Sipping her cold tea, Princess Celestia maintained a formal smile. Her diplomatic mask remained untarnished despite the duplicity and shallowness of her prior petitioner. That noble slunk out, dragging her overly-groomed and bejeweled tail on the marble palace floor. Even in her exit she managed yet another sleight, as the red carpet was there for a reason.
“Uh, Princess...” A stallion as tan as aged paper crinkled a form with his lemony magic. He adjusted his spectacles as he scanned the paperwork. “This next one appears to be a group of little kids. I don't even know how they got on the list; most ponies their age would give up at the mere sight of sub-form twenty-six B. Shall I send them off or...?”
“Thank you, Vintage, but that won't be necessary. The application process happens to be a good measure of maturity in and of itself. Being frustrating is just a fringe benefit.” She winked at him, causing him to roll his eyes. “In light of that, actual age means very little. So long as they have a nominally reasonable request feel free to send them in.”
“Well, that's the problem, princess. They didn't actually fill out the form properly, so I don't know what they want. I'd rather not waste your time with something silly like the banning of all homework.” Vintage maintained a neutral expression, but the tone of his voice edged into disdain.
Celestia covered her growing smile with a regally gold-clad hoof. “Truly, if they're as young as you say than I'm not surprised they botched it, though it is impressive to see them get this far. Please, do send them in anyway. My littlest ponies often have a refreshing honesty about them, which will be a nice change of pace. Whatever they request can't possibly be any worse than that last one who wished to abolish taxes. At least banning homework can't crash the economy.”
“Touche, Princess.” Vintage nodded. Clearing his pony throat, he levitated another form from a different stack on his desk and transcribed as he spoke. “The day court shall now consider a joint petition by the group known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders—”
Celestia's eyes widened at the mention of that name, though she quickly resumed her diplomatically neutral smile.
“—who wish to make a formal request for—” Vintage sighed as he read what they actually wrote. “—'Yes.' Guards, you may now admit Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and—” Eyes squinting, he slowed down as he attempted to decipher the chicken scratches on the last line. “—Scootie Loo.”
Shortly thereafter, the overly-huge, ornate golden door cracked open and admitted three wide-eyed little fillies flanked on both sides by formal guards in the full, golden regalia of the sun. Other guards lined the walls, standing firm with their heads held high and spears at the ready. Stained glass windows filtered the sunlight into a myriad of colors, painting the white marble floor with false hues.
Pausing to admire the scenery, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had to run to keep up when one of their escorts cleared his throat and tapped the butt of his spear on the ground. At the end of a long, narrow, red carpet, lay the elevated throne itself, where Celestia stood above them all on a golden dais. With her warm smile, she was the only friendly face in the whole room. They all took deep bows, prostrating before her. In truth, this room was designed to impress foreign dignitaries and was mostly overkill for her own subjects, who would show her the same sort of reverence even if she were standing in a cardboard box.
Celestia opted to skip the diplomatic pause and broke the silence immediately, as their little flanks were heaving and she didn't want to put them even more on edge. “Why hello there, my little ponies. It's wonderful to see you. Your new cutie marks are splendid.”
“Thank you, princess,” Apple Bloom said, still bowing.
“They're amazing!” Sweetie Belle said. She also remained hugging the floor, but twisted her head to look at her own flank.
Wiggling her rump, Scootaloo said, “Yeah, we're really proud of them.”
“I can well imagine. You may rise.” Celestia paused to admire them when they grouped up and bumped their flanks together. “Shared cutie marks are usually only seen with identical twins.” Once they'd finished showing off, they sat down as close to her as they could, preferring her company to the austerity of the wide open room. “So what brings you to seek an audience?”
“Right, that.” Apple Bloom scratched her mane, ruffling her ever-present big, red bow. “We were wondering if ya could, well...”
“Declare a new holiday!” Scootaloo hopped, buzzing her wings.
Nodding, Sweetie Belle looked up with wide eyes and a large grin.
“Humph. And what should we call this holiday? Stay Home From School Day? Free Candy Day? Give Us Lots of Presents Day?”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders all frowned and uncomfortably twisted their necks around to look at the clerk, who held his quill aloft near his paperwork, waiting for their response. While their attentions were diverted, Celestia flicked her left ear and waved a hoof horizontally twice. Seeing this, Vintage nodded and sat down, waiting for her permission to resume transcribing again. The Crusaders, obviously puzzled by this, turned back to Celestia.
