Coding Of Honor
She was walking within his shadow: it would have been hard to be in the hallway with him and not be occupying a portion of lesser light. He was huge, gigantic in a way which should have left him barely able to stand within the corridors, let alone navigate them. Wallpaper should have been tearing with every resounding thomp of a step, with the walls themselves threatening to buckle. And yet he moved normally (if somewhat loudly, with a solidity that matched his frame), never seeming to quite come into contact with anything, even when every basic rule which said two physical objects couldn't occupy the same space (at least without a phase-shift spell) seemed to be constantly, and happily, breaking itself.
There were moments when it seemed as if his size changed. There would be a chandelier (a magnificent specimen, of no style she'd ever seen before), his right horn was about to snag a section, potentially bringing the whole thing down, and -- he would walk directly under it without so much as the faintest rattle of crystal. He would turn a corner as they moved through the hallways, and the spikes on the back of his shell which should have been gouging trails along the curve would recede without moving. His proportions remained consistent, no part of his physicality could be caught in mid-alteration -- but changes had to be occurring, and Twilight would ultimately spend a significant percentage of her time in his presence in trying to figure out how they worked.
She had a few minutes to do so, as they moved down the hallways. To her, the creature -- the King -- had the air of a researcher in the middle of intensive internal review, someone whose first-ever paper had only gained the notice of academia several decades after its composition, and had naturally been asked to come before his peers to defend it. It made him look both thoughtful and slightly distracted: someone who had long-ago convinced himself that he was absolutely right and was trying to remember the exact reasons as to why.
There were things which paused him in that process. Doors would open, and the latest room's occupant would say something to him. There were inquiries about food, questions about future bookings, and more than a few sapients kept asking about carts. Every brief discussion took place in a language she knew, so many used terms she didn't understand, and none came from species she recognized. There were completely alien forms of intelligent life occupying the castle, and most of it wanted to thank him for the recent upgrades to in-flight sedation services. At one point, he pulled a small notepad out from the gap between shell and left arm, then jotted down a few things about scents. Twilight spent most of that time trying to figure out how some of the beings he was speaking with could even exist, and largely gave up after the grumbling purple cloud with the half-nasal, half-whining voice flattened her ears with badly-phrased complaints regarding blue shells: the poorly-constructed sentences mostly concerned how unfair and stupid they were, which seemed to mark the cloud as something of a bigot.
(Some of those beings would open the door and, upon seeing Twilight, start to close it again. He would quickly, softly explain that he was getting things in order, and that would be enough to keep them from shutting themselves in again. Most of them kept at least one eye on her at all times, which was somewhat easier for the thing which had eight.)
But eventually, they cleared that portion of the myriad hallways. The corridors widened, as did the doors: potential exits which now bore words she didn't understand, ones which rearranged themselves into Kitchen B and Spa: Heat Therapy as she watched.
Further along, as paintings began to appear on the walls, the ceilings raised, colors shifted towards peaceful hues -- and finally, the King stopped in front of a particularly large door, one which eventually labeled itself as Titanium Club, Lounge C: Oxygen-Breathers. He opened it, slipped inside, and a huge arm gestured for her to follow.
She did so, and found herself looking at plush couches. Chairs, suitable for bipeds. An irregular shape which shifted like slow-setting gel. A small group of shelves held books, and she resisted the urge to move directly towards them. Other walls bore panels of dark glass, and a nook in the corner had one which was currently lit from within: the angle wouldn't allow her to make out anything beyond glow.
There was also what would have been considered as an Equestrian-standard cushioned bench, at least once somepony scaled it down by Quite A Lot. It was made from dark wood and burgundy comfort. It radiated richness as it promised relaxation, along with up to five minutes of trying to climb in or out.
