Revelations of Past and Present
Part 1
Intro/ Meeting Applejack
On the last sunny day before the pegasi started preparing the weather for winter, all of your favorite ponies were busy enjoying their last day of autumn sunlight for the year. While everypony was busy enjoying the Sun and going about their daily routines, none of them took notice of the new pony slowly shuffling into town square, wondering if she had finally found the place where she belonged. Sunny Eclipse is a very small pony, most of the others often mistake her for a filly, until they get to know her, but so far that has only happened once. Sunny doesn't much enjoy company, at least not yet.
Sunny was lost in thought, wandering slowly towards a restaurant, when she suddenly found herself on her haunches, in the dirt. "Oh sorry 'bout that, Sugarcube! Ah couldn't quite see where Ah was goin'," a strong country accent said from the other side of a toppled barrel of apples. Sunny peeked around to see who she had just run into, "Oh no, it was my fault entirely. I should've been paying attention, here let me help you with that." She started to help pick up the apples and put them back into the barrel. "Ah don' reckon Ah've seen y'all 'round Ponyville b'fore. Are you new 'round here?" Sunny looked intrigued at the mention of the town's name, "Ponyville? Is that what this place is called? I think I've heard of it... My name is Sunny Eclipse, and, yes, I'm new here."
Sunny studied the earth pony carefully, taking in every detail. The pony with whom Sunny had collided was a rustic orange color, with a blonde mane and tail and a brown stetson hat perched upon her head. Her Cutie Mark was three apples in a triangle formation. Upon noticing that she was staring, Sunny looked down at the dirt, trying to avoid eye contact, being the shy pony she is. "Well then, Ah'd say it's mighty nice t'meet ya! Mah name's Applejack!" came the friendly reply as Applejack moved to help Sunny up off the ground, looking a little confused at Sunny's apparent lack of knowledge of her surroundings. "Now don't you go around lookin' like that li'l missy, it ain't your fault Ah couldn't see where Ah was goin'! Y'all just cheer right on up now."
Sensing something, Sunny looked Applejack in the eye, trying to decide whether or not she was genuinely different from the other ponies she met, or just the same. Applejack noticed Sunny's hesitation, and as Sunny studied her, she returned the look, taking in all her details. Sunny's coat was strawberry red, and her mane and tail were white with a thick, pink streak running down the middle of each. She had deep midnight blue eyes, eyes that have seen the world, but haven't seen what's in it. And her Cutie Mark, it was peculiar to Applejack, her name was Sunny, yet her Cutie Mark was a Crescent Moon, surrounded by three Stars. What was more interesting was the series of intricate, almost tribal, tattoos that were based around her Cutie Mark, and spread all over her body. Coming to the conclusion that Applejack was sincere, Sunny gave Applejack a little smile.
"Why don'tcha come on 'round to mah house and Ah c'n cook ya up somethin' nice? We c'n talk a little, and Ah can answer some questions fer ya. Plus, Ah like t' get t' know everypony that comes through town, whether they plan on stayin' or not." Sunny perked up at the idea of a home cooked meal, her stomach giving a loud growl, How long has it been since I last ate? Applejack chuckled, "Well, judgin' by th' sound o'yer stomach, Ah'd say that's a yes, come along now!"
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"...And I was thinking about how this place felt different than anywhere else I've been, and was hoping I could maybe settle down here, when we ran into each other." Sunny finished her story and took the last bite of apple fritter, she had never had anything like the food Applejack had just made for her, "That was delicious! Maybe we can do this again sometime?" Applejack looked happy at the response, proud of her apples, "O'course Sugarcube! That was quite th' story y'all had there, and ya don' know anythin' about how ya woke up at th' ol' castle? Or anythin' b'fore that?" Sunny shook her head in response, "Huh, tha's just a li'l odd don'tcha think?"