“My clerk, Vintage, may have spoken out of turn, but he does have a point. The purpose of these petitions is to put forth ideas that will benefit Equestria as a whole. I cannot consider any request which would not be fair to all ponies involved. Holidays might be fun, but they're disruptive to the normal schedule and we don't celebrate any that don't have a deeper meaning or purpose.”
“Well, yeah. We kinda figured.” Apple Bloom raised a hoof to make a point, but got distracted, staring at a stained glass window depicting Twilight's battle with Lord Tirek.
“Wait. There's a purpose to Nightmare Night?” Sweetie Belle asked.
Grinning, Celestia sipped her tea. “Yes. There are many books written about that very subject, actually. Now is not the time for a lecture so I'll be brief. While Nightmare Night is mostly fun and full of games, it's also a subtle way of reminding ponies that the world is full of wild and dangerous beings. Likewise, Hearth's Warming is a celebration of our tribal unity wrapped up with a deep family bonding moment, Hearts and Hooves Day allows couples to reaffirm their love so as not to drift apart, the Summer Sun Celebration brings together whole communities, and the Running of the Leaves and Winter Wrap-Up make games out of the chores of changing the seasons.”
“Huh.” Sweetie Belle blinked.
Scootaloo shrugged. “Our holiday is going to be just as awesome as all the rest.”
“Uh, yeah.” Still staring at the pretty colors, Apple Bloom had to peel her attention off the scenery to address Celestia. Even the walls were decorated with floral arrangements. “The anniversary of Twilight's victory over Lord Tirek is coming up soon, and we got to talking, and realized that there's a huge opportunity for something special. Uh, how to explain it...?” Frowning, Apple Bloom scratched at her chin.
“I think we should start with the sun.” Sweetie Belle winked at Apple Bloom and grinned slyly. The other two nodded and winked back.
Celestia raised an eyebrow. Well, so much for the blunt honesty of youth; these fillies had a plan. Perhaps too much excessively excruciating paperwork could warp even the youngest of minds into shrewd diplomats. She may have to rethink her strategy. Sipping her tea, she prompted them to go on. “The sun?”
“Yep!” Sweetie Belle stood up and held her head high. She waved a hoof up at the tallest point on the ceiling which was decorated with a sun the same style as Celestia's cutie mark. “When Lord Tirek attacked, he drained all the magic in the world. We lost our luster, the tint of our eyes, and even our cutie marks, but there was something he did not take from us: the sun.”
“Really?” Celestia chuckled. “Why would he take that? It's not like he cared enough to maintain a proper day and night cycle, and he'd never be able to get close enough to absorb its magic without getting burned.”
“Yeah, it is pretty awesome.” Scootaloo smacked her hooves together. “The sun does a ton of cool stuff, but it's also the most powerful thing in the sky. It's a fire that never dies, a fury that never ends, a passion that forever glows. Its heat can parch land to desert and blind anypony foolish enough to stare at it too long. You have to respect the sun, or you get burned.”
“That is good advice, though I doubt that Tirek would have been afraid of a sunburn.” Celestia went to sip her tea again, but paused. “Would any of you like something to drink?”
“Uh...” Scootaloo scratched at her mane. “No thanks.”
“Some tea, please. Do you have Eau de Agua?” Sweetie Belle asked.
Celestia nodded.
“Just water's fine,” Apple Bloom said.
A castle servant stepped out of the room through a plain side door. Vintage raised one eyebrow high and slightly tilted his head. Waving a hoof at him, Celestia caused him to snicker. He resumed his boring stance just in time for the Crusaders to look over their shoulders at him.
Sweetie Belle cleared her throat. “Yes, it's obvious that Tirek had nothing to fear from the sun, but that's also what makes it so special to us. The sun might have the power of a furnace, but it's very gentle too. The touch of sun on your cheeks is the best part of stepping outside on a sunny day. It's like it's always smiling and blowing kisses.
“And it's not just ponies who feel this embrace, but everything. The sun represents life. It represents joy and happiness and we always think of the sun as good weather. It's so important that it even represents entire growing seasons. No painting of spring or summer would be complete without the sun, and it's often pictured with the other seasons too just because we love it so much.”
