Bass Clefs and Sapphires

by Crispn

Siblings

Three more hours passed as the baking continued. The apple house filled with the smell of pies, pastries and other fried treats. Since Bic Mac and I were done with the harvesting for the day, he decided to take the rest of the day off. He pulled me and Apple Bloom out of the kitchen and took us out to the cellar.

The scent of hickory and oak wafted out from the dark expanse in front of my eyes and filled my nostrils to the brim. The intoxicating aroma of the aged wood and something else, fruity but with a kick on the end. Apples and is that cinnamon? Flicking on the light, the cellar came to bathe in the dim glow of the single bulb on the ceiling. Six large kegs, about six feet tall, came into view. Gauges were all over, connected to pressure sensors and thermostats, everything gleamed in the dim light. Big Mac and Apple Bloom strode into the small cellar, Mac going to a small cabinet on the left while Apple Bloom picked up a clipboard off the wall and took notes off the gauges.

“What’s all this then?” I asked, looking around in wonder at everything.

“Well, ya know how when we first met, AJ said ah was gonna go ta school fer engineering. She wanted me ta do that ever since ah fixed up her old clubhouse.” Apple Bloom said, never taking her eyes off the kegs.

“Apple Bloom’s always been good at fixin’ and makin’ things. About a month ago, she wanted ta help me with some of my brewin’. Lookin’ fer somethin’ ta do since Sweetie Belle is doing her music all the time and Scootaloo ain’t around fer...other reasons. Turns out, she’s a natural. Made perfect apple cider on her first try. Thought she was never gonna get her mark, but after ah tasted that, the mark came.”

I looked over and saw the mark he was talking about. A golden delicious apple on a tilted keg slightly hid by her long red hair. I was confused though about Big Mac’s statement. Apple Bloom didn’t find her mark until she was almost eighteen. An adult, and yet just barely figured out what she was good at, what to do with her life. I spent almost the entire last year of high school drunk out of my mind, going in and out of detention facilities. I’m just glad that she didn’t have to go through that.

“Scootaloo is coming back, Big Mac.” Apple Bloom said, shaking on the spot. “She was only supposed ta be gone for a month, but it’s been almost a year.”

“Apple Bloom,” Big Mac sighed. He turned to his sister and leaned against the keg, looking down at her, “she went away cause of what happened ‘tween her and Diamond Tiara before she went away. Her father pressed charges, but she will be back out when she turns eighteen regardless. Yer gonna see yer friend again.” He pulled his sister into a tight hug as she started to sniffle. I felt awkward but dared not make a sound, fearing to break the sincere moment in front of me. Even though, he doesn’t entirely understand what she is going through, he is still there for her. I smiled as Big Mac comforted his littlest sister. Sometimes I remember how hard it was after Trixie left, but I was always glad she was there when she was.

“Well, ya wanna try something?” Apple Bloom said, wiping her nose as she turned back around to face me, gesturing to the table with a few mugs on it.

“Well, Ah’l be, looks like someone finally broke out the reserve.” a voice said from the staircase behind me. AJ, Rarity and Pinkie Pie were all standing there on the stairs with AJ trying to push past me. “Big Mac, what in tarnation are ya doin’ here, yer supposed ta help Pinkie take all the product ta Sugar Cube Corner. It’s almost five so move yer butt and get that to the store.”

Big Mac looked startled about forgetting to take care of one of the most important things today.

“Ah eeyup.” He stammered out as he strode past AJ and Rarity, grabbing Pinkie Pie and quickly leaving the cellar. AJ turned back to Apple Bloom smiling.

“Well, what d’ya have for us ta try today?”

A few brews in, I started to feel a bit too warm in the cheeks, and Rarity had started to sway precariously on her chair. So we said our goodbyes and made our way on back to the apartment to get ready for Twilights. It had been a fun Hearth’s Warming vacation. Probably the best vacation I had ever had.

“And juss what are you thinking about?” Rarity slurred and slipped slightly on the icy roads from the farm.

“Oh, I was just thinking about the last time I had such a good time.”

She scoffed and hit my arm with a playful smack, “And here I was thinking you were thinking about me.”

“Didn’t I just say that. Today has been one of the best days I have ever had, and its really all thanks to Vinyl.”