"That's hers," the creature said. "I had it made for her. Other clients use it now and again: it's been a long time since she's been here, so people forget. Some of the ones she used to see when she was here, who are still around... they might not fully associate it with her any more. And there are generations of Princesses who have no idea who she is, who would only see her as another head bowed low under its crown." A small shrug, especially for such a large body. "So you sit there."
It took a few wing flaps to get herself situated, and then the King sat down on an opposing high-backed chair. There was a moment when his spikes sank deep into the cushions, failed to tear them -- and then he leaned forward, looked directly at Twilight as short fingers steepled under the deep cleft in the reptilian chin.
"It's been a while since I had to explain this," the King began. "In person, from scratch. This generation of prospective clients generally knows enough to contact me. Plus I get referrals, and I appreciate every last one." A small snort. "Something else Celestia appears to have forgotten. But to start at the beginning..."
One more moment of long thought.
"I used to talk about this all the time, when I was getting started," the creature said. "I had to make people understand. And it wasn't all that long after this part of my life began, when she and I met. I had this talk with her. And it was actually a little easier, making an Equestrian understand. Because ponies know something about destiny. They accept destiny. It's easy to do that when you all trot around with a little piece of it on your hips every day." He pulled his torso back a little, separated his fingers: the left hand began to descend towards where the shell met the leg. "So I want you to imagine something, Twilight: the same thing I asked her to imagine, a long time ago. That one day, your destiny came to you in a blaze of light, and when that faded --"
He stretched the leg forward, enough to let a little more of the base slip past the shell, then raised the hard edge by a half-hoofwidth or so, allowing the light to reach it.
"-- this was your mark."
For what felt like a full horrible minute, Twilight stared at both the crown and the thick chains which surrounded it. The knot of metal links where they all came together and united into the grip for dragging everything away.
"...I..." she just barely managed. "I..."
"What," the King asked, with that powerful voice so soft, "would you do with your life?"
She wanted to cry. She wanted to find whatever had been responsible for inflicting that kind of future upon him and kick it into the lava, with her tears adding steam to the plumes of ash. "...I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
He simply moved his hand away from the shell, let the image fall back into darkness before leaning forward again.
"That was my talent," he stated in even words, the edges worn off by years of verbal flow. "The planning and execution of perfect Princess kidnappings. That was my destiny. And when you get a destiny like that... oh, I tried to lead a normal life, or as normal as I could. But the urge was always there. I would have dreams, Twilight, and some of them turned into motion. I would sleepwalk, wake up at my desk, find plans I'd sketched during the night. Get through security here, manage the extraction there. Some part of my mind was constantly thinking about it. I moved in my sleep, and I made it to my desk. I kept waiting for the night I would wake up and find myself standing in a royal bedroom. Or to open my eyes one morning and look at my prisoner through the bars of the cell door. Because when you get a destiny, it doesn't want to be denied, now does it?" Looking at her a little more closely now, "Your mark... I don't get anywhere near enough ponies to recognize what that icon stands for. What's your talent?"
"Magic," she half-swallowed, choking back the sob which had nearly emerged with it -- then realized it had been too general a term. "...an increased learning capacity for workings. I'm stronger than most unicorns, I'm good at research, there's been a few times when I've even figured out how to duplicate somepony's personal trick..."
Slowly, he nodded. "And what happens if you don't research for a while? A moon or more? What if you were in a position where you couldn't learn about magic, or even try to use it? If you were in a place where casting was illegal, forbidden, something no truly good pony would ever do..."
Ice wrapped itself around something very close to the center of her heart.
"...I would..." Her mind tried to grasp a waking nightmare, found intangible acid burning at the edges. "...I would start hating myself. I'd be going against so much of what I was, denying my core..."
