anhero23
Angus-Zephyrus
Greatfeast
All across Equestria, Autumn was in full swing. The leaves' colors had turned and shrouded the country in a vibrant sea of yellow, brown, and red. Ponyville was no exception, with Sweet Apple Acres highlighting the town with its beautiful tones of bronze.
“Hurry up there, Big Mac! We've got to get these vegetables harvested before day's end! We've still got plenty of potatoes, carrots, and celery to pick and it's already midday.”
“Eeyup.” Big Macintosh hoisted his bags, grunting slightly under the weight. Applejack finished emptying her own set of bags and turned to her brother.
“Looks like this year is going to be a good one. I wonder how the others are doing...?”
“Come on Spike, you should have left for the rehearsal half an hour ago. Do you have your list?” Her number one assistant pulled out a sheet of parchment.
“Check! Let's see... open the blue box first to start the chocolate rain then set off the first bundle of fireworks.” Spike continued on down the list while Twilight nodded absently. She watched him for a while before cutting in.
“Looks like you have everything under control.”
“Of course, I'm your number one assistant, remember? Hey, so how's your research coming?” Twilight held up a book entitled Greatfeast: A History.
“I've already reread it five times. I'm wondering if I need to read it a sixth time...”
“I think you're going to be fine, Twilight. You're only teaching a class of fourth graders. I'm sure you'll do great. Just remember to keep it simple and fun.”
“But Spike, learning is fun.” He rolled his eyes before continuing.
“And your costume, you have it ready? Do you remember your lines for the play? Rainbow won't be too happy with you if you forget them. She's already ticked off enough that you can't come to this last rehearsal.”
“Oh Spike, of course I already know my lines. And Rarity has had the costumes ready ever since last week.” Spike gave a sigh.
“Well, that's good. I better get going before Rainbow Dash decides to start without me.”
“Okay Darling, don't forget to make sure the ribbons are tied tightly. We don't want them flying everywhere if it gets windy. And stay off the tables, I don't want you tracking mud all over them again.”
“Okie dokie lokie!” Ponyville's resident party pony set about winding the ribbons around tables and trees. When she was finished, she pulled out a bundle of bright pink streamers. Before she could set about using them to spruce things up “a little”, Rarity gasped and ran to stop her.
“Oh no, Dear, that just won't do! That pink is just too bright. It will most certainly clash with all of the brown and red. We need to use more muted colors. Now. Put those away.” Pinkie looked up from her bundle of streamers, confused.
“But I don't understand. I've thrown plenty of parties with these. Why should this party be any different?” Rarity regarded her friend with a frown.
“Pinkie, do you remember when we all went to the Grand Galloping Gala?” Pinkie nodded uncertainly and Rarity continued. “Well, when you entered the ballroom, what was the first thing you did?”
“I danced!”
“And how did the ponies at the party react to your dancing?”
“...they didn't like it at all.” There was a slight edge to her voice. She was still resentful towards the party poopers who ruined her night.
“Well that's because your style of partying wasn't... appropriate for that situation. The same applies here. Your style of decorating doesn't quite match with the theme of Greatfeast.” Pinkie still didn't understand.
“But my style of partying is appropriate all the time.”
“Yes, it is appropriate if the celebration is actually meant to be a party. For instance, the Grand Galloping Gala was more of a high society gathering, not a party. Greatfeast, similarly, is more of a traditional gathering. The décor needs to reflect this and be a little more low key.” Pinkie Pie thought about this for a while, then nodded glumly.
“I guess I understand. I'll just go get some more brown and red ribbons.” She looked so dejected that Rarity couldn't help but feel sorry for her. An idea slowly came to her as Pinkie Pie walked away, head bowed.
“Wait! I just had an idea. You wouldn't happen to have any purple streamers, would you?” Pinkie Pie quickly turned around in surprise.
“But Rarity, I thought you said-”
“Purple is muted enough, dear. It will match the browns and reds quite nicely, don't you think?” Pinkie Pie's face immediately lit up.
“I sure do! I have plenty of purple streamers back at the Cakes'. I'll be back in a sec'!” As Pinkie Pie tore down the street, Rarity smiled to herself. It was hard not to smile when you were spending time with Pinkie Pie.
