Chapters "Sister?" Luna's voice greeted the day princess' ears as she settled down from her bringing of the dawn. "Thou seemest... troubled."
It was true. Celestia had spent many hours each day and the entirety of every night brooding over many a trouble that had fallen over her mind.
"Equestria is pained, Luna." The elder alicorn confessed at length. "Its peace is strenuous, and I fear the Elements are losing their power."
"Dost thou mean to say thine subjects are weakened?" Luna inquired.
"Not weakened." Celestia prompted, turning from the rising sun to regard her sister. "But their differences are forcing them apart, one by one. If they part ways, I fear our only hope against another power from beyond may be lost to us."
"What dost thou suggest?"
Celestia's muzzle tilted into a frown, her expression thoughtful as she reached her decision.
"Tonight, before the arrival of the Summer Sun Celebration, I will meet with my student, Twilight Sparkle. Perhaps she may shed some light onto this matter."
Luna raised an eyebrow at her sister. "Art thou certain this is a wise course of action?"
"No." Celestia answered at last. "Rather, I am certain it isn't, but the call of necessity is an urgent one."
Luna regarded her sister's pondering face for some time before again she spoke. "Tia?" She used the name that Celestia had been known by during their foalhood years. "Thou knowest of these troubles in detail, why dost thou not speak of them?"
"I am afraid for the outcome." Celestia muttered in reply, drawing Luna closer to hear her. "Harmony in Equestria hangs on a knife's edge. We might once again need to make our stand."
"But the Elements -"
"The Elements of Harmony are growing as distant as the ponies who bear them." Celestia cut the lunar mare short, inciting a slight fear in her younger sister which she wrapped a wing around to calm shortly thereafter. "We must be prepared for the worst when the time comes."
Luna blinked, taking a step away from her older sister and stared her in the eyes, trying to divulge what information she could as if prying long enough with her eyes alone would suffice.
Celestia, ever vigilant of her surroundings, did not let her sister's silent plea go to waste and she sighed. "I know we have promised not to speak of it again, and for what I can I will not." She drew her mane away from her eye as her sister nodded. "Years ago, when you met your fate on the moon I was left with the responsibility of all of nature's maintenance. The sun, the moon, the weather patterns and callings, the tending of the seas... I could not carry this full weight by my own, so to lessen the burden I authorized the construction of Cloudsdale's weather facility in full to reduce the strain. This includes the notorious rainbow factory on its upper floors."
"But we have returned," Luna protested, using the term 'we' naturally meaning only herself, "is this truly a necessity now to maintain?"
"Pegasi are an exceptionally proud breed of ponies, Luna." Celestia offered with a sigh, "And Cloudsdale pegasi number highest among them in that regard. Try as I might, I do not legally own the weather facility; it can only be halted from within its own numbers."
"Perhaps we could call on somepony from their employ?" Luna suggested.
"Somepony as loyal as they come, but somepony whose loyalties are known to tie her back home to a fault."
"Thou cannot mean... Rainbow Dash?" Luna whinnied in disbelief.
Celestia merely nodded. "This is but one incident that has bogged down on my mind as well. Two others have gained my attention, but these I cannot hope to share without drawing much undue attention."
"Very well, sister..." Luna sighed, turning away and starting to her private quarters. "We indeed have much to think about."
Chapter One: Dark Obsessions
Slowly, Twilight pulled herself into consciousness, the coming day shining through her window of the Golden Oaks Library bade her rise from her bed and down to her study; not caring to freshen for the day ahead, nor to cook breakfast. At least not yet, she reasoned with a glance to the wall clock. Six o'clock in the morning, not nearly time for it yet anyway, and Spike had been surprisingly helpful in preparing meals for the past few weeks. If only he knew what she had been engaging in for that time and longer, he would know why she had been so solitary lately.
Magically undoing the lock on the chest in her back room, she levitated the top book of its contents, "The Necromancer's Guide to Divination". However tentatively she had thought to delve into the subject of the dark arts, Twilight's discovery of its raw power had brought on a curiosity to a great many things. Her own affinity with magic, her unhinged episodes of wild magic, even such things as the Pinkie Sense she began to accommodate for in her studies.
The sun tilted slightly higher in through the window, reminding her that indeed the early hours of the morning would not last forever. With renewed vigor, she tore into the book again and read through more and more of the book itself. Four chapters later the burning sphere's light shone dazzling through the window, bringing the purple mare to raise a fetlock to her face to shield from its intense brightness but a tingling in her horn caught her alerted to the presense of an immense power behind her. Lowering the book, she turned about to face the majestic figure of her teacher, Princess Celestia. "Princess!" she exclaimed, overjoyed as she returned the book to its proper holding place and snapping the chest shut. "What a surprise!"
"Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student..." Celestia smiled, watching as the young mare grappled onto and embraced her at her foreleg for lack of height to reach her full frame. "I am afraid there are matters that need tending to."
"Is this about the Summer Sun Celebration?" Twilight asked, telekinetically pulling her calendar marking the day to her side. "I heard it was in Ponyville again this year; is there anything I can do to-"
The princess raised a hoof as she sat down, her eyes closed and face saddened. Twilight immediately silenced out of respect for her wishes of peace.
"You have been studying some quite exotic material these past few months, Twilight Sparkle." Celestia noted, her eyes flickering to the chest containing just such books of study. "Your friends worry for your safety; these arts were forbidden by Equestrian law ages ago."
Twilight sputtered for a moment, her jaw agape. "Is there something wrong?" She asked, genuinely innocent in her curiosity.
"Necromancy is a field of magic reserved only for the most heightened of unicorns to study, Twilight. Even Princess Luna and I are cautious when we use it. I must ask you to relinquish your material."
"But I haven't cast a thing!" Twilight protested, "I couldn't possibly-"
Celestia's raised eyebrow stopped her cold. Reluctantly, she unlocked her chest again and emptied its contents onto the floor at the princess' hooves, leaving the empty box ajar beside them. With only a spark igniting along Celestia's horn, the pile of books vanished into thin air. "Thank you, Twilight." Celestia said somberly as she rose to her hooves, "I have worried for your safety ever since I learned of your activities. You look as though you have been very negligent of your day-to-day life as well. I will see you on the coming morn at the festival?"
Twilight nodded with a smile. "You got it, princess."
Electing to take the mundane route back from where she had come, Celestia turned and stepped through Twilight's doorway as she opened it with her magic. As soon as she had gone, Twilight turned to a small hatch towards the side of her back room, where the originals of each book had been stored away. Change of plans, she decided. 'Recopy the books' now lay atop her list of things to do.
"Twilight?" She heard a familiar cowcolt accent at her door with a knock. "Twi?"
Reluctantly the unicorn answered the door, opening it to see her closest friend and confidant peering in curiously. "Hey Applejack." she greeted her mildly, opening the door wider for her to step in. "What's up?"
"Ah was thinkin', ya know since we all met all those years ago at Pinkie Pie's party before the Summer Sun Celebration, we'd all do another one this year since it's here in Ponyville again!" Applejack announced as she came in and stood beside Twilight's pedestal which she had usually used for her letters to the princess... back in the day when she actively studied friendship. These days the protoge of the princess kept to her home so tightly it nearly barred access to her from her friends. Still the ever-true Applejack didn't ask what had kept the unicorn so busy, instead focused on brighter subjects. "So what do ya think?"
"I guess!" Twilight beamed, "It's been forever since we all got together, and you know how Pinkie is with her parties."
"Darn tootin'!" Applejack reared on her hind hooves, her forelegs flailing about excitedly, "Alright then, Ah got some preppin' t'do back at the farm, we'll meet back here in two hours!"
Twilight opened her mouth to agree, but already the orange pony had darted through her door. "Alright then!" she chuckled, turning to the hatch with an inflective sigh. "It has been forever..."
Chapter Two: Guilty as Charged
"Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is-" Rarity began as she turned to see Fluttershy's entrance, immediately cutting herself off, "Oh, Fluttershy darling! Oh do come in, whatever can I do for you?"
"O-oh, it's nothing." Fluttershy whispered in her ever-meek tone of voice. "I just needed to talk."
"Then talk, my dear!" Rarity flourished at the otherwise empty room about her. "Whatever is on your mind?"
Fluttershy gingerly stepped in, careful to avoid the rows upon rows of dresses that Rarity had assembled for fear of misaligning any. "It's the others," she confessed, "it's all of us really. Ever since a year ago it's been like we've all gone our seperate ways here in Ponyville. Rumors about you leaving for Canterlot, Rainbow Dash going back to Cloudsdale... I-I couldn't."
Rarity gave a start. "Oh nonsense darling! Whoever told you that? I'm staying right here! It might not be much, but it's still home!"
Fluttershy smiled. "Oh, I'm so relieved." she exclaimed, though her relief sounded through the whispers all the same.
Again Rarity gave a slight start before her ears folded down to her head and she sighed. "Alright it's true," she pouted, "things have settled down here, and I always have dreamed of living in Canterlot..."
