Tale of two ponies.

{Chapter 1, part 1, by Ray10k}

It was a day like any other, in the (mostly) quiet little town of Ponyville. Celestia’s sun had only barely passed the horizon, and most of Ponyville’s inhabitants were only just getting out of their beds. One of these ponies was a certain stallion, following his everyday routine:

Roll over once more, try to deny the beginning of a brand new day, give up the fight after only a few minutes, grudgingly get out of bed, stumble across the hall and into the bathroom, give self a quick inspection in the mirror.

{we could do different colors so people would know whos part is whos} {sure, but to do that we need to remember who did what in the first place ;-)}
{Chapter 1, part 2, by Kryxel}
The stallion was not tall by most standards, nor was he anything special like a Pegasus or Unicorn. He was a simple Earth pony, boring tan, with a mane that looked like mud.
His eyes were a vibrant green, so that was an upside.
Now, you may think I am referring to Doctor "Time turner" Whooves, brilliant inventor and adventurer extraordinaire. But sadly, you are mistaken.
This is the story of Mossy Mane. An artist of humble beginnings, and even humbler wages.

{Chapter 1, part 3, by Ray10k}
Finishing his daily morning rituals, Mossy put a kettle of water on the stove and went outside to grab the newspaper. As he waited for the water to boil, he idly flipped through the paper.
Some Newfoals working on a more permanent cloud walking spell, a sale on bread at Sugarcube Corner, rumors and gossip about the Griffins negotiating entry into the conversion program, the usual.
Mossy grinned to himself. It was quite surprising what can become "the usual" in just a few short years.
Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he went over the tasks that had to be completed for the day. He was a little short on hay for his usual dinner, one of his earlier customers wanted a sign repainted, and he had a meeting with a potential client from Can’terlot later in the afternoon.
He couldn't help but inwardly groan at that last one, sometimes it felt as if [i]those[/i] ponies had traded in all their common sense for bits, demanding stuff like three-dimensional company logos or expecting him to work for free, "because it would look good in his portfolio."
{so, a little more building the setting. Again, you can make of this what you want, if I didn't outright state otherwise, whatever you come up with is canon for this story.}

Ch1P4

Luckily for the Canterlot people, he could paint in 3d. It was part of his special talent after all, as the multi-colored sphere with a paint brush impaled through it on his flank showed.

He sipped on the coffee and added some fresh cream that he got from his neighbor Mooria down the street.
one thing he could never officially start the day without was a cup of coffee. even back when he was human. most ponies drank tea, but he was never a tea kind of guy.
He mixed the brew and did a quick budget in his head, if he sold simple caricature paintings on the corner this week he could possibly afford more hay for his pantry.. if not, he had been meaning to trim the grass for a while.
he glanced over to his studio and sipped his cup, mentally preparing himself for the hassle of the day.
{part 5, by Ray}
Quickly running the cup under the tap and drying it off using an old piece of cloth, Mossy finished his humble morning ritual before grabbing a small pouch of bits, a pair of saddlebags and leaving for the market.
----------
While Mossy always thought he rose early, he had yet to wake up earlier than the salesponies at the market and today was no exception. Despite the fact that the sun had come up not even an hour before, the market already was a hive of busy activity with many a salespony offering their wares to whoever was awake at the time.
Mossy couldn’t keep himself from smiling. Even after feeling it a hundred times, the warm sense of community the market always seemed to radiate never failed to make even the hardest of days just that little bit more bearable.
Trotting from stall to stall, Mossy went over his mental shopping list, occasionally stopping to talk to some acquaintance or to buy something.

“Hey there!”
Mossy looked up at the red shape hovering above him, his smile growing larger as he saw his friend hanging over him.