They sat for a minute in silent thought, "Well, I feel like my memories are somehow linked to this," Sunny pointed out her necklace, a sterling silver circlet inlaid with a gemstone not unlike her eyes. "But other than that, I don't really know what to think... I just know that I'm missing something important." Applejack smiled reassuringly, "Well, Ah'm sure that if it's important, ya'll figure it out one way or another." She got up and took care of the dishes, leaving Sunny to her thoughts.
Sunny really liked Applejack, and she enjoyed being able to tell somepony about her jumbled story, even if she still hadn't revealed her dreams. Things were looking good in Ponyville, it just might be the place Sunny has been looking for. Applejack had been looking out the window, watching the sunset, when she turned back to her guest, "Y'all don't 'ave a place t' stay th' night, do ya Sunny?" Sunny just looked slightly saddened at remembering she didn't, in fact, have anywhere to stay the night, and gave a small shake of her head. "Well there's a nice room in the loft out in th' barn if yer wantin' ta stay here ‘til you c'n get yourself a house, Ah c'n show ya if ya want." Sunny smiled and nodded fervently, "That would be great! Is there anything I can do for you in return?" Applejack just laughed and started walking to the door, "Come along, we c'n talk 'bout that in th' mornin', Ah might jus' need some help with some last minute cleanin' b'fore the snow comes in."
As Sunny followed Applejack up the stairs into the barn loft, she took in the surroundings. The loft was cozy, it opened up to a small living space as she exited the stairway, and three doors branched off of this area. Sunny wasn't quite sure where they would lead, but Applejack quickly amended that, "Th' door on the left is th' bedroom, it should be ready fer y'all to settle in. The middle'un leads to th' attic, don't go up there though, it's a might dangerous. An' that last door leads to a bathroom, it's easier t' get water piped there on account o' the barn bein' connected to th' house on that side." Tour over, Applejack started to turn around, "Now y'all just get yerself settled in, an' we'll talk in th' mornin' alright? G'night Sunny!"
Sunny had put her saddlebag on the small table next to the bedroom door, and was unpacking her very small collection of things. She stopped and looked at Applejack as she was leaving, "Good night Applejack, see you in the morning." Sunny turned back to unpacking her bag, she sifted through until she found a little velvet bag, no bigger than an acorn. She peeked inside the bag, and sighed with relief, her two baby blue earrings were still inside. Some days earlier, she had been running though the Everfree forest, and a branch had snagged her ear, cutting a large gash out and taking her earrings with it. She had snatched up the earrings, and put them in the small bag for safekeeping. She didn't know why they mattered so much to her, but they carried a blurry memory of a midnight blue pony, watching over her, as she drifted slowly to unconsciousness.
Having confirmed she still had her earrings, she put them back in the saddlebag, along with the various flowers and plants she had collected, either for food, or medical purposes. Sunny made her way into the bedroom, it too was cozy, but fitting for one pony. The small room was filled mostly by a single four-poster bed in the back corner. There was also a small dresser, which extended into a writing desk on the right side. Sunny slipped into the bed and slowly thought herself to sleep, hoping that she had made a genuine friend today, but still holding caution close.
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[Author’s Note]
Hello! Now, as fun as going by aliases and nicknames can be, you can just call me Jacob, or GeneralTsunami, if you really want to... Anyway, this is a story that I have put about 16 hours into total, over the space of two or three weeks. I have about 20,000 words written on it, but it’s all pretty much a giant blob right now... so I will prepare each chapter to be released on a Wednesday (hopefully weekly, but I won’t make any official promises...) and I will make sure that it isn't too hard to read. Please give constructive criticism, and point out any errors you might find (except the Applejack talking, that’s all intentional) and I will fix them.
Plus, if you have any ideas for the story let me know, but remember, I already have a fairly large portion of the story written (though you shouldn't let that stop you). I don’t think I have reached the halfway point yet, but I could be wrong... I promise future A/N’s won’t be this long (Unless otherwise mentioned).
Revelations of Past and Present
Cutie Mark?
