The sun.
The giant ball of light that had, for countless ages, provided the warmth for life to flourish in Equestria. It was revered by many due to having Celestia as its caretaker, many of whom still had her mental breakdown from a decade prior still fresh on their minds. Yet, even though she was free of the responsibilities of being a princess, she had not once paid a visit to the little cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville that Clear Spark, Chrysalis, and Apple Bloom called home. For Clear, it did not mean a thing, for ever since he was born he could not see the symbol of the day, nor the clear blue sky above, or even had the chance to go cloud watching with his friends. Being born blind had robbed him of the ability to experience those things, but he could still feel the warmth that the stellar body provided. At the moment, he could feel it coming in through the window of his and Bloom’s room at Sweet Apple Acres, where he and Chrysalis were staying while renovations were being done on their home.
“Must be morning,” Clear said, getting out of bed and stretching his hooves. The previous day had been a roller coaster, with Apple Bloom telling him that she was pregnant with their foal and that she wished to marry him. Never before had he thought that he would ever marry, let alone sire a foal, and had spent most of the day doing his best not to freak out. Applejack’s suggestion of staying the night at the farm while drones started to get the materials together to renovate had been unanimously agreed upon and gave Clear plenty of space to think out his thoughts. “Hey Bloom, you in here?”
“Now I am,” Bloom’s cheerful tone, along with a kiss on Spark’s cheek, brought a smile to his face. The farm mare, even though her stallion could not see it, had a smile as well. She had grown attached to him since they became friends, and was quick to defend against anyone who dared to make fun of his disability by making faces or off remarks. “Was just coming back from the bathroom, and I saw your mother and Granny headin’ fer the kitchen to get started on breakfast.”
“Food sounds nice,” Clear chuckled, his stomach lightly growling and making him lightly blush in embarrassment. He knew his heightened sense of hearing made the growl be louder to his own ears than to Apple Bloom’s but her giggle indicated that she had heard it regardless. “A-anyway, to the kitchen then?”
“Yeah,” Bloom had learned to be a guide for her partner, using the fact that she was slightly shorter than him to her advantage. The floorboards, only a few months old, were still new enough to have no splinters, but even with Clear knowing the full layout of the farmhouse by now, she loved being close to him. Entering the kitchen, she was surprised to see that Granny and Chrysalis had already had the meal mostly prepared and on the stove. “Good morning you two.”
“Good morning Apple Bloom,” Chrysalis smiled, her magic sliding out Clear’s seat so her son could sit after Bloom guided him to it. “Good morning to you as well son, I hope that you were able to get a decent rest in Luna’s realm.”
“The opposite actually,” Clear huffed, putting his forehooves on the table and laying his head on them. “Sure, I went to bed early last night considering how much got dropped on me yesterday, but that does not mean I actually slept. It was only when Bloom came to bed and snuggled up against me that I could finally relax, still had issues but no nightmares though.”
“That’s good,” Chrysalis said, a soft hum escaping her lips as she looked at the young couple. Being a changeling allowed her to see the love between the two of them, a bright flame that was still young with a lot of room to blossom further. However, she could also see a bit of fear that danced at the edge of her senses, something that concerned her. “You ok Spark? You know if something is troubling you, you can always talk to me.”
“I’m fine,” Spark did not have to see to know that his mother had frowned, the air moved by her quick tail flick making him droop his ears slightly as he sat back up. “Well, ok, mostly fine. It is just that I am worried about being a good husband and father. Considering that I can’t see, I worry that I can’t provide as I should.”
“Dear, relax,” Bloom gave her love a gentle nuzzle before settling into the crook of his neck. She knew that she was mostly to blame for her fiance’s mood, but could find no fault in his very valid concerns. “You have me and your mom, not to mention the rest of our family as well. We will all do our part in raising our filly or colt, and they will be taken care of and surrounded with love.”
“Little Bloom got da right of it,” Granny’s tone carried one of knowing, concerns that she had herself when she was pregnant with Bright Mac, and also had to reassure when Pear was pregnant with Big Mac, albeit in a slightly different form. She had broken her hip a few years prior from a nasty incident involving a timberwolf attack, so the fact both her and Pear had been perfectly fine was a miracle in itself. “Goin’ to be nice bein’ able to foalsit a youngin’ again, so don’tcha worry about a thing.”
“It is still going to be my responsibility as the foal’s father to help,” Clear said, making the mares fall into silence as she took a deep breath. “You, Applejack, and Apple Bloom still have the farm to care for, which is going to make things stressful when it comes to harvest and cider time. With that in mind, I did a lot of thinking while I was unable to sleep, and came to the conclusion that it would be best if we moved her to the farm. Not just us, but also those left in the hive.”
“Are, are you suggesting what I think you are?” Chrysalis was shocked, surprised that her son had come up with such a straightforward conclusion. “Most of the stragglers have spent their entire lives there dear, I am curious as to what reasoning would be good enough to have them relocate from the secluded Badlands to be here in Ponyville.”
“Oh, I do not indeed on fully abandoning it,” Spark’s declaration only prompted more confusion from the trio of mares as Applejack walked in, pausing in the doorway to not interrupt. “Welcome in Applejack, but anyways mother I say we turn it into a defensive escape just in case something serious occurs. This is Ponyville after all, but for the most part moving here to the farm will provide a better means of shipping out the plushies the hive produces due to the post office here in town. Additionally, it would allow Ponyville to be more of a blossoming city, and also provide extra farmhooves to help out around here. I am unable to be much of help, Big Mac got his own family to see about, Bloom is pregnant, and Granny you should not be pushing yourself as hard as you do.”
