Rune Factory: Friendship is Magic

Chapter 5

The Ball

Tugging her cloak closed, Hope followed the ponies toward a secondary entrance of the castle, where the princesses Celestia and Luna greeted them. The elder of the princesses greeted them with a warm smile.

"Welcome, my little ponies. And to you too, Hope. Welcome to Canterlot."

Hope curtsied in respect as she spoke.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

But Hope still thought that the princesses shouldn't had gone through the trouble of arranging this ball just for her.

Rarity then ushers her friends in, save for Hope.

"Now go and get yourselves settled in. Hope's unveiling should be soon and I want to touch up on some things before she is shown."

The princesses smiled in amusement as the five friends made their way to the ballroom, with the two co-rulers following them as Rarity worked on some final touches.

The ballroom was as magnificent as it was during the Grand Galloping Gala, only the theme was flowers and crystals. Ponies from High Society talked amongst themselves, enjoy the food, or slow dance with their chosen partners. Amongst the crowd, Twilight saw a few familiar faces. "

Shining Armor! Cadence!"

Twilight hustled over to greet her elder brother and sister-in-law, who were just as happy to see her. Shining Armor, the white and blue unicorn with a shield for a Cutie Mark, hugged his little sister.

"Twili! It's been a while, Sis."

"Too long, BBBBF." Twilight told her brother.

Cadence, the pink alicorn with the tri-color mane and tail also greeted.

"It's good to see you, Twilight."

She then turned her head the other way. "

You're not going to believe who we ran into. It's Romano, your old classmate."

Twilight's eyes widened with surprise. "

No way! Romano's here? I thought he'd be busy helping out his family's company."

Cadence spoke to her sister-in-law again. "

In a way, he is. His family suggested that he should speak to ponies here in hopes that the company would gain valuable customers. But I think he thinks otherwise."

Twilight knew what Cadence meant. As a colt of a well-reputed family mixed of nobility and industry, Romano was often subjugated to his family's business practices, but Romano had little wish to run the company with his brothers. Romano was considered an oddball to his family, having taken up various hobbies and studies that his relatives would not approve of. In fact, it was Romano that told her of the "Mare in the Moon" story the day before she arrived in Ponyville. Even though she never made many friends in Canterlot, Romano was considered a good guy and Twilight was eager to see him.

She looked around until she saw a medium-built unicorn stallion with a white coat, a dark brown mane and tail, and his cutie mark was a set of golden scales and a ruby-red rose coiling around the stand upward. His mane was medium-length and flowed elegantly down his shoulder. He was dressed in a tuxedo and was admiring some of the castle's artwork.

With a smile, Twilight approached the stallion as she spoke.

"That tapestry is from the Equestrian Renaissance. Ponicelli's 'The Birth of Epona,' I believe."

The stallion jumped around in surprise, then gave a laugh.

"Twilight Sparkle. I should've known you'd sneak up on me with that encyclopedic brain of yours."

Twilight laughed.

"Sorry, Romano. I couldn't help it. You're almost always off in your own world when you focus."

"The same goes for you too. Congratulations on becoming princess, by the way. I knew you had potential from the moment I met you."

Romano smiled.

"Thank you, Romano. How's your family doing?" Twilight asked.

Romano groaned.

"Ugh! They never stop thinking about money. You're not gonna believe this, but my parents are actually considering an arranged marriage for me."

Twilight gaped.

"No way! But isn't the practice of arranged marriages outdated?"

"When it comes to money and reputation, everything's in season for my parents. I just wish it was Oro or Platino they were thinking about." Romano lamented.

He then remembered something and spoke to Twilight.

"If I remember correctly, isn't it the anniversary of…you know."

It took Twilight a second to realize what Romano was talking about. Her ears lowered as she answered him.

"Yes. To be honest, with what's been happening, I had just about forgotten."

"My condolences, Twilight. I didn't mean to bring back such sad memories. Even after ten years I bet the wound still hurts." Romano apologized.

Twilight shook her head.

"No, Romano. If anything, I should be thanking you. I would feel just terrible if I remember a few days later and I am back in Ponyville. So I'm really glad you told me."

Romano was about to speak when the crowd suddenly fell silent as the lights dimmed. A spotlight shined onto the top of a tall staircase and at its top were princesses Celestia and Luna.

"Welcome, fillies and gentlecolts, to the debutante ball of Equestria's Earthmate: Hope of Rune. As you all know, the monster epidemic has been a problem for a while. Thanks to our Guest of Honor, we have a hoof-hold on the situation. She has even asked us if she could teach the local farmers on how to tame these monsters and have them help on their farms. We believe that this is an excellent course of action. But right now, allow us to introduce tonight's debutante: Hope."

On the floor, the entire room gasped, mostly because of the appearance of the creature behind a set of velvet curtains behind the princesses.