Fluttershy let out a gasp, her eyes flying wide. "B-b-but you can't!" she protested, "What about our friends? Our weekly spa morning? Or, or-"
By this time Rarity had bitten on her lip, unable to resist her best friend's protests, and tears brimmed on her eyes. "I never said I was going to go now." she insisted, despite her prior plans for immediacy, "I suppose I can stay for a while."
"Oh, Rarity..." Fluttershy gripped her friend in an embrace. "Please don't go. I feel like I'm the only one who cares about our friendship anymore, it's like everypony's gotten so distant...!"
Rarity nodded. "And I'm not helping matters either, am I?" She pondered, before stamping the floor with a hoof. "As Celestia is my witness, we shall remain together!"
"See to it that you do." A familiar voice sounded through the room as Princess Celestia appeared in through Rarity's window. "The situation is much deeper than you know."
"Your highness!" Rarity immediately lowered into a bow, as did Fluttershy. "W-whatever do you mean?"
Celestia nodded, her expression grim. "The Elements of Harmony are growing weaker since their last use. I can only take this to mean the friendships between their wielders are also thinning."
"W-what can we do?" Fluttershy offered, "We're only two..."
Celestia nodded. "I have already seen to Twilight Sparkle. Perhaps it would be best for her sake you visit her. In the meantime I will see to your friends whom I have still not reached. I will see you again on the coming dawn, my little ponies." With a somber sigh, she looked up at the sun through the Boutique's window. "Tread lightly, my faithful subjects. I fear the consequences if we fail this day."
Just as Rarity made to question the severity of the situation, the sun's rays glinted brighter through her window, and the radiant princess had gone with it. "And to think I wanted to move to Canterlot in spite of all this?" she pondered aloud, "How could I? Ah, what have I done!"
"Uh, Rarity?"
"Imagine me, turning my back on my friends!"
"Rarity?"
"Oh-hoh-hoh, woe is meeeeeeeeee!" Rarity cried.
Fluttershy spent the next several minutes trying to calm the young unicorn's wallowing in despair. Silently, she regretted her own building obsession with her animals' caretaking. If everything Princess Celestia had said was true... it was going to be a long day.
Chapter Three: Duty Calls
"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!" Rainbow Dash shrieked at the sight of the posters lining Ponyville town hall as she woke up that morning. Lined up along the second story, as if begging her to see them, were multiple posters and flyers announcing the Wonderbolts' performance the following morning at the Summer Sun Celebration. Briefly, the cyan pegasus was reminded of the first time this had happened, nine years ago when she met all her closest friends. Good times, even if the Wonderbolts never performed as they'd promised those years ago. Still this did nothing to dampen the mood of the best flier in Equestria, and she clapped her forehooves together with a satisfying clink. "This time I'll show 'em for real!"
After a quick look around the skyline, the pegasus took notice of a mouthful of stray clouds around, and she sat against her cloud castle's wall looking out with a retrospective pause. So much had changed since they'd all met nine years ago. Their lives grew fiercely together, learning yet another life lesson on a weekly basis. The life had been bliss for the young flier, so fast-paced and always moving forward! Now though, it felt as if the only acceleration she knew was the occasional hangout with Pinkie Pie, and even the bouncy party mare showed signs of noticing the strange tension. Looking from cloud to cloud, Rainbow idly calculated her best course of flight to clear the skies for the raising of the sun the next day.
"Prove it." She mimicked Twilight's words from nine years ago as if it were only yesterday, just before she took off through her window. A quick work of her wings sent her spiraling through arcs and lines of clouds, looping briefly to tackle a stray overhead and landing ceremoniously on the same pillar of the same bridge she had that day. "Ten seconds flat!"
To the proud young mare, it felt as if she was honoring that very day when she had been a part of something so grand her very coat had stood on end. Within the recesses of her heart though, she knew it differently. She wanted those days back.
"Wow Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie Pie's voice greeted her outward triumph. "That was amazing!"
"Oh, it's no big deal." Rainbow flourished with a waving of a forehoof through her mane. "Just gotta get it out of the way to get to my practicing!"
"For the Wonderbolts?"
"You betcha!" Rainbow beamed, spinning into flight as she did.
"Aww!" Pinkie sniffed, "Okie dokie then! I'll catch up with you later Rainbow Dash!"
"Wait!" Rainbow pleaded, chasing off after her pink friend. "What's up?"
Pinkie stopped her bouncing and pivoted to look at her best friend and fellow prankster. "Oh! Well I thought since the Summer Sun Celebration is being held in Ponyville again like when we all met Twilight, we could have a big huge celebration of our own like we did before the festival! Doesn't that sound fun?"
