Peace Celebrations

Scale pushed her way through the gathering crowd to the kitchen in the back of her family’s small cottage. The entire village of Farrar was there for the end of the Season of Storms. This year, Scale’s grandmare, Fermata, was the story teller so, Scale’s family was hosting. It was hard to keep everypony happy but Scale didn’t mind. At least her cousins had to help too.

Since no pony would be able to sleep during the Season of Storms, it was a long tradition in Farrar that everypony would gather and tell stories, sing songs, and laugh long into the night. It was a great honor to be selected as story teller. No pony in Scale’s family has been story teller for over a decade. It had taken the rest of the ponies in town a long time to get over the fact that Scale’s mother hadn’t been born Farraran.

Scale grabbed a trey of rose sandwiches from her mom, a petit, silver unicorn, and took it out to the zebra’s milling around the living room. Nearly everypony in Farrar was a zebra; that was what made Scale and her mother stand out. Though Scale took more after her father’s side of the family, the fact that she had a horn set her apart from everypony else.

It took Scale less than a minute to empty the platter. Everypony was hungry and anxious to have some entertainment. Being the last night of the Season of Storms as it was and the story that was being told that nigh was everypony’s favorite.

Fermata pulled a chair up to the front of the room and got settled in. Everypony else followed suit. The rest of Scale’s family filed out of the kitchen and settled down in the back. They were just as existed to hear the story as anypony.

“As you all know, tonight is the last night of the Season of Storms. That means I will be telling the story we all wait to hear.” Fermata said. Everypony was hanging on every word she spoke. Fermata had that effect on ponies. “Tonight, I will be telling you the story of how our glorious land came into being. As you all know, the Lunar Republic used to be part of a much larger country named Equestria.

“A thousand years ago, the celestial beings that ruled Equestria fell from power. We call this fateful day the Fall. With the collapse of the monarchy, the sun and the moon stopped their daily trip across the sky. The land known as Equestria fell into disarray. The eastern half of the country became a frozen wasteland; the western half a waterless desert.

“After a number of years, these villages and towns that had survived the Fall organized themselves into two countries. To the west, the land of Celestia’s Warriors formed and to the east, the empire of Luna’s Martyrs.

“For a time, each power was content to leave the other alone, only interacting through business transactions. This fact changed after it was discovered that a portion of land, formerly known as the Everfree Forest, was able to function without the aid of magic. Both countries wanted the piece of land for themselves.

“A bloody war broke out but the two sides were too evenly matched. For years the war dragged on. Each side lost thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of warriors but no pony could gain the advantage. With their numbers dwindling, the leaders of Celestia’s Warriors and Luna’s Martyrs met.

“It took them less than a day to figure out that the fighting needed to stop. Not only had their war killed many it had upset the balance of harmony more than anything else since the reign of Discord.

“A peace treaty was signed and the Everfree Forest was renamed the Neutral Training Grounds. A school was constructed in the middle the dense woodland. The builder made sure to keep the natural beauty of the forest intact. Laws were passed and all the foals from both sides of the boarders were required to attend at least one year. All of these efforts by those ponies ended the suffering of many. Harmony was finally restored and the cycle of day and night began again.

“Here in the Badlands, without the weather pegasi to control the rains, the desert had increased its borders and turned the entirety of valley into a cold wasteland. Despite this, small tribes of zebras managed to survive. We, as Farraran, are the descendants of these perseverant ponies.

“On the same day that the sun and moon began their daily cycle, it began to rain in the Badlands, without the interference of weather pegasi. These rains that have occurred every year since the restoration of harmony, brought life back to our corner of the Lunar Republic.

“Each year, we celebrate the official forming of the Lunar Republic and our neighbor to the west, the Solar City-States. We also celebrate the Season of Storms; the time of the year when rains from the north bring life our desert home. Each night, we gather like those that created the treaty that brought those rains back to us.

“On this, the last night of the rains, we speak fondly of our history. We tell the story we have all heard since the beginning of our foalhood. I feel that I speak for the rest of us when I say that it is a story I will never tire of hearing. I am proud to have been chosen for the honor of retelling it again for all of you.”

Everypony in the living room began to clap their hooves. They all loved to hear the story and Fermata had told it well. After a few minutes of congratulating Fermata, Scale, and the rest of the ponies in their family, zebras began to file out of the cottage in a muddled line of black and white.

