Twilight awakens to the feeling of the bed frame creaking. Opening her eyes, she looks up to see Celestia slowly moving to the side of the bed.
Twilight awakens to the feeling of the bed frame creaking. Opening her eyes, she looks up to see Celestia slowly moving to the side of the bed.
“Good morning.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was trying to get up without waking you, Twilight.”
Twilight smiles at her old friend. “It’s alright. Can I assume you were about to raise the sun?”
Celestia nods. “Yes, I was. Would you care to watch?”
“I would!”
Hopping out of bed, Twilight trots over to the balcony window with Celestia. Her horn aglow, the Princess of the Sun slowly raises the sun and sets it on its path. She breathes heavily and sits down.
“Princess Celestia! Are you okay?!”
Celestia offers her a weak smile. “I am. However recent events have left me in a rather weakened state.”
“Shall I call for the doctor?!”
“No. It will pass.”
A few moments later she stands, albeit shakily.
“Now then, breakfast will be here soon. Shall we get cleaned up?”
Twilight nods. “Of course. You have to look your best for the day ahead.”
The pair head for the bathroom together. Turning on the shower, Celestia steps into the large enclosure and lies down. Twilight gasps.
“Are you alright?!”
Celestia nods as she closes her eyes. “I am. This is one thing I did miss during my captivity on Earth. A proper shower every morning.”
Twilight steps over the shower. “Princess… might I make a rather… strange request?”
“What is it, Twilight?”
“I’d like to wash you.”
Celestia smiles. “Like you did when you were a filly?”
“Yes.”
“I’d like that very much.”
Twilight wastes no time picking up the shampoo with her magic. Pouring it over her mentor’s head she works up a lather and begins spreading it throughout the rainbow-colored mane before her. Celestia sighs contentedly.
“It does feel good to get clean.”
Twilight giggles. “I remember you saying that before.”
“Nothing’s changed in that regard. I like to take solace in small pleasures.”
“We used to do this a lot when I was a filly.”
Celestia smiles. “Yes. You’d always miss certain spots of your mane. I can’t tell you how many times you emerged from the bathroom with foam still hanging from your scalp.”
“That was when we started bathing together, right?”
“Right. But there was another reason.”
“Oh?”
“You were so tiny back then that I just couldn’t help it. That and you were such a sweetheart. Hanging over my shoulder and gobbling up every word I spoke.”
“It sounds like I was more of a nuisance than anything else.”
Celestia shakes her head. “Quite the opposite. It was refreshing to have somepony around who didn’t bow and scrape all the time.
“I was a bit too young to understand formalities.”
“Thankfully, yes.”
Sometime later the pair towel off and head back to the bed. Sitting down, they brush each other’s manes before turning to the dishes on the table nearby.
“Hungry, Twilight?”
“A bit, I guess.”
“Let’s eat then.”
Sitting down at the table they remove the covers over several stacks of pancakes. Celestia eats hungrily as Twilight picks at her food.
“I’ve missed this!”
“Huh?”
“Real food! When I was captured they only gave me nutrients through a tube. Not very fulfilling.”
“What else did they do?”
Celestia looks away. “I’d rather not talk about it right now, Twilight. Maybe another time.”
“Um… okay.”
“At the moment I’m more worried about you.”
Twilight appears confused. “Me?”
Celestia nods. “Yes. This is your favorite food, after all. Yet you’ve hardly touched it.”
“Oh! Well… you see… I… um…”
Celestia smiles knowingly. “It’s somepony special, isn’t it?”
Twilight drops her fork nervously.
“H-how did you…?!”
“When you’ve been around as long as I have, you just know. Now tell me about them.”
“There isn’t really much to say. That and I don’t really know where to begin.”
“How about at the beginning?”
“Well… I met him while doing a… science experiment.”
Celestia giggles. “That does make sense. Was he a fellow researcher, or the research?”
“Kinda both. You see… I was conducting some experiments on plants at the time. He was… inadvertently thrown into the mix because of a small… miscalculation on my part.”
Celestia appears concerned. “Nopony was hurt though, right?”
“Not at the time, no. But it wasn’t due to another event that just happened to come up shortly thereafter. There was just lack of foresight on my part… and his to a degree, I suppose. He did recover, albeit quicker than I thought he would, at the library after being discharged from the hospital. But I never expected him and I to form such a bond.”
Celestia smiles at her student. “Interesting! Tell me more!”
“Well… we started out a friends, naturally.”
“A good place to start, yes. Your first stallionfriend?”
Twilight nods. “Yes. Other than my brother, I haven’t had much experience dealing with stallions on a personal level.”
“I’m glad to see you broadening you horizons, Twilight. But if you two had just met, why did you have him stay at your home?”
“That was kinda born out of necessity. You see, he was new in town back then. Didn’t have a place to stay yet. And it really was my fault that he got dragged into my research and injured.”
“Taking responsibility for one’s actions is paramount. Very good, Twilight. Tell me, does he still live with you though?”
Twilight shakes her head. “No, no! He moved out as soon as he recovered and found a job. Applejack hired him to help out around her orchard.”
Celestia raises an eyebrow. “Oh? I thought he was into academia, like you.”
“He is… kinda. More of a student of life than anything else though.”
“Experience over coursework?”
“Exactly.”