Overhead one of the Cloudsdale mailmares flew, promptly redirecting her route from Rainbow's cloud castle to Rainbow Dash herself upon seeing her hovering in midair as she was. "Mail for you miss Dash." She said, pulling an envelope addressed to her from the Cloudsdale Weather Facility, branch 4. The Rainbow Factory. The pegasus quickly undid the sealing as the mailmare flew off, but there was no letter inside. She sighed, defeated. She had been recalled to her job, at least momentarily.
"I'll be there tonight, Pinkie Pie." She said, her tone going somber. "I've got some business back home."
"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie said, bouncing away. "I've got to make some extra preparations anyway. Red Velvet cupcakes take so long!"
Red Velvet? Rainbow pondered. It had been months since Pinkie Pie had made a red velvet cupcake batch. Must be a special occasion to the whole of them in any event.
Just as she turned to make her way to Cloudsdale, she saw Pinkie offer a cupcake to another pony in the street who took it down quickly and promptly passed out after. Despite her curiosity to the pony's condition, her priorities lay elsewhere, and no doubt Pinkie knew where to find help. Leaving the situation behind, the rainbow-maned mare took off for Cloudsdale, reminding herself constantly of her duty.
Chapter Four: Preparations for Disaster
"Hey, Twilight!" Spike's voice from above jaunted the young unicorn from her study, to which she hastily stored away her new copy of 'The Necromancer's Guide to Divination'. Closing and locking the chest she had stored her copies in, she galloped out into the open library to greet her assistant and friend.
"Hey Spike!" Twilight beamed at his waddling down the stairs. "You're up early, what's up?"
"Early?" Spike looked out through the window and over to the wall clock. "It's almost noon!"
"It is?" Twilight rushed over to the clock. Sure enough, 11:49 in the morning. "It is! Oh my gosh, I haven't even had breakfast yet!"
Spike heaved a long sigh. "You've been at those dark arts books again, haven't you?"
Twilight's ears flopped as she looked out through the window. "Yeah, even with the princess coming in to stop it I can't just let so many questions go unanswered though!"
Spike shook his head. "I worry about you, Twilight. Ever since you picked up that old copy of 'Ethereal Nature' you've been completely obsessed!"
"I know..." Twilight pouted, turning back to his own concerned expression. "But as long as I don't practice any of it directly it-"
"Directly?" Spike interrupted her, causing her to take a step back, "You said you wouldn't practice it at all, now you're saying 'directly'?"
Twilight lowered her head in defeat. She knew he was right in the end, and there was no point in fighting him every step of the way. Just then a knock on the door brought her attention back to reality. As she answered it, she immediately heard the clapping of a hoof down on a button.
In that split second, she deduced both who had pressed the button, and the device the button was attached to. Ever quick to be out of a projectile's way, the young prodigy jumped back and to the side as a thousand bits of ribbon and colorful decor sprang all over her library with the telltale sound of a kazoo being honked.
"Surprise!" Pinkie Pie bounced in, somehow managing to stabilize the bouncing of a tray of red velvet cupcakes on her back. "Did you miss me? Did you, did you, huh huh huh?"
Twilight couldn't help but giggle at the positively sugary party mare in front of her. Stowing away the topic she and Spike had discussed for later, she beamed at her friend. "Of course, Pinkie!" she exclaimed, "It's been so long!"
"No it hasn't." Pinkie Pie tilted her head with a raised eyebrow, "I saw you just the other day on your way to the market, but you looked all upset and I was super busy so I thought I'd ask you later but then I forgot and..." she took only a second to breathe, "Oh, silly! I forgot your present! I'll be right back."
Twilight didn't even have time to object before the fluffy pink mare took off through the doorway. Reluctantly, she turned her attention back to the surrounding library. Sure enough the decorations were as always, just over the top enough not to merit a complaint. Ribbons, streamers, balloons, colorful tablecloths that somehow had managed to slip underneath the books piled on them... Twilight pondered this for a moment but decided it better to leave it to the fact that it was Pinkie Pie. She didn't need to be explained; things just happened.
The smell of sugar practically hung in the air. No doubt courtesy of Pinkie's cupcakes she had brought in. Sugar, and... something Twilight couldn't quite place, but it was a bitter smell. Probably from her back room having gotten a little musty. Dismissing it as such, she traversed the stairs, pausing at her bed when she saw her four other friends - Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy - cantering merrily her way. The thought made her smile. "Just like old times." she reminisced aloud.
Spike cast a worried glance both at Twilight and the cupcakes sitting on the table. "I think I'll sit this one out," he offered, making his way out the door. "I got a bad feeling about all this."
