Light as a feather

Luna stifled a yawn as she watched her sister raise the sun, pulling it up from beyond the distant horizon. Its rays shone brightly, overwhelming the lingering shades of the night sky and swallowing the stars, as at the same time the alicorn set the moon on the opposite horizon.

The darker alicorn said nothing, content to observe her sister in silence. Careful observation gave no answers to the myriad of questions and concerns regarding her sisters well being as of late but she spoke them in silence, and only to herself knowing she would not get a straight answer if she dared express them out loud.

“You should rest sister.” She said drawing Celestia’s gaze away from where it stared distant.

“He has his father’s eyes.” The older alicorn said in a hushed whisper, seemingly oblivious to her sister’s suggestion.

“Who…?” Luna ventured stepping forward quietly.

“That colt…the one from the event…” Celestia answered her words fading even as she spoke them. The white alicorn’s gaze fell to the floor and she closed her eyes her expression pained. Luna’s heart tightened in her chest as she noticed her sister’s legs quiver. She rushed forward leaning against her older sibling, supporting her should she fall.

“Are you feeling well sister?” Luna asked concerned. “Need I summon a doctor?”

“I am fine Luna.” Celestia reassured regaining her composure and her footing. “But, thank you.”

“I do not believe you.” Luna said a bit childishly. A frown creased her lips and her brow furrowed as she studied her sister closely. The alicorn’s pastel mane and tail seemed to hang limply, while her shimmering façade was dull and lifeless. “I understand you do not wish for me to worry but how can I not when you act as you do?”

“If it pleases you then summon a doctor.” Celestia relented after a tense minute of inner debate. In response Luna wrapped a wing around her sister’s shoulders pulling her into a loving embrace. The action brought a genuine, all be it small, smile to Celestia’s lips. “Until then I believe it best I retire. Should you need me I will be in my chambers.”

--

Amber woke to a pair of lively blue eyes watching him as he slept. His surprised cry was cut short as he recognized them, and the long locks of pink mane hung limply around the head of the mare he’d come to know as Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie,” Amber asked as he realized the vibrantly colored mare was sitting on his chest. “What are you doing?”

“Watching you sleep.” She said with a smile her hair regaining a significant amount of its curly nature. Her hesitant smile widened as he made to sit up but found he was unable due to her weight, which for such a small looking pony was rather considerable.

“Why?” Amber asked laying his head back on the pillow. He watched the dust float in the rays of brilliant morning sunlight falling in through the gaps in his curtains.

“Well,” The mare took a breath before words began streaming from her mouth at a near incomprehensible rate. “Last night after you told your story I realized that my apology wasn’t enough. I’d done something unforgivable and I wanted to make up for it, but I didn’t know how. So when I was wandering around town trying to think of something I ran into a ghost, or I thought he was a ghost but he was only a pony that looked like a ghost…”

Amber heard a chuckle over her words and he turned his head finding Mortar waiting in the doorway a brow cocked in amusement at the suggestive positions the colt found himself in. Amber shot the stallion a dangerous glare in response before turning his attention back to Pinkie Pie. “…So I’ve been here all night waiting for you to wake up so I could teach you how to bake!”

“Wait, what?” Amber asked, managing to catch the last few words of Pinkie’s monologue. “You’ve been here all night?”

“Not all night,” The pony quipped. “Only most of it.”

Amber ignored the fact that Pinkie Pie had been watching him sleep in favor of her second revelation. “And you can cook?”

“Bake.” The pink pony corrected. “Who do you think made the cake at your ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party?”

Sensing the question didn’t require a response he shifted his focus to removing the mare from his chest. Mortar stifled a snicker at this while Pinkie glanced between them her expression bewildered, as if she didn’t understand the silent exchange.

Amber glared daggers at the stallion as he shoved his way past the pink mare to the bathroom, slamming the broken door as best he could without tearing it off the jamb completely. After a quick shower, more an incentive to wake than the need for actual hygiene, he rejoined his companions; but not before a glance into the remaining chunk of broken mirror still set in the frame reminded him why it was broken.

--

Twilight wrinkled her nose at the stench of alcohol and hard cider permeating the air of the nightclub. It wasn’t deserted, there were ponies present but they were hugging the walls, avoiding any semblance of light like those vampire ponies in one of Rainbow Dash’s comic books.

“Are you old enough to be in here?” A dust colored unicorn stallion inquired noticing her as he emerged from a set of double doors tucked in a far corner of the club. He wore a figure flattering waistcoat and his cutie mark, she noticed with a faint blush on her cheeks, was a martini glass and a shaker of salt. Twilight stepped back, stammering her reply. “I…I’m looking for V…Vinyl Scratch?”

“Over there.” He replied with a wry smile nodding his head toward the far wall. Twilight shifted her gaze in the direction he indicated. “You might try pushing a few buttons.” The stallion nickered as the purple pony nodded in acknowledgement before quickly trotting toward the stage.

A white unicorn mare lay in the middle of the slightly raised platform, her foreleg thrown across her eyes, a pair of large purple tinted sunglasses lying close by. Twilight stepped nearer startled as the white mare snorted in her sleep. Slowly reaching a hoof out the hesitant pony nudged the mare’s shoulder but rather than wake, as she’d expected, the pony flipped over and curled further into herself.

Twilight glanced over her shoulder noticing the brown stallion was watching her expectantly his forelegs crossed. He inclined his head toward a mess of electronics at the corner of the stage, a sly smile playing on his lips. After a minute of thought in which she realized his earlier statement about buttons had not been a metaphor but in fact a suggestion, the purple pony trotted toward the machine. She spent several long moments staring before hesitantly reaching out a hoof and pressing a button.

A shriek of feedback nearly knocked Twilight off her hooves as she frantically stabbed at random buttons and twisted dials in an attempt to stop the noise blaring from the speakers. The continued unpleasantness wasn’t near enough to mask the rage expressed by the unicorn mare it had awakened.

“WHO THE HELL IS TOUCHING MY TABLE!” Twilight shrank back as Vinyl raged, more upset that her equipment had been tampered with than the fact that she had been woken so abruptly.

“Let the mare alone Vinyl.” Barkeep said between bursts of raucous laughter effectively stealing her attention as the noise was dulled. The unicorn mare looked swiftly between the purple pony and the brown stallion her anger slowly ebbing in place of a steady throbbing ache in her head that was quickly making itself apparent.

“Vinyl Scratch…?” As Twilight looked the mare over she realized the extent of the wounds Amber had told her about, the cuts and bruises he’d spoke of still clearly visible.

“Who’s asking?” The white unicorn snapped groggily as she pushed the purple pony away from her equipment. She busied herself from several minutes doing things with the machine Twilight could only guess at before she appeared content.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle.” The purple pony introduced herself once she felt comfortable enough to address the volatile pony. “Amber asked me to keep you company….”

“Who?” A confused look crossed the white mares face.

“Your little coltfriend...” Barkeep answered before Twilight could explain. The stallion busied himself preparing a cocktail to settle Vinyl’s’ raging hangover as she stumbled to the bar a sarcastic smile on her lips, Twilight following after. “I like Feathers better.”