A tray clanked, and the three fillies watched over their shoulders as the servant returned. Given that everything was being carried magically, the noise was made on purpose so as not to startle them. Adorned with only a white collar clasped with a sun, the gray unicorn servant unfolded legs from the bottom of her serving tray and set it down as a short, makeshift table. It held a steaming crystal pitcher and three cups. Levitating a hot pad, she gripped the handle with it and poured a glass for Sweetie Belle, who sniffed it, and Apple Bloom, who raised an eyebrow.
“Eau de Agua is just a fancy name for steaming water, Apple Bloom,” Celestia explained.
“Uh, right.” Apple Bloom blew on her cup, but left it sitting there, watching steam waft into the air. After the servant stepped aside, Scootaloo grabbed the hot pad and poured some liquid into her own cup, only to burn her tongue when she tried to sip it.
Frowning, Apple Bloom blew on her cup again as Scootaloo pawed at her mouth and scraped her tongue on her teeth. “Why not just serve normal water? This is too hot to drink.”
“It's...” Sweetie Belle shrugged. “I read it in a magazine once. It's just something that rich ponies do.”
Celestia waved her servant back and whispered in her ear. The unicorn nodded and plodded off. “It's an old custom to serve hot water to diplomats. A long time ago, before filtration spells were created, there often lurked disease in the water. Local ponies would be immune, but foreign visitors could fall ill from drinking it. Thus, it was boiled to make it safe. However, ponies were very distrustful back then, so as a show of respect, water was served steaming as proof that this had been done. To this day, serving cold water is considered to be an insult.”
The servant returned, bearing a bowl of ice. Scootaloo grabbed some cubes and stuffed them in her mouth. Tilting the bowl, Apple Bloom dumped some in her cup. They melted quickly, and the resulting liquid was more lukewarm than chilled. It also tasted tinny, but it was still refreshing. Apple Bloom pushed the bowl over to Sweetie Belle, who shook her head.
“I kinda like mine hot, but thanks, anyway.”
Celestia smiled and looked up at the decorated ceiling. “Before this interruption, we were talking about the sun. While it might be a thing of joy, I doubt that Tirek was moved by its presence.”
“Well of course not. If it weren't standin' between him and magic, he didn't care.” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “But that don't mean it weren't important. The best part about the sun is just how dependable it is. It don't matter how dark and stormy it gets, or how long the night lasts, because we all know: the sun's just waitin' behind the clouds or lurkin' beneath the horizon. It's gonna come back. It's gonna be day again. That's just how it works. Why, it's so regular that you can even set a clock to it!
“The sun might be a powerful inferno, and a radiant gem, but it's also a beacon of hope. When Tirek stole our magic, he cast a shadow on our hearts. Everything just kept getting worse and worse as his power grew and ours faded, but all we had to do was look to the sun for comfort. It watches over us and shows us that there's always a way to break through the clouds and shine again. Not even Nightmare Moon could make the night last forever! And with that hope, we knew that there was gonna be a way to win.”
Celestia smiled at them. “I don't think I've heard anypony talk about the sun quite like that before. Do you know one thing that I like about it? That it's not judgmental. It shines equally for everypony.”
“Ooh, that's a good one,” Sweetie Belle said.
Scootaloo spat her ice cubes into her cup, smacked her lips, and vigorously shook her head. “Uh, I guess you're wondering what all this talk is about. Well, it's pretty simple. The sun is your cutie mark, so these things like power, joy, hope, and, uh, fairness, are also things that you represent.”
Placing a gold-clad hoof to her mouth, Celestia chuckled. “I do enjoy a good compliment, but flattery isn't going to get you your own holiday.”
“We're not done yet.” Sweetie Belle set down her still-steaming cup and frowned. She plopped two ice cubes in her glass before looking up again. “Our holiday—we want it to be about cutie marks. You see, a lot of ponies just take them for granted.
“Sure, it's a big deal when it first appears, but after that, well, that's it. Its significance fades and while ponies do follow its guidance, they don't explore its deeper meaning or even talk about it. Twilight never would have known that she'd gotten her cutie mark on the same day as all her friends if we hadn't taken the time to ask about them, and they're best friends! That's just not right.”