"Oh come on, Spike, don't be s-" the door closed in her words. "Spike?"
Chapter Five: Time for Plan B
"Luna." Celestia spoke quietly upon her return to the royal sisters' chambers. Though she could not see her younger sister, she knew her to be there. "Come, I would much rather we speak face-to-face, with nothing to hide."
Reluctantly, Luna slid out from beneath the sisters' shared bedding and stood to her hooves, her mane organized into the mundane light blue curtain falling at the side of her face. To this Celestia raised a brow, immediately curious as to her younger sister's lack of grandeur. "Is something the matter?" she inquired, her concern mounting quickly in her mind.
"We wanted to surprise thou, for when thou returned, but thine sense of urgency compels us to shed our fun times for another hour." Luna explained, and with the ignition of her horn her mane and tail swept out in the starry miasma that had been as her custom. "How was thine visit to Ponyville, dear sister?"
Celestia shook her head, her flourishing mane covering over her eye as she closed them with a sad frown. "Sour, at best." she admitted, "Twilight refuses to surrender her secluded studies, even after I had seen to her. Cloudsdale's weather facility refuses to allow itself to be shut down and openly resents revoking Rainbow Dash as an associate at my orders, and I dare not speak of young Pinkie Pie's hidden activities with many of the newly-missing residents in Ponyville."
"What of the others? Of Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy?" Luna questioned. "So far as we are informed, they have done nothing wrong."
"But they still grow distant." Celestia returned in kind. "I cannot help them, so it would seem."
"Can we be of any assistance?" Luna offered, deliberately cutting the flow of magic to her appearance as again her mane and tail sported only a mundane blue luster.
"What do you suggest?" Celestia raised at least one eyebrow, her other not seen behind her flowing mane.
"These ponies see thou as a figurehead, dearest sister." Luna offered, "Ever since we have returned to Equestria, it has been our deepest desire to know our subjects as our friends, rather than to face them down as our subjects as Nightmare Moon once had. We are seen as closer to an equal with Twilight Sparkle and her friends, and with our history we may be able to see more levelly with them."
"So that you can understand their perspective in the smaller picture?"
Luna nodded. "Indeed, sister. Thine rule is unquestioned even when thou attend the most informal of meetings, but we have been met many a time with less concern for regalia than thou hast."
"What will you do then?" Celestia inquired as she lay down upon the floor, her tail angling about to encircle her.
"We shall have to cross that bridge once we reach it, as the saying goes." Luna conceded, "At this time we know little to assess the situation with other than official standings."
The elder princess looked her sister in the eyes, her gaze diverting to her mundane mane and tail several seconds after, her own eyes deep in thought.
She had grown so much over the past nine years, had not only been able to put aside her cruel history for the sake of her subjects and friends, but had matured to a state of mind that nearly rivaled her own perpetual calm and collectiveness. And now she had even been surpassed by her younger sister's election of taking a route unbefitting of her stature and casting aside her title for their sake, and for the sake of Equestria's future. Each night she had been proud to see her brilliant starscapes and glory of the moon as it had risen, symbolic of her return to the norm of things in such a way that touched her heart even now, nine years later. And now a whole new sense of pride overwhelmed her, a feeling of gratitude that even now she could put the worst of times to use for good.
"Tia?" Luna's gentle voice snapped the older sister back to reality. "Art thou alright?"
Celestia closed her eyes and let a gentle smile cross her face. "I've never been better, little sister." she spoke serenely, rising and laying her horn across Luna's right shoulder, then her left. An ancient symbolism to part with the strength and love of she who had bestowed the blessing. "I bid you well, and good luck in your findings, dear sister."
Luna froze for a moment, awestruck that Celestia had suddenly become so formal with her. In the young princess' mind, perhaps not only was this the blessing of old, but a sign of her acceptance that if she were to fit in with the crowd of more common ponies, her stature bade her the same treatment of circumstance. With a nod and a grateful bow to her older sister, she turned to take flight. "Thank you, Celestia..." she said, finding in her mind the more common phrasings she had not used in quite some time. "I shall return shortly."
Chapter Six: Silent Confessions
Spike walked along the streets of Ponyville, glad only to have gotten away from the 'party' that Pinkie had thrown. One good look at those cupcakes and he could tell precisely where she had gotten the coloring, and the thought made his stomach turn right over. Still early in the afternoon, but a few gasps from down a side way piqued his curiosity, and he glanced over to see the few ponies wandering by had knelt down to...
"Princess Luna?" the young dragon considered aloud.
