Eclipse

It was an early Tuesday morning in Ponyville and Twilight was...already up milling about and worrying for the upcoming Festival of the Eclipse. "Spike! Get up! It's almost three a.m.! We need to check up on the preparations for the festival!" She shouted as she opened the blinds with her magic. "Ugh...five more minutes..." Groaned the small dragon as he snuggled uncomfortably back into his bed. "NO!" She screamed as she lifted him by the tail and dragged him down the stairs. He miserably failed as he frantically tried to grab onto anything in sight to delay his descent to the ground floor... He knew how these festivals worked... "Just another pointless excuse for me to not be sleeping if you ask me." Was his only thought at the moment. Of course Twilight had always been this way, ever since she got Spike when she was just a filly. Never ending perfection. Never ending precision. Always on time... About the second they opened the front door to the Library they were almost immediately pounced on by the host of the celebration...Pinkie Pie. Her bright pink mane almost jiggled in the aftershock of the collision. "Helooooo there Twilight!" she said in the cutest voice possible. "What are YOU doing up so early?" Growled Spike, wishing that he had the option to be up early or have slept in. Which, he obviously would have chosen the latter. "Oh I never sleep when there's a PARTY to plan, silly!" She said as she giggled uncontrollably. "Well...i'm glad SOMEPONY has enough sense to take this whole thing seriously!" Twilight responded out of frustration. "Yep! I still have to go and see Applejack for those apples for the cake!" Pinkie pie grinned. "Oh good! Can we come with you? I need to check to see how she's preparing for the Eclipse." Said Twilight as she tried to think of her schedule. "Sure thing Twilight! I'd love to have some traveling buddies to keep me company!" A few minutes down the road, with apple trees on their left and right, they found two ponies in a heated debate in the center of the clearing. "I don't CARE! It just wouldn't be COOL enough without it!" "Rainbow! I'm sure that the celebration 'll be mighty fine without one of y'alls "infamous" flybys"..."What's going on here?" Twilight asked, trying to think of a solution. "SHE doesn't think that my flybys are cool!" Shouted the rainbow maned pegasus. "No I didn't! I was just sayin that y'all can't just...work one in at the last minute! It'd be very disrespectful to the princesses!" Objected Applejack. "STOP ARGUING!!!" Twilight shouted in their faces. They both clenched their teeth out of shock and covered their ears with their hooves. "Why are you two up anyway?" she angrily questioned. "Oh, nothing much...just trying to perfect the flyby that SHE doesn't approve of!" Rainbow dash screamed. "It's not that...ugh...YOU KNOW WHAT!?! Go ahead and do it! See if I care!" As Twilight smacked her forehead, the two ponies decided to stop fighting and listen. "Sooo...Applejack? Do you have those apples you promised?" Pinkie Pie sheepily asked. "Oh ya! Me and Big Mac picked 'em just this mornin'." She walked over and pulled a fresh basket of apples out from behind one of the larger apple trees and handed it to Pinkie. "Thanks A.J.! These'll be great!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Well...we better get on back to Ponyville to check on everything." Sighed Twilight. "Ooh! We'll come too!" "Ya, I want to come!" They all said at the same time. "Fine...but don't get in the way of the preperations..." Twilight said, slightly exasperated. "Sure thing Twilight...oh! And everythings ready on our part, so y'all don't have to worry." Applejack reassured. "Oh my gosh! I completely forgot the whole reason I came here in the FIRST place!" She realized. "It's cool Twilight...that's exactly why we're going to stay out of your way." Explained Rainbow Dash in a reasuring tone. "Thanks, you guys are great." She said as she gave a weak smile.