ask her the same question they would every year…
“What do you want for a gift this year Pinkie…?”
But this year she wouldn’t be asking for something like a mountain of candy or a pony that could talk. She only had one wish on her list and it was more impossible than the time she had asked to go on an adventure with a fairy friend on a quest to save an ancient land from the evil of everything bad. She would ask that the time she spent with her friends to last forever, and to be as happy as these last few months had been. But while she may get the first part of her wish there was no such thing as everlasting happiness. Even Pinkie knew that, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t fight it with all her power and do everything she could to keep her friends laughing and smiling for as long as she could.
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Why does only one person here know how to reply?
2076928 Reply what is this madness thou speaketh of?
This is an AWESOME chapter
This story is astounding. Keep it up.
lol i saw what pinkie did she referenced both the time skip and the actual MLP source but i admire her dedication to fighting the future with every cupcake confetti stream, party cannon, or confection she has to keep her friends happy
thats why pinkie will always be best pony in my eyes