“I can't believe it! Spike is late for rehearsal again and it's the day before the play! We're just going to have to start without him.” Rainbow Dash stormed around the amphitheater as Fluttershy followed in her wake.
“Maybe we should give him another five minutes?”
“That's what you said five minutes ago! And five minutes before that! I am not going to wait for him anymore!” Before Rainbow Dash could continue shouting, the entrance doors slammed open as Spike rushed in.
“I'm sorry I'm late! I'm so sorry!” Spike screeched to a halt in front of Rainbow Dash's glare. Looking sheepish, he dropped his equipment in a pile next to the stage. Rainbow Dash sighed and rolled her eyes before rounding on Fluttershy.
“Okay, now that Tardyscales here has finally shown up, we can get started. Fluttershy, you remember your lines?” Fluttershy gave a small nod.
“Good! In that case, recite the Princess's speech from act two.”
“Okay, um, here we go. For too long our people have um... suffered your whim and fancy. No more... On this day, the challenge is cast. The end of this shall see the fall of the child of chaos. Guardians of Equestria-”
“It's knowledge, not Equestria! Knowledge! I mean seriously, Fluttershy, we've been over this a hundred times!” Fluttershy's lower lip quivered as she stepped back.
“I'm sorry, I just-”
“Every year, the Greatfeast play is lame! But this year, I finally get to turn things around! I got pyrotechnics! Illusions! Brilliant costumes! I'm not going to have my play ruined by some pegasus who can't remember her lines! Now try again!” Fluttershy gave out a light whimper. How many hours would it take until she could go home?
“Alright, Class, settle down. I want you all to give Twilight your undivided attention.”
“Yes, Miss Cheerilee.”
Cheerilee's eyes widened slightly as Twilight entered the class, saddle bags bulging with notes. The children watched apprehensively as Twilight set up a display stand and turned to address them.
“Alright boys and girls, who's ready to learn?” The class stared silently at the unintelligible writing that stretched across the stand. Oblivious, Twilight proceeded with her lesson.
“Many thousands of years ago, the lord of chaos, Discord, ruled over all of Equestria.” Twilight stopped when a hoof was raised into the air. “Yes?”
“Didn't you defeat Discord a few months ago?”
“My friends and I did defeat him, yes.” The entire class was definitely paying attention now. “But that's for another time. What I'm here to talk to you about is the history of this country and the origins of Greatfeast.” With that, Twilight continued on through her notes. It wasn't until about ten minutes had passed that she noticed the class wasn't paying attention. Some students were passing notes, others were whispering and laughing. One filly was sleeping, her head resting on her desk. Twilight frowned. “I thought you all wanted to hear about Greatfeast. Isn't that why I'm here?” One student, a leaf green colt, spoke up.
“But that's soooo boring! We want to hear about your fight with Discord!” The entire class chorused agreement. Twilight glanced at Cheerilee uncertainly, who gave her a small smile and nod. Twilight looked down at her notes and back at the class. Spike's words about keeping things simple and fun ran through her head. Throwing the notes behind her, Twilight decided to do something she had never done before: wing it.
“You want to hear about Discord, huh?” The class nodded eagerly. “And I suppose you want to hear about how he was defeated a second time?” The entire class was hanging on her every word. “Well, as I said earlier, Discord was in complete control of Equestria. You all remember when he returned a few months ago, right? Well, imagine living under those conditions your entire life.”
“You mean some ponies got to have chocolate rain every day of their lives?”
“Discord may have given us chocolate rain, but didn't he do things that you didn't like when he was here?” Some of the class gave thoughtful looks. A few even pulled faces of disgust as they remembered how nasty things had really been. Twilight took this as her cue to continue.
“As I was saying, somepony needed to put a stop to Discord and free Equestria. That pony, or in this case, ponies, were none other than Celestia and Luna, who used the Elements of Harmony to bring his evil reign to an end.” Some of the class cheered. One of the children raised a hoof.
“You and your friends used the Elements of Harmony, right? What's it like to use them?” Twilight hadn't given it much thought before but now that she did think about it, it was incredibly hard to describe. It took a while for her to find the words to describe how she had felt.