"Celestia once told me," the King continued, voice somehow steady, his tones almost matter-of-fact, "that for a pony, 'the mark is the soul made visible to the world.' You would be going against your own soul. Fighting destiny is just about as bad. But I didn't want to be a criminal, Twilight. I didn't want to spend my life in prison. I'd gotten married, I'd had a son, and -- it just kept building. My wife found me standing over my night sketches. I told her I was writing a book. Then I did start writing one, because I thought it would be an outlet. Turned out I wasn't all that good at it or lying. Destiny kept pushing, it was pushing itself between us, and... then I didn't have a wife anymore. Just a set of divorce papers, and dreams which told me I could go out and get a replacement any time I liked. Dreams I was having every night. And for a king to be dragged away in chains of his own because you can only go so long before you do get caught, for his son to watch his father fall because destiny just kept calling..."
He took a slow breath, held it.
"Not my best days," he drastically understated. "Not even close."
"Your Highness --" Twilight weakly began.
"-- Bowser," he cut her off. "We're both royalty. Most of what titles do here is get you in the door."
"Bowser," she tried, and couldn't quite seem to make it fit. "How does that... lead to this?"
Quietly, "What's the central requirement for a criminal act against an intelligent being?"
She didn't understand. "The act has to be illegal --"
Which was when he grinned.
"-- the supposed victim," he cut her off, "has to be unwilling."
She blinked.
"One pony kicks another in the street: that's assault," he shrugged as he turned his hands palms-up, spread his arms. "Do it inside a springwire fence, in front of a paying audience, and it's combat sports. My talent is for kidnapping Princesses, Twilight. Perfectly. When I put my mind to it, there is nothing in all the realms which can stop me from making a plan that gets past every possible defense. And on the worst day of my life, just before it turned into the best, I finally asked myself the right question: what if there was a Princess who wanted to be kidnapped?"
Again, hard enough for the edges of her eyelids to sting. "But why would any Princess --?"
"Because it's not a job which comes with vacations," Bowser told her. "You can go to the beach, if your realm even lets you travel. You can tell everypony or everyone that you want a few hours to yourself. But the land always comes calling, Twilight. Or the sky, or the sea -- anything which can be ruled over knows who that ruler is, and it will always find a way to reach you. There are those around you who can't conceive of why you'd ever need a day off, even with everything arranged and people who'll cover for you. They sure won't understand why you might even have the occasional fantasy about quitting. And you can't take a true day off, you might get anger and rage and stupidity if you even mention it, accusations of not caring about your realm --"
The grin got wider.
"-- but who can ever blame you for being kidnapped?"
He leaned back into the cushions, pure satisfaction settling into his face.
"I reached out to a bunch of realms on the sly," he smiled. "Took a lot of time and magic, but I've got both: I made contact. And it turned out that if it meant getting a few days off, there were Princesses everywhere who would be perfectly content with a temporary kidnapping, because there's no part of my destiny, talent, or urges which says I have to keep them. As long as I'm snatching away royalty on a regular basis, I'm happy. I sleep well at night. I also happen to get paid. And those rulers come here and get a few days off, because that crown has a weight which doesn't go away and this is where they can try to take it off. They relax, because I've got games for them which release stress, and the people they play those games with are people they can talk to about the stress. People in the same position. They stay for a while, until their teeth, for the ones who have them, aren't on edge any more. Until they aren't having fantasies about using major attack spells when someone commits a minor etiquette breach, or just because the Princess in the neighboring realm got the best dressmaker first. Until they're fit to rule again."
Bowser took a slow, relaxed breath.
"I like to think," he told her with open satisfaction, "that I've prevented a few wars."
She was staring at him, and his smile would not fade.
"But -- !" There had to be something wrong with what he'd just said, there was an abomination against nature hiding in the center of his core philosophy and she was going to find the thing if she had to weave it out of whole cloth. "-- what about the realms? They've lost their leader! How are they supposed to --"
"Most realms," Bowser casually interrupted, "can manage themselves: they just don't want to. The royals arrange things before they leave, make sure someone can take over for the duration. For most of the kidnappings, there's even a person who knows what's really going on and covers for everything. But what most of the realm knows is that their Princess has been kidnapped, and a Hero can save her. The Hero always saves her, because that's what a Hero is for. So they find one, send them down the pipe -- and when the vacation's over, saving her is exactly what the Hero does. The realm gets some legends out of it, and maybe a big party when their Princess comes back. I fulfill my destiny without anyone ever getting hurt. And the Hero gets to be a Hero. I've even had a few Princesses who ran the whole routine just to see how much of a Hero they had."