A small, white zebra with black ears and one black hoof climbed up on top of a chair and cleared her throat. “Could everypony wait for a second?” She asked, loudly.

Fermata glanced up at the zebra with a questing look. “What is you need, Mukesh?”

“Well, as everypony knows, the week after the end of the Season of Storms is when the foals go to the Training Grounds. We also all know that Scale, Fermata’s grandfilly, will be going to school there.” Mukesh said. “Some of us got together and made some things for her.”

Three ponies from the crowd pushed their way to the front. Each one was holding a small, wrapped package in their hooves. A few other zebras grabbed Scale and dragged her to the front. They plopped her down in front of Mukesh.

Color flooded to Scale’s grey cheeks. She had been expecting this to happen, everypony that left Farrar was given a tradition send off, but she had hoped they would wait a little longer. She knew what was expected of her and complied. Scale stood up and straightened herself out and got ready to take her medicine like a mare.

“The first gift is to help keep your home close to your heart.” Mukesh proclaimed. Scale was embarrassed but she knew better than to protest. If she left halfway through, she wouldn’t be able to leave with dignity.

The first of the three ponies handed his package to Scale. She carefully untied the small string and unwrapped the brown paper around it. Scale pulled the top off the box. Inside was a carefully made necklace, made to look like the flowers that grew on the cacti in the surrounding desert. Scale tied it around her neck.

“The second gift is to help you keep your home in your mind.” Mukesh said.

The second mare stepped forward, a green package in her hooves. Scale pulled it apart and took the top off. Inside was a ring that fit onto Scale’s horn. She slipped it on and waited for Mukesh to finish.

“The final gift is the most special one we can give. It signifies you transition from a filly that looks towards the sky to a mare that listens to the ground.” Mukesh said. “Would Scale’s mother please come up front?”

Scale was actually excited for this part of the ceremony. The first two gifts varied from foal to foal but the last gift was always the same. Once she completed this part, she could leave Farrar whenever she wanted.

Scale’s mom, Ambrose, the grey mare from before, strode to the front. She proudly displayed a gold ring in her left ear. Glancing around, anypony would have noticed that everypony else’s right ear was pierced. It was a punishment of sorts. For one, Ambrose was not a zebra. Secondly, she was not born Farraran. It was tradition for somepony that joined the Farrar to be accepted as a full member but something had to be different about them so they would stand out.

Ambrose knew her ear ring set her apart and she was proud of it. She held her head high and turned to the third zebra.  She took the last package and opened it. Inside was a simple, gold ring, like the one Ambrose was wearing, and a needle. The needle glowed a dulled grey and levitated out of the box.

“I, Ambrose, mother of Scale, wife of Cyan, and proud member of the Farrar Tribe, am glad to help Scale into marehood.” Ambrose declared.

Scale tipped her head to the left so that her right ear was in the air. She, unlike her mother, was a Farraran by blood. Therefore, her right ear was to be pierced. The needle moved over to Scale and pointed at the tip of her ear. Scale cringed as the needle pricked her flesh but kept quiet. She felt the needle push itself the rest of the way through her ear and slide forward until the back of it was barely sticking out.

The gold ring levitated in the air and came up beside the needle. In one smooth motion, the needle was replaced by the ring. Nearly everypony clapped their hooves at Scale’s completion of the ritual.

“Scale is now a full-fledged mare and a full member of the tribe. I expect her to be treated as such in this last week before she leaves.” Mukesh said. “Welcome Scale, grandfilly of Fermata, foal of Ambrose and Cyan, and the newest member of the Farrar Tribe.”

Everypony cheered and repeated what Mukesh had said. “Welcome Scale, grandfilly of Fermata, foal of Ambrose and Cyan, and the newest member of the Farrar Tribe!”

Scale smiled as her family beamed with pride. She wasn’t one for tradition but she didn’t want to disappoint. She was now a mare, an adult that could do as she felt.

The ceremonies that the Farrar practiced weren't really all that unique. In fact, almost every village in the badlands had kept most of their traditions despite becoming part of the Lunar Republic. They had just combined their traditions with the requirements of the Republic.

After another hour of ponies talking with one another, everypony had left. It took Scale and her family another two hours to clean up the mess that had been left. By the time Scale finally made it to her bed, the moon that had given her county its name was high in the sky. She flopped down, closed her eyes, and allowed the hooves of sleep to carry her off.