Sweetie Belle sipped her drink and Scootaloo stepped up. “It shouldn't have to take something awful like Tirek to come along and remove them all before ponies will realize how important they are. Cutie marks should not be just a kid thing that's one-and-done and ignored. They're downright awesome and they should be respected, appreciated, embraced, and even celebrated.” She stamped her hoof on the ground.
Apple Bloom touched her own cutie mark. “While everypony's cutie marks might not be as powerful a symbol as the sun, they're still equally important to the pony they belong to. We just have to make ponies realize that. And that's really what we want. On the day of Tirek's defeat, everypony's cutie marks returned. To celebrate that, we should reflect upon our own cutie marks, and discuss them with others. We really believe that ponies will be happier if they all take the time to do that.”
Wide-eyed, Celestia nodded slowly. She rubbed her chin, and glanced back at her flank. The silence stretched on as the Cutie Mark Crusaders huddled together, patiently waiting for a verdict. Remaining stoic as ever, the guards silently watched and listened. Even Vintage, who had been idly twirling his quill, froze in place, awaiting the order to resume his duty.
“I think...” Narrowing her eyes, Celestia set her hoof back on the floor. “I think this could work. On the day in which all cutie marks were returned, it could be a day of re-marking, talking about what they really mean. There could be a feast—”
“A feast?” Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow. “Why a feast?”
“Every holiday needs a gimmick, or there'd be no reason to celebrate. Feasts are a great way of bringing ponies together, and they'd have plenty of time to talk while they ate. Plus, the timing's pretty good as this event falls near the end of summer when harvests are being gathered and all the food's still fresh. I've had a request to make that into a holiday on its own, though I was less inclined to approve something which effectively only celebrated earth ponies. This would be a much better use for a feast.”
“So does this mean you're actually going to do it?” Scootaloo asked.
Nodding, Celestia stood to her full height and spread her wings open. “Vintage, take a note please. I, Princess Celestia, do hereby formally declare that I shall grant the Cutie Mark Crusaders' request for 'yes.' ”
While Vintage scribbled away, the three fillies raised eyebrows and gave each other worried looks.
“ 'Yes?' ” Scootaloo asked.
“Well, it is what you wrote on the form.” She gave them all a sly grin.
Apple Bloom's eyes widened. “No! Please don't tell me that we have to start over and fill out all the paperwork again.”
“It took us six tries just to figure out where to put our names,” Sweetie Belle moaned.
Pressing her hooves against her cheeks, Apple Bloom pulled down, revealing the red edges under her eyes. “If I ever have to look at another sub-form twenty-six B, I swear that Ah'm gonna scream!”
“Well, I know what I'm dressing up as next Nightmare Night,” Scootaloo teased.
“Please don't joke about that.” Apple Bloom shuddered. “Ah'm going to have enough nightmares as it is.”
Scootaloo snickered. “Well, now I have to, just to see the look on your face.”
“Yes, I'd love to see that too. Send pictures, please.” Celestia chuckled when they all looked at her. “Don't worry, you don't have to redo the paperwork this time. We can fix it on our own.”
“Speaking of that, would you prefer it if I recorded what they actually requested?” Vintage asked.
“No. Not yet, at least.” Celestia paused to glance at the stained glass window where Twilight battled Tirek. Vintage frowned deeply. “I know how important it is to maintain accurate records, but Twilight reads these reports and I'd like to keep this a secret for now. She's far too modest to want ponies celebrating one of her accomplishments. While I don't see a problem, I would prefer to broach the subject myself. Vintage, you may, however, prepare an errata to file alongside the original report after the event in question has taken place.”
“Of course, Princess.” He bowed his head before stamping his current paperwork with the official seal. With that complete, he pulled out another sheet and scribbled away.
“Ah can't believe we actually did it.” Apple Bloom stood there in a daze.
“A whole holiday...” Scootaloo's mouth hung open.
“For celebrating cutie marks!” Sweetie Belle clapped her hooves together.
“Yes—Cutie Re-Marking Day—something which I'll be proud to celebrate.” Celestia nodded, then examined the golden sun on her flank. “Thank you, Cutie Mark Crusaders. You've really brightened up my day.”