Amongst the ponies, the Mane Six and those associated with them, were amazed at the job Rarity did on Hope. The Earthmate wore a white empire-waist dress, the waist decorated with diamonds. The shoulder wrap of the dress was composed of white feathers and the bottom of the dress was embroidered in a flowery rosemaling design with diamonds of both white and pink. Hope's short hair was tied in a low knot with a pink cherry blossom comb for decoration. She also wore tiny pink diamond hair pins on her scalp for extra elegance. The only other jewelry she wore composed of a diamond and silver choker with matching bracelets. There was only a hint of make-up on her face, mostly a light pink lipstick.

Twilight and her friends were absolutely impressed at Hope's appearance. Rarity, who appeared seconds before Hope was revealed, took pride in her work. Hope, on the other hand, was extremely nervous but maintained her composure. She curtsied, bowing lightly as she was taught.

As the world resumed, Twilight turned to Rarity and spoke.

"Rarity. I am without question impressed! Hope looks absolutely beautiful tonight!"

Rarity basked in the praise as she answered Twilight.

"Isn't she? The dress compliments her sweet personality and the accessories were Hope's craft, including the comb and the hairpins."

Rainbow Dash's magenta eyes widened with this new information. "Hope made those?"

Rarity turned her gaze to Hope, who was calmly greeting the various ponies that came to her, and continued to speak.

"Yes. She told me that her father taught her how to make accessories amongst other things. Fortunately for us, those accessories were made before Hope came to Equestria, but Hope and I agreed to do business together once she is able to set up a workshop."

Twilight was about to speak when she felt a nudge on her shoulder. Turning her head, she found that the touch belonged to Romano, who was staring at Hope in awe.

"Twilight. Who is that marvelous creature? Is she really the Earthmate?"

Twilight stifled a laugh at Romano's reaction. It reminded her of a certain purple and green dragon, who was at the snack table for the moment.

"It is, Romano. Do you want me to introduce you?"

Romano nodded, not taking his eyes off the Guest of Honor.

"I-if you please?"

With a minor shove, Twilight led Romano past the crowd and approached Hope.

"How are you doing?"

Even though she was only just introduced, Hope was exhausted thanks to her nerves, but manages to put on a smile for Twilight.

"I'm holding up."

She then turned her notice to Romano, prompting Twilight to introduce the two.

"Hope. This is Romano, an old classmate of mine. Romano, this is Hope, the Earthmate."

Hope curtsied while Romano bowed to her as he spoke. "It is a great pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Hope." He then made a bold move on his part.

"May I have the honor of dancing with you?"

Polite, but oblivious to Romano's current feelings, Hope nodded.

"You may."

With a smile, Romano led her to the ballroom floor.

Because of the differences in height and body structure, Hope and Romano were forced to waltz without touching each other, which was expected by most. Watching the two dance, the Mane Six spoke amongst themselves with smirks on their faces.

"Looks like your old classmate has a crush on our resident Earthmate." Rainbow Dash spoke slyly.

Twilight could only giggle as she watch the mismatched pair dance, both struggling to match their steps.

"Well, Romano has been into the strange and unusual. I'd figure he'd take at least an intellectual interest in Hope. But I've never imagined that he would be bewitched by her."

"Nor do I, Princess Twilight. Nor do I." A mischievous voice spoke out.

It was loud enough for the Mane Six to hear, but not enough to gain attention of the rest of the guests, Guest of Honor included. Four out of the Mane Six narrowed their eyes as they recognized the voice.

"Alright. Where are you, Discord?" Twilight beckoned.

In a poof of light, the infamous Lord of Chaos appeared before the Mane Six, although he was miniature at the moment.

"Why, right here, of course. You can't expect a big party going on expect me to miss it, did you?"

"Although it would be a pleasant dream come true." The four of the Six thought.

"Speaking of which, where is the Guest of Honor I have been hearing so much about?" Discord asked as he poofed onto Applejack's hat and began looking through a telescope that magically appeared in his eagle claw.

"Why do you want to know?" Applejack sourly asked as she shook her head to rid herself of the Draconequus.

Discord poofed off of Applejack and floated mid-air as he spoke.

"Why, all of Equestria is in an uproar about the Earthmate and the monster crisis, so I just had to meet her."

But then, to the Mane Six's surprise, Discord found himself in deep thought with a very serious look on his face.

"You know. Come to think of it. This monster crisis is exactly what my brother would do for a small parlor game."

The Mane Six nearly gasped out loud as Rainbow Dash spoke in shock.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What a minute. You… have a brother?!"

Discord sighed in contempt.

"Yes, I had an older brother. But it wasn't like we were friends or anything. So don't worry about meeting him anytime soon."

Giving out a sigh, Applejack whispered to Twilight.