His scales abruptly darkened. The chair groaned under his weight.
"Which does mean," he muttered, "getting the occasional sadist..."
"...huh?" There were other words she could have said, and she couldn't seem to think of a single one.
He sighed. "Personal matter. I've got this one client right now... it's at the point where I swear she's just coming here to see what her Hero will do to reach her this time. And the fat man is good. It's reached the point where I started recruiting extra help to design his courses, just to keep him from getting here too fast. Two more speedruns and I might even think about asking him for some obstacle ideas. And he just keeps rescuing her, and she smiles and thanks him and never, ever gives him so much as a single peck on the cheek because she's herozoned him -- but a few weeks later, I get the message, I send out the squad, sometimes I go in person because she pays extra for that, and they start all over again."
Bowser snorted.
"Textbook abusive relationship," he announced. "Two more speedruns and I'd joke about consulting him. Five and I just might tell him the truth. But you know the worst part? I think he's into it. All the leaps of faith, every trick block which goes bad on him... maybe this started because he wanted to save her, but now there's something in him which just needs to see the lava. I keep thinking -- one day, when we're on the bridge together and he's expecting the fireballs, all that'll come out of my mouth is truth. And my biggest nightmare is that he's just gonna look at me with those big blue eyes, the mustache will twitch a little, and he'll say 'So?'"
Which was followed by a small sigh.
"You meet a lot of weirdos in this business," the professional kidnapper stated.
Twilight blinked again. (It seemed to be justified.) She could feel questions pressing against her lips, and tried to keep any of them from openly inquiring about the sanity of all parties involved. "How are there enough Princesses to keep you in business?"
"There's a lot of realms," he casually stated. "Plus I started out with Princesses, and that's what keeps my destiny happy -- but I'll take anyone who's in charge. Emperors, presidents, incarnates, avatars, the occasional queen -- just got one of those in two days ago, actually -- and when you add up all the titles, the total says profit. You've seen part of my staff, you've seen a section of the castle, and you know I've got at least fourteen kidnap squads. Think about what I've got to take in just to keep them all on salary."
"And --" it should have been the first question, but she'd felt an odd need to work into it "-- Princess Celestia?"
"Contacted me for the first time in you-don't-want-to-know, a few days ago," he shrugged -- then, disgruntled, "Without bothering to toss any kind of update into her scroll... anyway, she's one of the oldest accounts I have, even if she went inactive for a while. And she's always been a little more complicated to work with, because Equestria can run without her -- but your Sun can't. I had to find a way of leaving this tiny channel open at all times, so she could reach out to her home and keep things going. It's about the size of one of your coins, as ridiculously small as those get. Works fine."
"She wanted to be kidnapped," Twilight tried, because it seemed to be something which required a full explanation. "Four days' worth of it."
"Paid in advance," Bowser confirmed.
Which was when the outrage broke through, along with most of the decibels. "She was abandoning --"
The sound went off.
It was a strange sort of sound. There was a musical quality to it, but it was a note which had never known an instrument. It was a tonal song played by air and power, with a descending quality which made her picture a small metal object going through a very short plummet. It was also enough to cut her off, and that was before the creature raised his right hand.
"Hold up," Bowser told her.
"...why?"
Another grin. "Because your Hero is taking his first look at the pipe, and my spells know a Hero when they feel one. Since this is your first rescue, why don't we take a peek? Because personally? I'm kind of curious to see what you've got coming for you." And without waiting for an answer, he gestured at the closest panel of dark glass.