“Vinyl!?” She said indignantly “WHY is Vinyl the reason that today has been such a good day.”

“Well she got me a new apartment, where I met a bunch of great people and made a lot of new friends,” and taking her face in my hands and holding it close to mine. So close that I could feel the warmth of her breath hit my lips. “And for bringing you into my life.” I finished as I softly placed my lips against hers.

She grabbed me in her arms and held my tight. Her magic stirred into life. It slowly swirled light flurries of snow around us. My wings took this opportunity to flap vigorously and it sent up its own small flurries of snow to join her’s.

We broke off the passionate kiss after a few minutes, realizing I had started to hover a few feet off the ground. I touched down on the ground and put Rarity down on her feet. She looked up into my eyes with those lipid sapphire pools of desire and passion. She stared for what seemed like hours. She mumbled something soft that I think she hoped I did not notice her saying.

“What was that?” asking her inquisitively, nuzzling my nose up against hers.

She looked down, terrified. She pushed out of my arms and started to tear.

“I can’t, I just can’t. I can’t go through it again.” Rarity said, tearing up as she flailed her arms around like a lunatic. I looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a smile. I brought her back into my arms. The snow had started to fall softly and it landed in her hair, giving her an angelic look. I pulled her close to me and nuzzled my nose in her neck.

“What are you so worried about? That I am going to end up like Ridger, or be worse? Listen to me, I love you, why the hell would I do anything to jeopardize that?”

“What did you say?”

“You know what I said.” I swiftly replied, bringing her eyes to meet mine.

Rarity’s eyes started to tear up, but this time it wasn’t fear, hatred or sadness. For the first time since I had met her, her tears came from joy. Her entire body shook as she pushed herself out of my arms again, crashing down to her knees on the snow. I bent down to pick her back up. As I got down on my knee, she threw herself at me, flinging her arms around my neck and just crying into my shoulder. I smiled. She obviously loved me too, even if she didn’t need to say it. I felt my wings open and start to flutter, kicking the soft powder up in flurries around us.

Up in a cloud, a tall female sat down and watched over the scene. She had pastel pinks, greens and blues in her hair and it seemed to flow like water. She wore a white coat with matching skirt. Next to her landed a smaller girl. Her hair as dark as the night, with small sparkles every so often. Her dress was a much older style, the bottom a dark blue and her top black. Her coat matched the top of her dress and her tall hat the same as the bottom.

“Sister, do you really believe that these people are the ones that can help us.”

“I do not know, Luna. He seemed to have such certainty that these people out of their misery and hardship are the ones.”

“We listened to him once before, and We do not believe it is in our best interest to be following that... thing’s advice again.”

“Now, Now, a thing? Really, after the time we served together, that’s all you think of me? For shame.” A gray haired and bearded man appeared on the cloud behind them. “Besides, Princess Luna, it has been all too long.”

Luna, the smaller of the two, looked at the old man, “Yes, it has been eons since We have been this close.” Glaring at him all the while.

“Oh come now, it was not my intention for this to go on as long as it has. And you can’t tell me that you do not enjoy having opposable thumbs. I mean, I have always had them, but they are ever so useful. And if I may say that in my defense, this curse that has befallen Equestria and the other nations is not all my doing. It was only supposed to be one day. If you want to blame someone, blame Sombra. He is the one that interfered with the cast.”

Luna tensed up at the mention of the name, “Discord, I am warning you. I wish to return to my original form. I did not wait almost nine hundred years for this. I need to find Sombra.”

"Oh, dropping the formalities of the Royal Canterlot voice. Someone must be upset."

"Discord..." Luna snorted as she stood up, striding up to Discord. There she stood, fuming, clenched fists and fire in her eyes. Staring down the tall man standing calmly in front of her, she attempted to speak further but all that came was frustration and intangible words, flailing her arms.

“Calm down, my dear sister.” Celestia patted her little sister on the back. “All is not lost. I, for one, find that having magic and these fingers, so nimble, so useful. Although this is not what was intended by the makers. Hundreds of years have gone by and we have advanced in ways we never thought possible. Maybe Discord is right, but we should at least find a solution to this if it ever becomes an endangerment to my subjects.”