“Well, I felt connected to everything. It was like I could see our entire country through the eyes of every creature.” The class silently held their breath. “Under the full power of the Elements, I knew there was nothing to fear: not Discord, not Nightmare Moon, not anything. The entire land, including my friends, stood with me against whatever I would face. What power could possibly compare to that? When it came to using the Elements against Discord, my friends and I were able to stand strong and fight against his corrupting influence. It was at that time we learned how important it was to fight for friendship. In the princesses' case, there was enough harmony between them to use the Elements and take on Discord. After their battle with him, the land returned to normal but lacked a sense of order. The princesses took it upon themselves to restore the country back to its original glory. Everypony was so grateful for what they had done that they set this day aside to show their gratitude. The holiday was originally called the Gratitude Festival. Its name went through many changes before becoming Greatfeast.” As Twilight finished, she found that the class was at the edge of their seats. The pony who had spoken up before piped up again.
“Can you tell us more stories? We want to hear about how you defeated Nightmare Moon.” The class loudly agreed with him. Twilight glanced over at Cheerilee who gave her a wide smile and nod. She was pleased that Twilight was getting the hang of things.
“Well, alright. It was the Summer Sun celebration and I had just arrived in Ponyville...”
The night of the celebration arrived and everyone in Ponyville was in the amphitheater waiting for the Greatfeast play to start. As the last few ponies trickled in and found their seats, the lights dimmed and the curtains opened to reveal Fluttershy, dressed up like Princess Celestia. She was standing next to Twilight, whose purple coat perfectly matched her own Princess Luna costume. As the curtains finished opening, a brown colored liquid started to fall from the ceiling, although any keen observer would have noticed the “rain” vanishing as it hit the floor. To set the scene, the show's narrator, Zecora, walked onto the stage. Zecora had graciously taken the role of narrator in almost every production since becoming more widely accepted in Ponyville. She was a popular choice because of her unusual gift with words.
"Ladies, gentlecolts and fillies too, I gladly and humbly welcome you. This story is one of courage and heart, in which Equestrian races all played a part. Our great rulers have defeated a terrible beast, For this reason we honor the day of Greatfeast...”
For a while, everything seemed to be going fine. The “princesses” were delivering their lines fluently, if somewhat mechanically. When it came time for Fluttershy to give her speech to “Discord”, she hesitated on her words.
“For too long our people have suffered your whim and fancy. N-no more! On this day, the challenge is... uh, cast. The end of this shall see the fall of the child of... uh, I mean-” Rainbow Dash, through her Discord costume, shot an angry glare at Fluttershy. “of...” Fluttershy balked, she could bear the pressure no longer. She ran off the stage weeping silently with frustration. Rainbow Dash gave a disgruntled noise before turning to the audience.
“I'm sorry folks, we'll need to take a quick intermission.” Twilight awkwardly followed her incensed friend, signaling Spike to close the curtains. Rainbow Dash muttered darkly to herself as she stomped toward backstage.
“Rainbow Dash? Don't you think that you've been a bit harsh on Fluttershy? Especially considering you're the one who forced her to be Princess Celestia?” Rainbow Dash turned to fire a retort but stopped when she heard quiet sobbing. Both ponies turned to see Fluttershy sitting on the ground with her back facing them. Rainbow Dash was at a loss for words. She'd seen Fluttershy depressed before, but usually not to the point of tears. She took a tentative step forward.
“Hey, Fluttershy. What was all that about? Are you okay?” Rainbow Dash winced at the stupidity of her last question; of course she wasn't okay. Fluttershy sniffed before responding.
“No. No, I'm not okay. I couldn't... do it. I saw everyone looking at me and watching me and the words just wouldn't come out. I'm so sorry.” Fluttershy let her head drop as more tears silently rolled down her cheeks. She was disappointed, frustrated, and worst of all, ashamed. She had let her friend down. She had practiced so many hours in front of her animal friends and now it seemed like none of her hard work would mean anything. As Rainbow Dash watched Fluttershy weep, she found that she was no longer worried about the play. Now, she was worried for her friend. In all the years she had known Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash had never seen her quite this miserable. She awkwardly placed a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder.
“Hey... don't feel bad. Please don't cry, Fluttershy.”