It lit from within. And then Twilight was looking at Canterlot.
She watched for a while, initially in shock, then in instinctive contemplation of the magic involved, and eventually in (temporary) silence. But before her own laughter finally began, there was a slow moment: one which allowed another question to reach the front of the queue.
"Does your species even have marks? Or did you just create an illusion, to help me understand?"
"No marks," Bowser confirmed. "But it wasn't an illusion, either."
"Oh?"
"Nah. I adjusted my resolution. It's a lot more basic." He twisted his chair somewhat, leaned towards the screen. "Now hang on: I want to see what the rookie does with this..."
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oh I missed this one! Perfect timing too as I just started Super Mario Odyssey, and this really hits the mark.
Yay, the worst-best part is over, the sadistic part begins
Oh nice; one of the zaniest of crossovers has updated! This madcap idea of a story is one I eagerly look forward to.
Wow. Bowser's explanation of his relationship to Peach and Mario...just wow.
'Adjusted your resolution'...oh wow. There's magic in this pocket realm of his that lets people see each other by the laws of their own world. He 'adjusted his resolution' so she saw him like another pony, thus seeing a Cutie Mark where he wouldn't normally have one.
And apparently Celestia helped Bowser get a lot of this set up, huh? Boy, Twilight's going to have a long talk with her when this is over.
This is pure gold.
Lumpy Space Princess? Well, better Bowser's Volcano Castle and Day Spa than the Ice King, I suppose.
Huh. That certainly explains Junior. There's never one of anything, and Wendy demonstrates that there are females of the species. Still, I'm glad that Bowser found a constructive outlet before his destiny destroyed him.
Yeah, Peach... Peach has issues. Bowser may want to get in touch with Luigi, see if they can't arrange some kind of intervention. I'm just not sure if it should be for the princess or the other plumber.
I do love how the Mushroom Kingdom is a casually eldritch location for ponies.
Glad to see this update, especially given the deeper look into the mind of the Koopa King. Eagerly looking forward to Flash's struggle... or lack thereof. Capes were always the key to a quick finish in Super Mario World, and Flash comes with his own feathers.
Bowser history! Awesome! And sorta sad, but nice to see it work out in the end!
If the "Send someone who deserves it" message from chapter 2, is part of the note... Thinking Flash, yeah, he takes a lotta hits, so he should be good?
How does flying work, in the Lands Beyond??
... I wonder who was the Hero at the other times...
Cool! Not sure what it means, exactly, but it sounds awesome too, explaining how he's not damaging anything, etc.
I can honestly never look at a Mario game the same ever again. That explanation Bowser gave made way to much god damn sense. 30 years......... so this is why Mario maker came about...... Bowser just ran out of ideas and started just asking him thus creating Kaizo Trap.... my mind is literally blown at the moment.
if my previous statement means anything is that I love this fic and hope you never stop.
Some pony kicking another pony would be battery. Assault would be the threat of kicking (physically or in motion of). Since one follows the other normally they kinda get smashed together, but there is a legal separation.
So screaming at some one to back off thier bar date would be assault. Smashing your beer glass over thier head is the battery. Also a waste off beer.
Well, we already know that he can in fact use magic to change his size at will.... to an extent anyway. I'd be willing to bet money he just found a less noticeable way to do so. Notice-Me-Not spell, maybe?
World 1-1
LET'S'A'GO!
I forgot that this story existed. And after yet another chapter it still feels awesome.
At the same time it's somewhat silly in it's ideas and their realizations, but it also touches quite a philosophical problem about ruling, destinies and more.
Awesome story.
8637433
His hitbox is probably just a bit wonky.