Indeed, the princess of the night had arrived in Ponyville not even a day before the festival for the Summer Sun Celebration. Spike came closer to see just what her business was, but she looked so modest - so normal without her elegantly-flowing mane that Spike knew right away her purpose was not meant to be seen on a global standard. Although she still posed a time and a half as high as any pony in town, excepting Big Macintosh, she appeared not much different from any of them. She came on unofficial business.
Looking back to Twilight's library, the purple-scaled dragon didn't have to guess specifically why.
"Spike?" The dragon's attention snapped back to the scene at hand as he realized the princess had addressed him. "Why are you alone on such a day as this? Is Twilight Sparkle unwell?"
"Yeah..." Spike answered with a hushed earnesty. "And I don't think it's just Twilight either. Ever since the gala two years ago, everypony sort of drifted."
"We are well aware of the circumstances," Luna waved a hoof back and forth as if to indicate two points. Two sisters, Spike managed to guess; her use of the word 'we' was not in singular intent. "We... I, came to see if there was any way I could help."
Spike lowered his head in thought. Although his wisdom and intelligence were both far from his strong points, in a tight situation he was known for knowing what was best. Even still, the severity of the situation led him to fail and sever his streak. "Uh, I got nothin'." He admitted with a sag of his shoulders.
"Very well then," Luna nodded, "perhaps if you would come also, you might think of something while we are there."
"Huh?" Spike looked up, both eyes wide in confusion. Once he noticed Luna's pointed expression towards the library however, it occurred to him that the princess' interest was clearly not in him. "Oh, right. Heh heh... sure thing, princess."
Luna nodded, setting a slow pace for the library as though wanting to delay the trip herself. "I would as you call me 'Luna', young Spike." she said simply, "I am no better than you nor any pony here, and wish to be treated as an equal."
"But you're a princess!" Spike objected, his voice flowing out with disbelief.
"I am no less a pony for it though, am I?" Luna countered, making Spike stop in his steps.
"Well, no but the Nightmare Moon deal was a whole nine years ago, and you've done nothing wrong since!"
Luna smiled and shook her head. "Nine years of peace cannot justify a thousand of hatred, my little dragon."
"Yeah, but..." Spike reeled in a vain attempt to retort with something worth mentioning. "Alright, you win."
"Come, the day is still young." Luna offered with a warmer smile, "There will be time to reflect upon past and present when this is through."
Spike was kind enough to open the library door, and to the alicorn's surprise the interior was much darker than she had known any place near to the ecstatic Pinkie Pie ever to be. While within were all the standard party supplies, an excess of ribbons and balloons as were the young mare's signature, and everything else one might expect, the lights were out, save for several gathered in a circle, around wich sat the six holders of the Elements of Harmony.
Five of the ponies looked up and turned in curiosity to who had entered. Twilight Sparkle did not. "It's an honor to have you here, Princess." Twilight spoke faintly, her voice leaden with a heavy heart. "I take it you're here on business?"
"Twilight Sparkle," Luna sighed, stepping in and rerouting her thoughts to address the lot of them. "My little ponies, I did not come at my sister's request if that is what you are asking. As I have in years past, I wish to see from the same eyes as my beloved subjects."
Only then did Twilight lift her head. Luna took the moment to measure the expressions of the ponies gathered around the candlelight. Each of them wore either retrospective or introspective expressions, each of which the princess of the night could read as clearly as black and white.
"I'm afraid there isn't much festivity to be had, your highness," Rarity offered as she nudged herself to the side somewhat, "we were just recalling some of our times together, if you would like to join us."
Luna closed her eyes for a moment with a silent tear falling from her eye. If nothing else, the young fashionista had explained the retrospection in the ponies' faces, and she could guess on her own why the introspective looks.
"Um, princess?" Fluttershy's weak voice sounded closer than Luna remembered her being, and she opened her eyes to see that indeed, the yellow pegasus had come closer, albeit cautiously. "I-is this about since two years ago?"
Thus confronted, Luna let out a long sigh and nodded. "It is, though I am hesitant to admit it."
Twilight again lowered her head to the floor, and each of the others followed suit one by one. This was going to go nowhere, Luna realized. Each of them knew full well what they were doing wrong, and each felt guilty about it and about what it had done to them as a group, but none of her little ponies seemed willing to admit it in front of any of the others, let alone to a princess.
Applejack lifted her head, lifted an eyebrow at all of her closest friends and finally turned to Luna. "Ah think ah get the picture here," she said plainly, "but... no offense princess, ah highly doubt we'd be up fer confessions with her royal highness with us. Ah'll talk, ah promise. What about y'all?" She looked to her friends as she asked.