“Now just wait a cider-squeezin’ minute!” Granny exclaimed, the sheer fire in her shout making everyone, including Chrysalis, flinch from the vigor she had put on display. With a shaky hoof, she leveled it at Spark, narrowing her eyes in a glare that could put Fluttershy’s to shame and make the timid pegasus hide under her bed from it. “Ah may be getting up in my years, but ah still got a ticker in me chest, an’ can still carry mah weight!”
“Granny,” Applejack said, slowly easing her way into the kitchen, Granny’s gaze shifting to her like a cat watching a mouse. Even with all the enemies that her and her friend’s had defeated, the glare was making the Element of Honesty wilt like an apple that had been discarded and left in the scorching summer sun. “Ah’m sorry, but I agree with what Clear Spark is suggestin’. Things aren’t like they were when he and Chrysalis came to Ponyville, and even with Rainbow’s help, ah can’t carry the load all by my lonesome. Extra hooves would help make things easier, and give us all more time.”
“Hm…” Granny hummed, dropping her glare and closing her eyes as she mused everything over, The head of the Apple Clan knew that her granddaughter had a point, and despite her sheer will to continue her legacy, age was catching up with her aching joints. Not that she would admit it to anypony. “If yer going to have them come here, they will be yer responsibility Applejack. Just so we’re clear.”
“Ah understand,” Applejack, tipping her cap in appreciation, then looked at Chrysalis. “How many drones are left in that place anyway? Ah need to know so that we can figure out a plan for housin’, if they agree to the move anyway.”
“All together? Fifty.” Chrysalis said, making Applejack’s eye widen, but before her former enemy could balk at the notion, the queen raised a hoof to finish her explanation. “I know that sounds like a lot, and I also know that this farm can not handle that many drones, but forty of them are solely for the production of the plushies that the hive puts out, The other ten are seven farmers for growing and trade, two cooks, and a medic.”
“Seven farmers huh,” Applejack mused, rubbing her chin in thought, thinking over the logistics of everything with that new key piece of information obtained. “So, in reality, we would need to have room for eight adults an’ a nursery fer Bloom’s foal. This is gonna be a mighty hard challenge, especially with the fact we need to find a place fer the workers to set up their shop.”
“What about the land around the house Spark and Chrysalis currently have?” Apple Bloom’s inquiry sparked something inside her sister, the gears in the Element Bearer's mind turning again. “Ah mean, if they are going to move her to the farm, that land would basically become free fer’em to use. Right?”
“In a manner of speaking,” Spark had been formulating his own plan, which with a bit of wiggle room, he was sure would work. He had asked soon after he and Bloom started being a couple just how big the farm was, and had his mother write them in braille so no matter where he was in the expanse of the orchard, he could always find his way back to the farmhouse by counting his hoofsteps. They were dimensions that he had memorized and burned into his brain, and were about to come in handy as a very clever idea formed. “That place is way too small for the worktop, let alone the workers themselves, but I think that the most obvious answer is having that be the entrance to the new workshop. The living room floor could be dug up and the living quarters be underground, problem solved for that. It will also provide time to get the new operations up along the border between the home and the orchard, with more room to expand above ground.”
“Tackles both problems at the same time,” Chrysalis said, nodding at the proposed idea. “That will keep things close enough to be kept an eye on from here, and also give everyling enough freedom to mingle with the rest of the town’s residents. The fact we already have several influential changelings, including Red Bug, living here already would do well to help influence their decisions. I am sure that a few may want to go join the others in other clusters in Vanhoover or Manehattan, but we just got to wait and see there.”
“Yeah,” Spark sighed, his ears dropping once more until he felt each of the mare’s put a reassuring hoof on his back. The fact he had no part of his plan struck down did wonders to boost his confidence, making him feel bold enough to address the other thing that had come to his mind the previous night. “Also, there is another part of this too. Moving here will make things easier for Bloom, but it will be a little longer walk for me to get to Zecora. So, think it will be ok to have her move into our old house if she does not mind?”
“I have no issue, but the end decision lies with her,” Chrysalis was feeling like a proud mother, knowing that she had done a great job of raising Spark into an intelligent young stallion with a kind heart. At one point in time, she would have taken his kindness as a sign of weakness, but those times were long buried. It still made her ashamed on occasions that she had originally befriended him for nefarious purposes, something that she still talked with both Red Bug and Princess Luna about. “Considering how long she has been in isolation, there is a strong chance that she would decline the offer. I spent a long time in the hive before you were born Spark, longer than several of your bloodline’s generations. Do you remember how I had to stay in disguise when I first met you, and again until the day I lost my cover in that fight with Diamond Tiara’s mother? While I had to use it to prevent me being identified, I was also scared because I knew that if I was not careful everything I worked so hard to achieve with your safety would come undone. I was scared Spark, so even someone like me can know fear.”
“I know mom,” Spark leaned back, giving Chrysalis a soft nuzzle as he spoke. “Still, I had to spend my youth constantly discarded and nearly died. Now, I am happy, healthy, and got a lot of love and support from everypony here in town. Besides, you could say that my idea was my first decree as the heir to your throne. I am sure more than one drone that is still back there will find a bit of humor in that.”
Chrysalis did not respond, the full weight of Spark’s light joke hitting her full force. While it was true that he was her heir, the fact she even had a heir making her realize just how much of her power was now out in the open. With Apple Bloom carrying Spark’s foal, it meant that she now had an established bloodline to pass on the crown should anything happen to her. That fact was what terrified her, and for the first time since that fateful fight with Spoiled Rich, she felt exposed.