Holy fucking hell Twilight, did you LISTEN to the big man's explanation? Princesses sign up with him because they can't take it anymore. Toadies and Toads grasping on the hem of their dresses every moment to tell them some inane thing they need to deal with that the flunkies could have handled themselves, even if they try to take a break they are ALWAYS on call or there's some 'friend' who believes themselves entitled to said relaxation time as a time for personally bending the royal's ear. I bet the last thing most of them sees when they lay down to sleep is a servant, and the first thing they wake up to is a stack of papers and a flat-faced secretary saying they're two minutes behind schedule.
Or an overly-attached faithful student wanting to occupy as much time as possible.
They're people, too. The fact she hasn't gone with Bowser's services in such a long time says miraculous things about her patience and ability to cope. Give the woman a damn break, no one else is. Bowser just explained this and she immediately jumps to viciously blaming... no wonder the other princesses there were afraid to see her, they don't want to be judged - I bet most of them feel somewhat guilty already just for taking a break in the first place.
8637433
Or it's all symbols: he's the king, the castle belongs to him, and knows when to get out of the way discreetly, because you don't bother the king with too small passages.
Or he just clips through.
8637488
Maybe she was just mad that Celestia was abandoning her . . . to the buffalo.
Part of me could almost see that expliination.... then one day ol' King Bowser Koopa does blow the truth to him and finds out Peach isn't quite Pure with Maro as Bowser thought.
but that's just a Theory....
A Game Theory,
Sorry....
No I'm not.
Also, who the hell is her hero?
Flash?
Spike?
Big Mac?
Shining Armor?
8637424
Betcha Star Swirl was the Hero at least once, and probably a member of the Blueblood line. Maybe Luna was one of the heroes at one point, even! It would certainly explain the Great Giana Sisters.
8637519
Not Luna, unless she's lying, in Chapter 2:
Good to see this updated as well - this is a fun little story, and really not what you would expect from a Mario crossover.
Of course, where does Wario come in to this?
Twilight is currently an Alicorn. It should be I was
It's probably one of the other Elements (IMO, Spike is too young) PLEASE let it be Pinkie
Of course, reality might break. I'm willing to risk it.
I'm sure there has to be a few times where the princess and hero decided to mix it up and switch rolls for a kidnapping or two.
Also, while Peach and Mario might have a really bad relationship, Luigi and Daisy seem much more functional.
Calling it now. The hero is Blueblood.
8637541
HeadCannon just went into my head suddenly.
Bowser: "Luigi?? what are you doing here. This time slot is reserved for Daisy."
Luigi: "Oh hello King Bowser. Daisy thought it would be fun to switch it up a bit. She recommended the buffet, which I have to say it absolutely scrumptious. "
Bowser:"....at least you and her appear to have a normal relationship." he sighs but then shakes his head to rid of the thoughts. "The cart racing for the 150 cc Star cup starts at 11a.m. tomorrow. Shall I make arrangements for a specialized cart?"
Luigi: "No, That's ok a standard cart is fine. Anyways have a good one I am going to see how well Daisy does on world 6-2 I got word Windy had a hand in building that course."
8637560
The previous chapters say otherwise. I'm pretty sure it's gonna be Flash.
This is Bowser's real inside story.
I can't decide what I want more, additional chapters here or in Anchor Foal. Gah!
Sigh...
Looking forward to the next chapter of whatever.
8637417
Why am I not surprised that you got it?
There's the reason for my species setting procedure...
I gotta call bs on this. She's pecked him on the cheek many times throughout the series as thanks for saving her.
8637502 I really hope Spike but I just know we are going to get stuck with Flash...
8637536
Oh god. It would make so much sense for it to be Pinkie.
8637536
Twilight's mistake, not Estee's. Per last chapter, she's not 100% in the habit of thinking of herself as an alicorn yet:
8637427
Nah. More like: Mario became to good, so he seeked "professional help", creating Kaizo. But Mario is to much of a masochist and started speedrunning those. So SMM came to be to not get the most challenging, but the most masochistig levels possible.
Yes....... SO.......MUCH.......
YES!!!
Oh and never forget THIS masterpiece of levelcreation.