The rooster crowed as the first rays of sunlight peeked out in between the ground and the already amassing cloud that the pegasi had put out for the coming snowfall, waking Sunny up. She didn't mind, in her travels she always got up very early to put as much ground behind her as possible before stopping for a scavenged lunch of berries and flowers. She looked out the window to find Applejack already out in the field, bringing in the last bushels of apples to the barn below her. As Sunny came down the stairs, Applejack was coming in through the door, and setting the apples on the top shelf of a storage unit made to hold the buckets and bushels the apples came in. "Good mornin' Sugarcube! Y'all are up mighty early, you sure ya didn't grow up on a farm?" Applejack greeted her playfully.
Sunny smiled, "Good morning to you, Applejack. Is there anything I can help with?" Applejack thought for a moment, "Y'all think you could help me gather up all th' tools? An' after that we c'n bring some o' these here apples inside and make us some breakfast, what d'ya say?" Delighted at the opportunity to return the kindness Applejack has shown, Sunny jumped on the job "Of course I can! I may be small, but I've travelled enough to know my size doesn't reflect my ability!" Applejack laughed, "Well, if y'all prove yerself to be handy, Ah might be interested in hirin' you in th' spring as well! At least, if yer wantin' to stay that long. It would be more than enough pay for livin' here in th' barn rather than findin' another house, if that's what yer worried about, not that Ah'd charge ya anyway."
Sunny and Applejack spent the better part of the morning finding and putting away all the tools, and some leftover apples, and finally made it into the house to get a nice, big, delicious breakfast. "Y'all did real good out there Sunny. You should be proud o' yerself." Happy with her accomplishment, Sunny smiled, "Thanks Applejack! That means a lot to me. You are the first pony I've ever met that hasn't shunned me out of fear. Well, it's not that other ponies aren't nice, it’s just that-" Struggling to put it to words, she stopped, looking pained. "Ah know Sugar, tha's mighty kind of you t' say so, but just you wait till ya meet mah friend Fluttershy, there ain't nopony nicer than she is. Maybe Ah c'n introduce y'all to 'er tomorrow." Sunny, perplexed at the thought that Applejack considered her important enough to introduce her to her friends, smiled and let the memories of struggling to find her place go.
After the delicious breakfast, Applejack decided to take Sunny into Ponyville market, getting her some supplies that she might need for winter. They made their way around the market square, and Applejack bought everything she thought was necessary both for her and Sunny. They stopped for lunch before heading back home, and by the time they had finished there was a cold breeze blowing through the town, the first sign of the approaching snowfall. Sunny wrapped her brand new scarf around her neck, thankful for Applejack's insightful generosity. They started back towards the trail that leads down to Sweet Apple Acres, which Applejack had informed Sunny was the Apple family's home. As they reached the gate to Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack pointed down the road that kept winding down into Whitetail Woods, "That there's th' path that leads down t' Fluttershy's house, Ah'll take ya t' meet her tomorrow. Sound good?" Sunny smiled at Applejack, "That sounds great! Thanks again for all this stuff. I probably would've frozen my tail off otherwise..."
She chuckled and started towards the barn, wanting to put her new gear away. Applejack stood there a second longer, studying Sunny. She looked at her Cutie Mark again, still puzzled by the clashing name and mark, when she noticed something, there were four Stars around the Moon. Applejack was sure she was seeing it wrong, but she could swear that yesterday, there were only three Stars. "Uh... Sugar? Can Ah ask ya somethin'?" she blushed at the embarrassment of her question. Sunny turned around, ready to answer, "Of course, Applejack! What's up?" Pawing at the ground, wondering if she really is just being silly, Applejack put her embarrassment away and looked at Sunny, "I was wonderin', yesterday when Ah looked at your Cutie Mark? I thought I saw three Stars surroundin' that Moon, but when Ah look now, there're four? Am Ah jus' seein' things, or did yer Cutie Mark change?" Sunny suddenly looked very serious, "I'll meet you in the kitchen once I've unpacked my bag, and I'll explain then. You'll want the whole story, but not here." Turning without another word, Sunny rushed into the barn to put her stuff away.