-------------------
{chapter 1, part 6 by Kryxel}

The red Mare glanced down as she dangled from one of the light posts, her bright yellow tail tangled around the arm of the lamp.
"Danger... when will you learn not to fly so low over Ponyville? How long have you been there?" Mossy asked.
"Never. I want to be the best!... and I need to do some amazing things to beat Rainbow Dash into that Wonderbolts spot. And Top "Danger Zone" Gunn will be the best," said the mare.
"Uh huh... and how long have you been hanging there?" Mossy asked with a chuckle.
"Uh... all night?" she said with a shrug.
"Right. Let me help you down. Then you can help pay me back by treating me to a cupcake at Sugarcube Corner," Mossy said.
Danger smiled. "of course... thanks," she said with a chuckle before Mossy helped her down from the light pole and onto her traffic cone cutiemark.

(top "Dangerzone" gunn: 2S2S000010C90000FFC49D101015ACE00UN1837000210001G1FEFF00C4C4001N107F3FCC004CB2
or something close to that in zoi's ponymaker.)

{Chapter 1, part 7 by Ray10k}

“Owww! Couldn’t you let me down a little more gently?!” Danger indignantly exclaimed, as she rubbed her flank.

“That’s just the price for trying too hard, Danger,” Mossy chuckled as he helped her up. “Besides, it could have been worse, right? At the very least, you won’t have to spend hours getting all that tree-sap out of your coat.”

Danger sighed. “I’ll never live THAT down, will I? Besides, that was not my fault! Some idiot Pegasus threw that crosswind, just to make me crash!” she finished, slightly pouting.

“Suuuure... Had nothing to do with the fact that there is only a hooffull of ponies who could do that stunt anyway, right?”

A furious blush crept across Danger’s face, as she started to sputter. “O-of course not! Just watch, I’ll be trying THAT stunt again this afternoon! And this time, it’ll be perfect, I tell you!”

Mossy’s grin at this point could only be described as troll-ish, amused by how visible his rusty-red friend’s blush still was. “Reeeaaaly now? Like the last dozen times?”

“Shut. Up.”

Mossy Mane gave a short laugh. “Relax, Danger. I’m just pulling your mane. You know you are my main mare, right?”

Danger Zone harrumphed, and started to float next to her earthbound friend, solely for the sake of crossing her forelegs. “Right. Never would have doubted that, mister Inkblot.”

This time, it was Mossy’s turn to blush. “... I thought we agreed never to mention that again.”

“Right back at you.”

{Chapter 1, part 8 by Kryxel}

Mossy and Danger started to walk through the stalls of the market, oblivious to the meeting of Princess Celestia happening right this minute.
Celestia stood before her throne, as the other four ambassadors of the five nations came in and sat around the Round table.
There Was Sharptooth, of the dragon wyers,
King Eisen of the Gryphon flock,
Theseus of the Minotaur herds,
and Jareth, King of the Diamond Dogs.

"Gentlemen, as you may know by now, the influx of newfoals has spread across our land, and their very world has become a part of ours as well. Each of our clans has gained some humans amongst our mist and we have become all the better for it." Celestia paused. "However, it seems that our lands are... having an upset stomach of sorts, due to the rapid absorption of what was once known as Earth. As such, those of us with the power to, cannot hold it together long. Our trusted associate, The Doctor has assured me that we have maybe a month, two at the most, to find some way of fixing this... extinction level event. Or all of Equestria and its shared lands shall perish."

Jareth spoke first. "My Dear Celestia, you know as well as I do there is one individual who could fix it with a snap of his claw... I say, we let him loose and he will undoubtedly come to our aid."

Sharptooth huffed "I would like to remind council dog Jareth that the last time Discord escaped, the Diamond dogs were turned into actual diamonds and then shot clear to the draconian lands. Do you really want to risk a repeat? I could help last time, but this time ...this time I might not be able to...”

Theseus spoke in a low voice. "I have heard a tale... A tale of an force, just as powerful... nay, more powerful than the Elements of Harmony. In fact, it is the very basis of our existence. You and I all know the power that I speak of... the element...entity? Force? Being? Who knows. It is known only as "Order." While it is true she did combat Discord and was defeated at his paws, she hid herself away, far beyond the Everfree, and far beyond all of our lands. I say it is her we must consult... and hopefully gain her help."

Eisen guffawed. "Oh Theseus, don't you know,have you forgotten, that no one race can even approach Order? Much less hold its  power? none of us, nor The elder gods like Celestia can withstand it for long."

