Crickets chirped, and a amber glow coated the village of Ponyville in a comforting light. Clanking sounds and joyful chatter came from inside a bar, the only part of the village that seemed up and alive at such an hour. It was 2:00 in the morning, yet still active.
A light orange pony trotted across the blades of grass beneath her hooves, her gaze was kept steady as she treaded fastly, as if something was following her. The mare seemed in a hurry, her emerald green eyes of wonder shimmering in the moonlit village.
Just then, in the distance was a light blue pegasus. The Pegasus noticed the sound of distant trotting and looked in the direction the light orange mare was running in. The light orange mare then halted, and inhaled lightly; "A-- Alrighty.." She began, "Ah'm here.. what did.. what did yall wanna talk about?"
The Pegasus showed no emotion. And only stepped closer. "Go inside that bar with me, and you'll find out what I need from you." Her scrawny voice answered the southern ponys look of exhaustion. The light orange pony gulped from her tone, something told her this wouldn't end easy.
-
The two stepped inside the bar, and had a seat. Laughs from Mare employees and gentlecolts echoed from all sides of the place, making the light orange pony a little uneasy. They were basically inside a brothel, almost, what did the Pegasus need to discuss here?
The light blue Pegasus pulled out a cigar, and inhaled. She blew out a puff of smoke, making the light orange pony cough softly in the midst of the powder like material that was blowing onto her face. "So.. I came to talk to you about the recent news."
"The.. The recent news?" The light orange pony repeated, "Oh.. y-- yeah, Twi.. Twilight." She had only realized after a few seconds who she had been referring to. "Hmm.." Grumbled the light blue Pegasus, she then pulled out a paper as she took another smoke.
"If I'm correct, my stallions said they found her inside her room, across the shore where she had been staying, hanging from the ceiling. They managed to flow enough oxygen in her," She puffed, "but she didn't live long."
The light orange pony gulped, "A-huh.."
"But she did live long enough to confess that she had been trying to kill herself." The light blue Pegasus then looked at the paper she had been holding. "In this letter she had sent me from the Sunlight House, she had said quote; 'I feel comfortable, dear Chief, truly; I feel almost like I could spend the rest of my days here.'"
"Now-- how does a mare go from being perfectly content with living at a house perfectly crafted for her so she'd live a comfortable life, to suicidal in the span of 5 weeks?!" The blue Pegasus' tone was getting impatient, the light orange pony froze.
"Listen-- Rainbow-- Ah-- er, i mean, Chief.. simmer down, it ain't no use to freak out in a public space. If ya came here to do some questionin', your gonna have to start calmin' down first." The light orange pony interrupted.
"Dont order me, Applejack, I am the chief-- you are but a farmer!" Yelled Rainbow, making Applejack flinch at the intensity of her voice. "A-- Ah know that, Chief, I'm sorry-- but no answers are comin' if ya make a scene in a bar." Applejack replied.
Rainbow sighed, "Fine, I'm sorry."
Applejack continued, "Good, now.. ah.. ah don't know anythin' that woulda made Twilight suicidal-- she seemed like the most happy mare in Equestria, but.. I can tell ya everythin' I know that led up to her death."
Rainbow widened her eyes in curiosity, "Well, if it won't take too long, then spit it."
"Well.."
-
Ah think it all began on a day in April, that might have been the day where things started takin' a real toll on 'er. The mist inside the city that was comin' from the artifical oxygen poured in was makin' it hard to see, so me and Twilight decided to stay in.
Twilight was writin' a letter to my-- my dear friend, Rarity-- she had addressed her all fancy-like, it was almost kind of cute. I'll be honest, before she moved to the Sunlight House, the Moonlight Mansion was a real looker. A bunch of cool potions left and right-- and a real awesome friend too.
Ah was lookin' outside as she wrote it all away on her lil' paper. Ah saw you, you yellin' at your Stallions to go wherever you wanted them to be, ah think you might have been doin' a mission of some kind that day.
Ever since Celestia and Luna decided to split lands, it hasn't exactly been the same for anypony. Luna takin' over Equestria, Celestia takin' over all lands that were near Equestria-- well, now were called the Moonlight Lands, now that the moon is the only thing thats out when the clouds clear.
Ah looked back at Twilight, she was drummin' up a whirlwind of words on that paper, I tell ya, it was almost actually pretty impressive. I went over to that mare, and told 'er; "Ya gonna slow down, Twi? Not like Rarity ain't gonna receive your letters if ya don't write fast enough."
Twilight then shot back; "Well, you know how Delivery Mare Pinkie is, if I don't get it done fast-- she's going to get mad at me, and then I'll have to end up doing something ridiculous for her because that's what she always does."
And um.. ah think the moment I said this, this was the beginnin' of a sort of turnin' point for her. I told that mare; "The Sun-Moon Festivals comin' up pretty soon. For 9 days, it'll be like old times-- it'll be goin' in a normal day and night cycle like nothin' ever happened."
"Heh.. yeah. I don't know whatever happened between Luna and Princess Celestia. It was like suddenly, they just.. didn't like eachother at all anymore." The mare told me, she didn't see exactly focused on her paper anymore, heheh.
"Well, It always happens one way or another, sugarcube. We knew them splittin' up was the only way to prevent any bloodshed." Ah tried cheerin' her up. "Yeah, but.. is a society like ours really okay? Moonlight every hour, artificial oxygen, toxic and acid filled water.. is this really what we wanted?" She.. she answered.
Ah.. gee, now that ah think back on it.. she.. she was kinda right..