8637560 - @Sanguine Dream:
Reread Chapter 3. 'Cause if you don't remember, I'm not spoiling it for you.
8637581 - @Selpathor:
Agreed, 'cause of what happens in Chapter 3.
8637730
Nice to see this story still going.
8637488 Pfft, politicians aren't people!
I know! I've stolen samples of their DNA... or what they try to pass as their DNA!
THEY'RE ALL ALIENS!!!
*Alondro must flee into hiding for he has DA TRUTH!!*
Bowser is talking about Luigi,
not Mario because let's face it Luigi does all the work and Mario is just the lazy guy who takes the credit.
8637417
Talks will have such questions as,
"How do I open an account?"
"I have some friends who might need a kidnapping. Can I share a room with five to six others if I pay?"
"Okay, Rarity might not be royalty, but Spike treats her like an Empress. What's the rate for high-up fashionistas?"
"How do I design courses for my designated Hero to go through? And how does the approval process work?"
Now with those thoughts in mind, WHO IS TWILIGHT SPARKLE'S HERO?!
Every now and then you manage a line of pure, unadulterated, but remarkably subtle comedic genius. May your wit be forever this sharp.
I want to see it be Cadance. She goes through all the trouble to get to Twilight, only for Twilight to pull out a chair in invitation for Cadance to join her at the buffet. Twilight then explains the situation to Cadance and says that she booked a tentative kidnapping for Cadance if she would like to join her for some sister-princess time-off.
Maybe Cadance schedules to be kidnapped so that it goes: Cadance returns triumphant through the warp-pipe with the rescued Twilight, ponies start to celebra-YOINK! Cadance is grabbed and yanked back through the pipe.
Maybe Cadance is abducted during here Hero-party.
Maybe Twilight and Cadance inform Luna and all three schedule a kidnapping without Celestia to make-clear their irritation with her for not telling them that an abducation is an option (or at least something to look forward to.)
I have to say, update! Yay! And yes it seems Bowser has a true money maker here. Kidnapping VK time. And I'm hoping her 'hero' is Spike. Just jumped into the pipe all on his own. And the entire 'sadist Princess' bit? Friggen Brilliant.
This story is pure gold.
I vote for Flash to be the hero.
There are authors where any update makes a good day. No matter which story. But this one's really appreciated.
8637488
Also I wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t a time period in Equestria’s history where Celestia was gone after the whole Luna being gone for a thousand years, and it’s kinda, sorta, maybe her fault for that sink in. She probably needed a shoulder to cry on at that point. But, but while I am mad at Twilight for that comment, to Twilight Celestia is put on a very high pedestal that I’m pretty sure reaches skyscraper levels so Twilight literally can’t even imagine Celestia needing to destress.
Yes! It’s a Late Christmas and Early New Years Mericle!
I miss this story and hope it gets finish soon
The hero to save Twilight is... Derpy!
8637980
I wouldn't say fault. With Luna's personality and her whole issue being one of angst and jealousy over something Celestia couldn't control and the ponies' biologically diurnal nature, she'd likely have kept it locked up inside (because while she was still rational it would have seemed a silly or insane thing to be upset over - like being upset the world is round). They were running a country, one during the day, one during the night. Expecting someone to see through that is unrealistic, really, when they're swamped busy themselves and they don't get as much time together.
Would Celestia have blamed herself for everything? Most certainly. Her only family in the world, and she had to choose between her demonic omnicidal sister or the ponies they ruled. I can certainly imagine her surrendering herself to Bowser's care once she reorganized the Crown and (I assume) moved the capitol from the Everfree to Canterlot. Not too soon, of course. After losing one of their rulers (whether she felt underappreciated or not, she would still have been part of the stability of the nation) to madness, having another get kidnapped so soon likely would have had panic in the streets.
just a day or two ago i thought of this story, and wondered what sort of obstacles Bowser would set up for a Pegasus...