"Whew. Good. I'd hate to find out if we had to deal with two Discords in the same day."

But Discord heard her and cleared his throat, gaining their attention.

"I'll have you know that you six would have a much easier time battling Nightmare Moon, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, Tirek, and of course, yours truly, at the same time than you would have fighting my brother alone. And I am not joking. He would tear you apart in much crueler fashions than I could even want to explain."

Seeing the seriousness, Fluttershy gulped.

"Is he really…that bad?"

Discord nodded.

"You're lucky I took care of him when I did. I was lucky myself to even survive when I overthrew him."

But he then changed the mood as he found Hope amongst the crowd.

"But enough of the past. Now if you excuse me, ladies, I shall go introduce myself to your Earthmate friend."

As Discord poofed away, the majority of the Mane Six hurried to the dance floor to stop him. The only who didn't move from her place was Twilight, who frowned sadly as she found herself in deep thought. Even though he didn't know it, Discord had struck a very sensitive nerve that Romano had done a little while ago. Now, she couldn't stay at the ball anymore.

She had to perform her annual errand.

Twilight pulled away from the crowd and approached the princesses and Shining Armor, all four of them noticing the saddened look on her face.

"Is everything alright, Twilight?" Celestia asked.

As much as Twilight wanted to say she was fine, she couldn't keep her feelings in.

"Princess. Since this is the anniversary, I have to go…see him."

"Him?" Luna asked, confused.

But Celestia, Cadence, and Shining Armor realized what Twilight was talking about and in order, they spoke.

"Of course, Twilight. How could I have forgotten? Please forgive me." Celesta apologized.

Twilight shook her head.

"It's alright. I had forgotten myself until Romano reminded me."

Cadence embraced her sister-in-law as she spoke.

"Go on. If anyone asks, we'll tell them you wished for some fresh air."

Shining Armor then pulled his sister in an ever tighter embrace as he whispered to her.

"Tell him I send my love, too."

Twilight wanted to cry right then and there, but she didn't want to cause a scene. Instead, she thanked them as she left the ball, only Luna was lost in the conversation between the royals.

"Would somepony mind telling me what is going on?"

Knowing her sister needed to know, Celestia looked to Cadence and Shining Armor.

"Could you look after things for me? I have to tell her."

The royal couple nodded as the two sisters left the room to speak.

It was only a few minutes afterwards did Hope finally got some time to rest. Romano wanted to dance every dance with her and there was a possibility they would have had not this strange creature decided he should cut in. Strangely enough, her friends from Ponyville knew him and it was Fluttershy who told her to rest while they dealt with the strange creature, leaving Hope with both relief and questions.

But as she took off her shoes, she saw from the shadows Twilight walking out the castle garden and out into Canterlot.

"Now where is she going?" Hope muttered to herself as she cast the shoes aside and followed Twilight in the shadows.

At first, she thought Twilight was going for a walk until they had reached the gates of Canterlot. Upon passing the gates, Hope became concerned for her friend and continued to follow. Once they were far enough from prying eyes, Hope decided to turn into her Wooly self and continue on, her dress changing so that it fit her fuzzy body.

Keeping to the shadows again, Hope continued to follow Twilight to a nearby forest that was much more friendly-looking than the Everfree Forest. They walked for what seemed to be a couple of miles into the forest when Twilight slowed her gait, prompting Hope to do the same thing as they approached a clearing.

The clearing was about the circumference of Twilight's old library if not twice as big. The grass covered the forest floor like a large rug and at the end of the clearing was a cave with a broken statue inside, faintly seen in the moonlight. At the center of the clearing was a single stone, but when Hope squinted her eyes, she saw that it had writing on it.

It was a tombstone.

Twilight smiled sadly as she knelt down onto her stomach in front of the stone.

"Hello, Dusk Shine. Sorry that I hadn't visited you in a while. Things had been pretty crazy. But guess what? I'm a princess now. And Shining Armor's married to Princess Cadence and are ruling the Crystal Empire together. But most of all, I have friends. I'm pretty sure that if you were here, you'd love them just as much as I do."

Hope remained silent, making sure Twilight didn't hear her.

But who was this mysterious Dusk Shine? Was he someone Twilight knew very well? But before Hope could think, Twilight began to sing to the stone.

I

never thought this day would come

When I have made proud both Dad and Mom,

When I have become a princess

I never thought I'd pass the test,

But when I should be happy

I am, in truth, so sad,

Because there is one who had died

To have seen how hard I tried…

(Chorus)

It was you that encouraged me

To follow my dreams, to make them be~,

It was you who made me persevere

Every time I had shed a tear~,

If there is anyone I'm thankful for this win

It is you, my beloved twin~,

Hope's eyes widened as she realized what Twilight was doing. She was singing a sort of prayer to this "Dusk Shine" pony. The Earthmate remained silent as Twilight sang more.