“Oh, ever the wet blanket to my parade. Don’t you remember the days when we would bend the rivers into the sky when were bored? We may not be as we once were, but nothing has changed. All I merely said was that these people are the ones that could help. I have no intention of going back to what was before the war.”

“That is not acceptable, Discord.” Luna stated. “I want to return. I want to be what we once were, I want to bring it all back to how it was before the war!”

“Oh, I do not doubt that. Here let me help you.” He snapped and the three of them were surrounded in a soft glow. All three of them shifted into forms unknown to this world.

Celestia and Luna turned into graceful creatures, with long legs leading down to rock hard hooves. Their wings grew long feathers as their faces became snouts. A horn adorned each forehead. Discord a mismatch of many creatures. A lion, lizard and an eagle to name a few, though his face matched that of Celestia and Luna’s. One wing was leathery while the other matched a regular peg’s.

“Do you remember what life was actually like when everyone was equine? I do, and it is not grand.” He snapped his eagle claw, causing it to reshape back into his hand.

“I will not hinder progress. Our old forms did not allow our people such prosperity. These people will help us in discovering where Sombra is. But now is not the time.”

“Sombra can...”

“Sombra can do many things, but he once attempted to take over the realm, eradicating the griffons and almost all the dragons in his and Chrysalis's warpath. He is instrumental in the curse, but I have no intention of ever letting him resume his old form. The curse worked. He was weakened, now all that needs to be done is bring him to justice.” Discord faced Luna with a strange stern feel that she had never seen before.

Luna mumbled something about it not being right, but most of what she said was lost.

“My dear sister, I believe Discord is actually making sense for once. The Lord of Chaos, making sense. The irony of it is just humorous.”

“He has never made sense before, why should we start listening to him now?”

“Because, he is right. I only agreed to bring Sombra to justice, not restore ourselves to our godlike status. I also believe that returning to our old form will hinder our evolution in this world. We should embrace what has become.”

“My sentiments exactly, dear Celestia. Now Luna, I know your powers over the psyche and dreamstates. Do not interfere with the matters of mortals before it is time.”

“You interfere with them all the time, namely those two right down there are direct byproducts of your handiwork.”

“I never interfere. I influence them to make their own choices and to grow on their own accord. Yes, I did push Crisp harder than I pushed Rarity, but she was already strong-willed. I never had to get directly involved with her life.”

“See, right there. You interfered with his life. You are going against your own rule.”

“Crisp...is a special case."

"And how does he differ from the girl he is with?"

"Rarity always had her familial bonds and her friends to lean on, to push her forward. Crisp has not had anyone until recently. It was luck that I found him in that music room. I lost track of him years ago when Amber Sheen was killed. It was like he dropped off the map somehow, Rensous as well. He had no one. If I did not get involved, he would most likely have been dead in a ditch."

"Are you telling us that-"

"I did what was needed to, yes. Now, I would suggest that you go down and joining in on your new life, instead of seeking refuge on the moon as you have done these last 900 years. If you will excuse me, I have a conference I must attend to with a certain unicorn and then I’m off to the coast.” He offered his arm to Celestia, who in turned blushed slightly. “Care to join me, it has been such a long time since we had a vacation. She is also your student after all.”

Celestia took his arm and in an instant, Discord snapped his left hand, waved goodbye to Luna and disappeared with her sister.

Luna sat back down on the cloud, looking over down onto the road where a peg and a uni were now embracing each other passionately. If he was right, why did it have to be this child? Could it possibly be? What did that old goat face know? She sighed, resigning herself to the fact that maybe he was right, but that did not mean she was happy about it. Quickly, she spread out her wings and took off into the night sky, and with her magic, brought out the stars.

Author's Note:

Apple Bloom and Big Mac's relationship was a fun, yet difficult one to get down without thinking about my little sister, who is currently on a mission trip in Africa's Ivory Coast for the next month.

Crisp finally opens himself up completely, and Rarity is overjoyed.

But what about Discord, Celestia and Luna, why are Crisp and Rarity so important and what does Crisp have to do with Sombra?

Comments

[Crispn]

2697452

Thank you, I seriously thought I had caught all of them last time I went through the story. They should all be properly capitalized now.