With varying paces, all with solemn expressions, each of the ponies crossed a hoof over their hearts in an x-shaped pattern, waved their hooves - or in the pegasi's case, wings - for a moment, and proceeded to drive a forehoof into a closed eye. Naturally curious of such a strange gesture, Luna raised an eyebrow.
"Cross my heart," Pinkie Pie explained, going through the motions again, more slowly this time. "and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. It's a Pinkie Promise, and nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise."
As unpredictable as ever, the princess thought to herself as she let off a small smile. With little else to go by, she nodded and excused herself, Spike in tow.
As she reached outside and heard Spike close the door behind him she turned to him and shook her head. "This is not something for me to hear, Spike, but you are as close to these ponies as anyone could ever hope to be. You should be there for your friends as well." she advised.
"But-!" Spike protested. Luna merely opened the door again with her magic in response. "Oh, alright." he conceded, retreating back to the library and closing the door yet again behind him.
Chapter Seven: Vocal Faults
The silence around the candlelight was all but unbearable, and from what anyone could see, each of them were waiting for another to speak up, before finally Twilight broke the silence, her ears flattened against her head as she slowly made her way to her back room to retrieve something with the near-amplified click of her hooves, and came out with a small stack of books which she set at the center of the candles.
Rarity was first to react, her expression quite shocked by the books' titles. "Necromancy, Twilight? But why would you ever study such a thing, it's forbidden!"
Twilight hung her head low as she came down to her seat, feeling like quite the pathetic excuse for a magician in spite of her having mastered so many innumerable spells already. "I had a lot of questions," she confessed, "mostly pertaining to why this sort of power would ever exist, so I did a bit of study to look into it."
"A bit?" Applejack raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Twilight, you've been outta yer library twice a week at most, tha's more than 'a bit'."
"Okay okay," Twilight sighed, "it grew on me, fast. Answered so many questions I've had for years, made me see things in a whole new light. It's not like I cast any of the spells in there."
Now it was Rarity who raised an eyebrow. "No really, I didn't! I know the magic is forbidden, but mundane knowledge never hurt anyone."
"And look where we are now," Rainbow Dash interjected, "with enough secrets to hurt all of us."
"R-Rainbow?" Fluttershy's eyes widened at her fellow pegasus, almost as though questioning if the mare so much of town had idolized as a practical star could have done anything wrong.
Rainbow Dash's eyes quickly dilated down to mere specks. "Yeah, it's true." She said at last. "I'm not exactly innocent of all this either. You guys remember when we toured through the weather factory way back?
The other four - excluding Fluttershy who had helped with the tour - nodded.
"Not a word of this gets out." Rainbow said sternly, "I'm not even allowed to be telling you guys this."
"Nothing of this goes beyond these walls." Twilight nodded, "That goes for each of us."
Rainbow took it for what it was worth. "I didn't actually take you into the rainbow factory for a reason. Every foal out of Cloudsdale that doesn't pass their flight test winds up there, put through a machine and turned into the raw colors of the rainbow."
"What?" the other ponies, excepting Pinkie Pie - whose expression quickly grew more and more sad hearing the news - exclaimed.
"It's true. It's all true." Rainbow said guiltily with a twitch of her eyes. "A thousand years ago when Celestia had to control the entire running of Equestria, she couldn't set aside time to hold up the weather patterns, so she left it to the Cloudsdale pegasus ponies to make it happen. So, they made the weather facility and all its branches. I was titled in charge of the Rainbow Factory since I was the only pegasus to ever perform a sonic rainboom, and the entire operation is classified."
"Y-y-you weren't... k-kidding when you said I didn't want to know... were you?" Fluttershy whimpered in disbelief.
"Now you know, I guess." Rainbow said, for once purely disheartened at her occupation's cruelty laid bare in front of her friends.
"Pinkie Pie?" Applejack tilted her head, watching the normally ecstatic mare's expression continually wilting away. "Y'alright there, sugarcube?"
"You know," Pinkie sniffed, "how some of the ponies in town just vanish out of thin air and aren't heard from again?"
"Oh no." Twilight sounded worried, "This isn't with that alter ego of yours, is it?"
Pinkie Pie shook her head. "No, it's me. Those red velvet cupcakes I just made are the reason they've been disappearing."
Spike was the first to catch on, his heightened sense of smell leading him to suspect before the party had even begun what the case was.
"They're made with the remains of the disappearing ponies." Pinkie finally mustered to say.
Again with the sole exception of Fluttershy, who had opted not to take any of the cupcakes to leave them for her friends, each of the others fought the urge to wretch. Rarity naturally was the first to fail in the effort, and it took not long at all for the others to follow suit. Spike wasted no time in clearing the mess, having to put a clothespin to his nose to dampen the smell in the process.