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Back in the kitchen, Sunny and Applejack were sitting around the table. Sunny was speaking very seriously, and very carefully, "Okay, you asked me whether my Cutie Mark had changed from three Stars to four, or if you were just seeing things. Well, I'm not going to lie to you, you've been kind to me, and I owe it to you. My Cutie Mark did change. Every New Moon, my Cutie Mark becomes a constellation of countless tiny Stars, and as the Lunar cycle continues, a Moon shows up and follows the phases. At first, it's a Crescent Moon with one Star, and every two days a new Star shows up. Once the Moon is full, my Cutie Mark has seven Stars surrounding a Full Moon, and then the cycle reverses itself." She stopped, watching Applejack, waiting for a response. Applejack just sat there, trying to understand, and trying to hide her confliction from Sunny with varying degrees of success.
"Well, uh..." Applejack was lost for words. "Ah don't quite understand Sugarcube, you don't have a Cutie Mark? Instead you have," she stopped for a second, counting, "eight? Eight Cutie Marks?" Sunny chuckled, "It's not quite that complicated, it's all there all the time, you can just only see certain parts of it at a time." She finished a little guiltily, knowing full well that this Cutie Mark was nothing if not complicated. It was the reason for her dreams, she knew it was. Also, she felt it was the only thing that gave her any hint as to her family's identities, though she hasn't made any progress finding them. Applejack was still confused "Oh, uh, okay then, but why does it do that? What's yer special talent?" Sunny was struggling to decide whether or not to tell the truth, and Applejack could tell, "Sugar, Ah don't want t' put any pressure on ya, y'all don't have t' tell me if ya don't want to. But, fer th' record, if y'all're worried about scarin' me, I would'a been scared by now, you can trust me."
Sunny sat quietly for minutes on end, struggling with memories and trying to straighten everything out in order to think straight. Applejack's words had eased her conflict a little, but she still worried. Resolving to trust in Applejack's words, she decided to try to explain the Solstice of the Eclipse, which was still the only lead she had to find out what her special talent was. But she couldn't put her thoughts into words, "Okay Applejack, I trust you. Do you know- Have you ever- Uh..." Stopping completely, and reorganizing her thoughts for a fresh start, Sunny gave Applejack a sheepish grin, "Sorry, um... Have you ever heard of the Solstice of the Eclipse?" Applejack gave a shake of her head, confirming a negative. "Well, it is a centennial solstice which represents the beginning of the Celestial Cycle. Basically, every one hundred years, the Sun and Moon are reset. This helps the Princesses keep their control over them."
Applejack looked like she was completely lost, "Uh... Ah don't understand Sugarcube. How can the Sun and the Moon be 'reset'? An' Ah'm not sure what this has t' do with yer special talent, what's the connection?" Sunny thought for a moment, "Okay, the Princesses use their magic to reverse the natural repulsion that the Sun and Moon have for each other, that's how they are reset, it just erases any anomalies that may have surfaced. As far as the connection to my special talent, I don't know if there is any. I just know that every time this happens, seven Stars surround the Moon, no matter what." Applejack was catching on, "An' tha's what yer Cutie Mark is on a Full Moon, right? How do you know all this?" Sunny looked embarrassed, "I spent about three months in the Canterlot Archives last year, basically reading about anything that struck me as important, it was fairly near to when I initially woke up, so I wasn't very coordinated."
As Sunny and Applejack talked, the room got progressively darker, along with the Sun going down. "Well now! Ah wasn't expectin' this t' take all day!" Applejack got up to get some light going, so they weren't in complete darkness. Sunny laughed, "I didn't think so either, I suppose we should probably get some dinner?" Applejack nodded her agreement, and got to work as Sunny got up to help her make dinner. Applejack had continued to ask questions all through the preparation and eating of dinner, and Sunny gave what answers she could. They were both soon too tired to continue, so they said the good nights and went to their respective bedrooms and went to bed.
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