I know that Shining Armor is proud

And my friends feel like clouds

All so light with glee

As proud as they could be,

But on-ly I would know~

Just how proud you would be~…

You have been with me since we began

We were each other's biggest fan,

When I fell, you'd helped me up

When you were sad, I cheered you up,

(Chorus)

It was you that encouraged me

To follow my dreams, to make them be~,

It was you who made me persevere

Every time I had shed a tear~,

If there is anyone I thankful for this win

It is you, my beloved twin~,

(Instrumental solo with Twilight speaking to the grave)

Twilight sighed as she looked at the grave, tears falling form her eyes.

"I wish you were still with us, Dusk. I just know that you would be proud of me and Shining Armor."

She then continued to sing.

(Chorus)

It was you that encouraged me

To follow my dreams, to make them be~,

It was you who made me persevere

Every time I had shed a tear~,

If there is anyone I thankful for this win

It is you, my beloved twin~,

(Chorus)

It was you that encouraged me

To follow my dreams, to make them be~,

It was you who made me persevere

Every time I had shed a tear~,

If there is anyone I thankful for this win

It is you, my beloved...twin~~~

The sound of clapping surprise caused Twilight to jump. Turning around, she found that the source of the clapping was a Wooly. A golden Wooly.

"Hope?! What are you doing here?"

The Wooly answered the princess.

"I was outside the castle, taking a breather, when I saw you walk out of the gardens. I became curious and followed. When you left Canterlot, I had become worried and snuck away to see if you were alright."

She then bowed as low as she could as a Wooly.

"I'm sorry."

While Twilight was surprised that she was followed, she was touched at Hope's worry. She shook her hoof off at the Earthmate.

"I-it's ok, Hope. I was just surprised. Thank you for your concern, though."

She then turned to the tombstone as Hope reverted to her human form.

"I was speaking with my brother."

Hope raised an eyebrow out of confusion.

"Your brother?"

Twilight nodded as she gazed at the tombstone.

"I have two brothers. One is my older brother, Shining Armor. He's attending the ball as we speak."

Her voice got lower as she continued.

"…and the other…was my twin brother, Dusk Shine."

Twilight's Narration

I wasn't always a loner. If there was one pony I was rarely apart from, it was Dusk Shine. The two of us did everything together. We played together. We sang together. We laughed together. And we cried together. He was even there with me when I witnessed my first Summer Sun Celebration that inspired me to take up magic and had the same interest.

The two of us studied magic, encouraging each other to work hard and do our best. When we signed up for our entrance exams, we scheduled them on the same day, just at different times. But when my magic went out of control during my exam, Dusk tried to help me, but he went out of control, too, until Princess Celestia calmed us.

That was how we got our Cutie Marks. They looked the same, but while I had a magenta star, he had an emerald star.

We both became Celestia's protégé's together. This clearing we are in was my brother's favorite spot. We used to come here every day after our lessons to do our homework and experiment with our magic.

But one day, I got too ambitious and decided to try a very difficult spell. Dusk tried to warn me not to perform it, but I didn't listen. I just wanted to become better. But when I performed it, I found myself out of control once again.

I don't remember much about what happened, but I do remember that Dusk Shine saved me by "taking" the spell from me and allowed the light from the spell consume us. When I came to, my twin was nowhere to be found.

Celestia, my family, and I searched all over the clearing and the forest for any sign of him. But the only thing we found…was a singed locket that I gave him on our birthday.

Third Person POV

"…And so…we assumed…that…"

Twilight's voice broke into a sob as Hope was able to piece together on what happened. With a saddened look in her eyes, she placed a comforting hand on Twilight's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Twilight. I can't imagine losing a loved one in such a way. Not even when my mother died."

The half-monster then gave a small smile.

"I may not have known him, but I'm certain that he'd be so proud of you. From what of the stories you have told me, I can only imaging his reaction and that he'd want you to continue to move forward. Yes, the past hurts. But with every pain we take in, we can move better for the future."

Twilight just broke down and buried her head into Hope's shoulder, tears staining the white dress. Hope wasn't that surprised. At times, she broke down into tears whenever she thought about her mother. So she let Twilight cry on. It was a cry she needed.

"Let it all out. Don't hold back. Let every drop fall until there is no more." Hope whispered, comforting the princess as she cried.

Meanwhile…

A dark cackle echoed through a dark place as its owner watched the scene in a large crystal sphere that was placated in the maw of a gold snake.

"How amusing. To think that the Element of Magic has a very strong weakness. I cannot wait until dawn. I'll reveal myself to her and that pest on WHO is the true ruler of Equestria!"

The figure cackled darkly into the night as a pair of eyes glowed a neon green so wickedly.