O-- Oh, sorry, Chief.. gettin' off track there, heh.. now.. where was i?
"Well, I ain't too sure, sugarcube.. but.. I think it's for the best." Ah told 'er, "We should be thankful there ain't anypony dead, even if the circumstances are a lil' low right now."
The mare only grumbled at me, much to my dismay, and kept writin' away like she was runnin' outta time. Ah saw in those focused eyes of 'ers a figure of a genius, yet exhaustion remained still too. So.. ah tried to cheer 'er up again.
"Hey, why not come down with me to Sweet Apple Acres sometime? We could use a bit of help down there, been ages since anypony came down to help." Ah said to 'er as she wrote furiously on that lil' paper of 'ers, she stopped a moment and looked at me like ah had an apple for a head.
"Sweet Apple Acres? But--" She paused, "are.. are you sure? Would I be interrupt.. interrupting anything?"
Ah answered, "No, sugarcube, ya ain't gotta worry about that. We'll be makin' the food for the Sun-Moon Festival, so all I'm askin' is that you help somewhat." Twi.. she looked hesitant, like she was still unsure even after ah reassured 'er.
"But.. what if I'm a burden? What if your family still remembers how I messed up last time?! What if your Granny Smith tries to--" Ah set a hoof on her muzzle right then and there to keep her from ramblin' so much she'd hurt herself. "Sugarcube, you don't have anythin' to worry for." I told 'er.
"Believe me, ah don't know how my family feels about ya.. Granny Smith always seems to be yappin' for us to get back to work, Apple Bloom is always doin' somethin' cuz Granny keeps makin' 'er.. and Big Mac is usually just buckin' trees. Ah'm sure they could care less about last time as long as ya don't do anythin' too serious."
Lookin' back on it, Chief, ah don't think I sounded as comfortin' as I wanted to sound.. that poor belle looked so scared-- ah-- it almost nearly split my heart in two right then and there.
"Hey, your gonna be fine, honey. Ya don't have anythin' to worry for, even if they don't like ya much, ah'll be cheerin' you on. And.. maybe after we're done preparin', we could go and grab some donuts, just like we used to." Ah tried comfortin' her again.
She didn't say anythin' for a moment, ah opened my mouth to speak, but she interrupted me; "Alright, I'll go.. but.. please tell me if I'm messing something up, I don't wanna be a bother to you!"
"Ya ain't ever a bother to me, Twi, I promise.." Ah didn't speak for a moment, and swallowed, "N-- Now.. ya have that letter to finish up. Finish-- Finish that up, ah'll wait for you outside, sugarcube."
Ah then went out of 'er mansion and waited for about a good 15 minutes, then she came back out, ready to come with me. So we went to Sweet Apple Acres, and like the cute little dear she was, she helped out.
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Ah folded Apple Blooms clothes, as Twi read the mail we had received from Delivery Mare Pinkie that day. She read it out loud as ah kept workin' my little tail off, heh. She sounded like a professional author almost.
"The Sun-Moon Festival humbly invites you to be a guest, to celebrate the separation of the two sisters. You are required(as an earth pony) to be in charge of the food, and so, we humbly ask of you to do so. We hope you meet our expectations, Princess Luna is always watching. Sincerely, The Moonlight Council."
She finished readin', and ah only let out a sigh, "So.. they're basically askin' me and my family to make the food for them so they don't have to?"
"Well, that's what it says." She said, "Sweet Luna, why does the council never do anything right.."
"Well, ah guess that's what ya can expect from a council cherry-picked by a tyrant so hellbent on makin' Equestria worse." Ah sarcastically said back, only foldin' more clothes.
"Hmm.." She then pulled out another mail she had received, and upon reading it, she randomly gasped like she had read the most horrible news in her life.
"Wha-- what is it, sugarcube?" Ah asked. "The-- they.. they want me to.. give a speech! In front of hundreds and hundreds of ponies who don't like me already!"
"First of all, ponies do like you-- second of all, what?!"
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"For the last time, sugarcube.. ya ain't gonna fail! And even if ya do, so what? It ain't like anyponys opinion here matters anyway." She was pacin the floor as I tried to reassure her the best ah could, the white, ivory light reflected onto her in an oddly beautiful manner for some reason..
"But thats the thing! Their opinion does matter, Applejack! If word gets out i did a horrible job, then-- then Luna.. she'll kick me out and-- send me back to Kindergarten!" Ah didn't mean to seem frustrated when she said that, but ah groaned like ah was.
"Oh my--"
The sounds of horns then suddenly sounded in the distance, both of us went quiet, which was.. oddly weird. It was loud, triumphant and played over any sort of other noise. Twi and I went over to the balcony to see the source of it, and what do ya know.. the Sunlight folks had shown up.
They sang the song they had basically forced us to remember.. how exactly did it go again? Ah, right..
Through the thick and thin, trudge as we might
Through the big and through our kin, we keep up with the fight
Solar lights keep on striving down on the sunlight lands
Fields of amber shine brightly as the folks say;
"The Sunlight Lands are comin, fear as one may!"
Silky coats of amber-yellow, and our magnificent Princess
We put our strengths to the tests, and we detest
All fools who dare oppose are angelic Princess
All those who dare challenge are precious Princess
The Sunlight Lands trudge through the snows and pains of life
We still manage to keep up the fight; though we struggle as we might
Sunlight shines, new days arrive, and the folks still say;
"Beware! Beware! The Sunlight Lands are coming today!"
Author's Note
Well damn, I had to write a whole ass song for this damn chapter