“B-but I ruined your play, Rainbow. I should have just stayed home...”
“No, Fluttershy, it's my fault. I shouldn't have been so hard on you. I knew you didn't want to be a part of this play; I shouldn't have made you.” Fluttershy looked up at her friend with tear filled eyes.
“I'm the one who messed it up, though. I'm always the one who messes things up. Why did you include me in this kind of thing? I'm nothing but a mess up.” As Fluttershy stared miserably at the ground, Rainbow Dash stomped her hoof.
“That's not true, Fluttershy! Think about it! Were you a mess up when you talked down that dragon and made it cry?” Fluttershy lifted her head a little. “Are you a mess up when you help your animals?”
“No.”
“How about when you helped Twilight defeat Nightmare Moon... or Discord!? Were you a mess up then?”
“... No. No I wasn't.”
“That's right! Fluttershy, listen, you've done some really awesome things, things that the rest of us probably couldn't do. You could easily be the strongest of all of us if only you 'd allow yourself to believe it. And you wanna know something else?” Fluttershy peered up and saw a beaming Rainbow Dash looking back at her. “I believe in you.”
“But Rainbow-” Fluttershy was cutoff as Rainbow Dash placed both hooves on her shoulders.
“I believe in you.” What was in Rainbow Dash's eyes? Fluttershy saw a fire in her friend's eyes and felt its warmth spread through her. Slowly a smile placed itself upon her lips.
“Okay, Rainbow. I think I can do this.”
“You think?”
“Um, I mean I know. I know I can do it! That is, I think I know.” Rainbow Dash smiled. Close enough.
“And so it was, the land rejoiced. Discord was defeated. The sisters caused the sun to rise and the bright new dawn was greeted. Together the ponies of the land ordained this Great Feast day, and together we'll still celebrate by putting on this play. Our princesses to this day continue to do all that is right. With that, Ladies and Gentlecolts, I bid you all goodnight.” Beneath her Discord mask, Rainbow Dash flushed with pride. After they had returned from backstage, the change in Fluttershy's demeanor was apparent to everypony as she delivered her lines strongly and with confidence. It was probably the best pep talk Rainbow Dash had ever given; heck, it was probably the only pep talk that had ever worked.
As Zecora finished her speech and stepped back, the crowd erupted into cheers. All of those responsible for the play gathered around Zecora and lined up to give a bow. Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest as Twilight and Spike waved to the crowd. Fluttershy was back to her old self, hiding her beet red face behind her mane. As the crowd filed out, talking amongst themselves, they all agreed on one thing: the play may have started out slow, but it turned out to be one of the best in years.
Outside the town hall, there was a sense of great expectation in the air as the crowd seated themselves at the tables arranged beneath the stars. Red and brown ribbons tangled with purple streamers stretched as far as the eyes could see. The ponies cheered as Applejack and her kin arrived, each bearing a cart laden with an assortment of carefully prepared dishes. Most impressive of all were the carts pulled by Applejack and her brother, piled high with a number of massive squashes. While the food was being distributed among the tables, the mayor stood at the podium to deliver her annual Greatfeast speech.
“Ladies and Gentlecolts! I am pleased to welcome you all to our fabulous Greatfeast banquet. Now before we all dig in, I want to say a few words to remind us about the true meaning of this holiday. Greatfeast was originally a celebration to honor the princesses' defeat of a great foe, but today it means so much more. It is also a time for thankfulness towards your family, your friends, and your community. It is a time to count your blessings and be thankful for them...” As Ponyville's mayor continued on, Rainbow Dash tapped her hoof impatiently.
“C'mon, lady, get on with it. Let us eat already.”
“...and in conclusion, as we partake of the feast so generously provided by the Apple family, let us all reflect on what we are thankful for.” After a few moments of silence, the mayor finally arrived at the part of the speech everypony had been waiting for. “Now! Let us all dig in!” As the mayor returned to her seat, the feast officially began. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh of relief and joined the other ponies in piling her plate with food. As she finished scooping up a helping of mashed potatoes with a generous dollop of gravy, she heard a pleading voice.
“Oh, come on girls! I'll be super duper careful this time! Please oh pleeease let me carve our Greatfeast squash!” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. Typical Pinkie.