Celestia chuckled. "And that is precisely why I propose that all our races send forth one hero, of our own choice, to find order and ask her to help."

{chapter 1, part 9 by ray10k} {make sure to check the last part for notes, and give me a note about the changes you decided on please, especially regarding Order. Parts of a note, ending with a question mark are intended as suggestions to replace the preceding parts.}

Sharptooth nodded sagely. “If the situation is as dire as you imply, then such a fellowship might indeed have the best chances. All I ask is two days to find a fitting candidate.”

Eisen nodded. “A task as weighty as this would benefit greatly from even a little time to select the most appropriate candidate. Two days sounds reasonable, even given the limited timeframe."

Theseus chimed in as well. “Two days will be what it takes for my champion to reach Canterlot, but I do believe I have someone fit for the task. I’ll send for him immediately.”

Finally, Jareth spoke up. “Our closest pack is at a day’s travel from here. Last I heard, they were investigating some nearby renegade pack. The Alpha of that pack would make a great leader to this effort.”

Celestia smiled. “Then it is settled. We shall all send for a champion to represent our races, and enlist Order to our cause. Now, let us discuss the further specifics of this undertaking.”

[hr] {in fimficion-speak: a horizontal line.}

When the meeting finally had reached its end, it was already time for the moon to take the sun’s place in the sky and bring the calming night to the ever growing lands of Equestria. As such, Princess Celestia was currently escorted by a group of stern-faced Unicorn guards as the group made its way to the balcony from which the Sisters usually performed the transition from day to night.

Awaiting them at the door was a pair of reptilian-eyed Lunar Unicorn guards, snapping to attention as Celestia and her entourage approached. “Hail,  Princess Celestia! Princess Luna awaits you!” they spoke in perfect and, quite honestly creepy, unison as they stepped aside to allow the solar Princess access.

Celestia strode through, finding her Sister looking at the sky, her back turned towards the door. “Hello, dear Sister.”

Luna turned around, her expression somewhat annoyed. “You were almost late. What kept you?”

“Just a meeting lasting a little longer than expected. Still, shall we?”

Glaring for only a moment longer, Luna eventually turned back to face the sky once more as Celestia took her place by her side. Celestia raised her head towards the setting sun, as Luna lowered hers towards the distant horizon. In perfect unison, the two Alicorns moved their heads, the sun following Celestia’s horn and passed beyond the horizon, just as the moon rose, chasing after Luna’s horn.

The daily ritual done, Luna looked at her Sister once more. “Care to tell me what kind of meeting was so important that you couldn’t spare any time to talk to me?”

Celestia nodded, her face completely unreadable. “We decided to send a group to contact Order.”

Luna froze, her face a mask of shock, before she started an unsure chuckle. “You had me there for a moment, Celly. I almost believed you wanted to bring back Order to Equestria.”

Celestia looked Luna straight in the eye. “But I do. Order will resolve the issues that have risen with the Conversion Effort. You know that.” as she spoke, she didn’t even blink, not even when her eyes shifted to a uniform grey. “Will you oppose Order? Be an agent of Chaos?”

Luna tried to blink, but couldn’t avert her sight from the disturbing pools of grey her Sister’s eyes had become. “I... Will... Not... oppose Order. Chaos is madness... and madness... must... be... fought.”

Celestia closed her eyes for a moment as her eyes changed back to normal. “I knew you wouldn’t let emotion cloud your judgment. Now, I do believe it is time for dinner...”

[hr]

{I would like to nominate this point as the end of chapter 1. Let me know what you think.}

{chapter 1, part 10 / chapter 2, part 1 by kryxel}

(agreed. although can i ask what the wierd eye thing was that celestia did?
also i changed all of the suggestions. sometimes swapping out the word, other times re-writing it with a better phrase. but all were changed.)
(and just for randomness.)
The Dragon spoke up "you have my blade."
the gryphon laughed "and my bow."
the dimond dog growled "and my axe"
the minitaur posed "and my thirty minute workout on how you can develop the IRON WILL abbs of tomorrow. 15.59 with shipping and handling."