"Pinkie, how long's this been goin' on?" Applejack finally dared to inquire.
"Years," Pinkie confessed, "the Cakes don't know, nopony knows."
"Let's change the subject..." Twilight offered, looking over to the other three. "What about you guys?"
One by one, the others shook their heads, nothing to offer or confess.
"Things were just settling down, so... I think we've all started going our seperate ways." Rarity finally pieced together.
"We're still friends... right?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Twilight hung her head with the realization. Half of them had fallen far short of their typical virtues, and the same half that normally everypony looked up to and admired, even idolized... If they were ever going to recover from this, it would be a long, probably painful process. And it would no doubt involve the relinquishing of her studies. Oh, how she hated that idea.
"Sure ah might be scared sick, but y'all are still my friends at least." Applejack motioned, looking about to the others.
"Once a friend, always a friend," Fluttershy added, her words muddied slightly by the shyness of voice.
"It takes more than dark rumor to turn this pony away," Rarity chimed in, struggling but putting forth a genuine smile, "Besides, who doesn't have their differences?"
Chapter Eight: Rainbows and Rainbow's
Fluttershy looked around Ponyville, looking for any sign of Rainbow Dash. At first she tried her cloud castle, but no one answered and she couldn't find Rainbow through the window. Still as she turned around, about to give up her search she discovered none other than Rainbow Dash sulking on a small cloud. The yellow mare flew up and landed beside her friend, but stumbled back in seeing Rainbow's fetlock brush out as if to sweep her away.
"Rainbow?" She whispered, "Come on, this isn't like you."
"And what is, Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked, her voice rising a little as she stood. "Just who am I if I can't be there for my friends?"
"Rainbow..."
Rainbow sprang off the cloud, hovering only a few inches from it, but with a serious look in her eye. "What am I supposed to do, huh?"
Fluttershy trembled, struggling to overcome her fear of not only the situation, but the rising temper in her foalhood friend. "Rainbow Dash, I just want to talk. I'm not angry or upset." she pleaded.
It seemed to have stuck. Reluctantly, rainbow crashed a foreleg through the cloud, splitting it so that she and Fluttershy could have their own, hers of which she promptly lay down on. "This is about the rainbow factory though, isn't it?"
"Um, yes but-"
"I can't shut it down."
This took Fluttershy by surprise. "W-what do you mean?" She asked, growing more fearful by the second.
"I'm the overseer of operations, not the head manager." Rainbow Dash explained, "Even if I were to try and shut it down, the next rainbow you'd see would probably be the last of me."
"Rainbow, don't say that!" Fluttershy gasped, "You can't give up so easily!"
"But what can I do?" Rainbow countered, once again on her hooves and panting slightly. "I know you all need me as a friend but all of Equestria needs that factory! Do you think it's all sunny skies for me seeing a rainbow after a rainy day, knowing what it took to make it?"
Fluttershy again began quivering.
"Do you think I can just brush off that ponies die on a regular basis because of what I'm constantly having to watch? Do you understand how I feel about-"
Fluttershy hesitated with a twitch, but she quickly flew and tackled her friend to the cloud she had been on. "You're still our friend, Rainbow Dash." She whimpered, "And you're right, I don't know what to think after all of this, but I know that even if I don't understand, I know you need your friends right now."
Rainbow's surprise stamped clearly on her face. It had hardly been seen as a pattern, but Fluttershy's occasional outburst of this caliber only really happened whenever she knew a friend to be in danger.
Or was already hurting...
"Fluttershy..." Rainbow closed her eyes. "What should I do?"
Fluttershy looked out to the horizon, estimating mid-afternoon. "The weather facility's open to public until eight in the evening, right?" She asked, stepping off of her friend.
"Y...yeah?"
Fluttershy looked with a genuine compassion to her friend, and offered a hoof to help the mare to her hooves. Despite all her pride, Rainbow took the offered hoof and set herself back on the cloud.
"You should come with me, then." Fluttershy resolved. "We can end it together."
Rainbow thought for quite some time on this, but with a reluctant sigh she shook her head. "We're going to need help." she remarked, "The guards in the factory can drop you right out of flight easy. We're gonna need a plan."
"Alright, then." Fluttershy nodded, looking again out to the sun. "I say we leave at nightfall."
"Huh?"
"That way Princess Celestia won't be busy with the sun. If anypony can shut down that big a factory, it's her."
"Alright..." Rainbow shuddered, "I think if we're taking the princess we can make it a fairly direct trip, too..."