“Very different than you in that regard. I would have thought somepony like that would rub you the wrong way.”
“I admit it was a bit… new to me. But we actually got along very well.”
“Can you explain to me how?”
“How what?”
“Well… how you two became such good friends for starters.”
“I just feel like he… completes me. Compliments my shortcomings.”
“And your other friends? Do they know about him?”
“Oh yes. We’re all quite close.”
“Quite the feat. After all, you and your friends are very different from one another.”
“I guess we are. Do you think it’s the Elements that keep us together?”
“To a degree, yes. But no magic in all of Equestria can make friendship. That comes from within.”
“From within, huh? I didn’t really think about that.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting him sometime. Tell me, is he back in Ponyville now?”
“Um… not exactly.”
“Oh?”
Twilight sighs. “He’s… gone.”
“Missing?”
“Kinda.”
“Shall I send for Captain Decimus? He could probably track your friend down.”
Twilight shakes her head. “That’s okay. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“Twilight, if you believe your friend is in trouble…”
“Oh, I know he’s okay. He’s quite the planner, after all. Probably just traveling at the moment.”
“So you believe he’ll come back when he’s ready?”
Twilight nods fervently. “Yes, that much I know.”
“Tell me more about this stallion. Is he smart?”
“Very much so! But it goes further than that.”
“Oh?”
“He’s not as book savvy as I am. But he always has the solution to whatever problem comes around.”
“So he’s wise then?”
“Yes. He’s also strong, brave, noble, perceptive…”
Celestia giggles. “And you like that, don’t you?”
“Y-yes.”
“How far have you two gotten?”
“I don’t…”
Celestia frowns. “Have you slept together?”
Twilight blushes heavily. “Y-yes, we have.”
Celestia sighs. “Twilight, I understand that you’re not a filly anymore and have certain wants and desires. However…”
Twilight waves her hooves in front of her face frantically. “Oh no, we didn’t do THAT!”
“You didn’t?”
“No! I mean, I wanted to, but…”
“Something stopped you?”
Twilight sighs. “He did.”
Celestia raises an eyebrow. “Did he not feel the same way about you?”
“No, he… really does like me.”
“Then why didn’t he…?”
“Because he didn’t want to do anything that would have jeopardized our relationship. We’d have become lovers, not friends.”
“And that isn’t what he wanted?”
Twilight shakes her head. “No.”
“But how do you feel about that?”
“Conflicted.”
“Explain.”
“Well… I’m really happy that he values my thoughts and feelings so much. But at the same time I… I really do want to take our relationship to the next level.”
Celestia smiles at Twilight slyly. “You want him to breed you, don’t you?”
Twilight nods and blushes. “Yes, I do. Is that so wrong?!”
“Not at all, Twilight. You’re a fully grown mare, after all. And I’m very happy this stallion you have your heart set on thinks enough of you not to use you for mere carnal pleasure. But does he want a relationship?”
“He didn’t. At least not right away.”
“But you changed his mind?”
“Yes. My friends and I did it together. They think he’s a very special individual as well.”
“What’s his position on your relationship now then?”
“He… wanted to finish something before settling down. After that he was open to relationships… and maybe more.”
Celestia nods approvingly. “I’d like to meet this stallion for myself, Twilight. Do let me know when they’re back in town again.”
Twilight looks to her mentor sheepishly. “You’re not angry, are you?”
Celestia smiles. “Not in the least. In truth, I’m only interested in getting to know the stallion whom was able to turn your head.”
“To make sure he’s good enough for me?”
“Something like that. But if everything you’ve told me is true, and I have no reason to believe he isn’t, I’d like to take him on as another student.”
“Like you did for me?”
Celestia nods. “Yes. Somepony like him really is one in a million. A mind like that needs to be cultivated and nurtured to be allowed to reach its full potential.”
She looks to Twilight and reaches across the table to take her hoof.
“Like yours.”
“Mine?”
Celestia nods. “Why do you think I took you as my personal student?”
“I… guess I never really gave it that much thought. Why?”
“Because I knew you would grow up to do great things. But that could go either way.”
“What do you mean?”
“You have to understand that the term ‘great’ doesn’t always mean ‘good’, Twilight. I worried that without proper guidance you might have one day become a threat to Equestria. Like those currently imprisoned in Tartarus.”
“You were afraid I might have grown up to be… bad?”
Celestia sadly nods. “I did, yes. When you’ve seen the rise of as many villains as I have, you start to see patterns emerge.”
“Why not just imprison me then?”
“Because that isn’t right or just, Twilight. Punishing you for crimes you may or may not commit in the future isn’t fair to you or Equestria.”
Twilight appears confused. “Fair to Equestria?”
“Had I let you rot in prison, you would not have bloomed into the Element of Magic. Equestria would not have had the pleasure of enjoying you and your friend’s protection then.”
“I’m not fully sure how to feel about that. After all, how much damage could one mare do?”
Celestia sighs. “In regards to my sister… quite a bit.”
“The Nightmare Moon incident?”
“Yes. I… I saw it coming, but couldn’t bring myself to raise a hoof against her. At least not until I was forced to do battle for the fate of Equestria.”
“Fighting a loved one must be hard.”
“It is. More so than you know. But mostly because you know that you failed them.”
Twilight looks away before speaking again. “I… let him down so many times.”
“Did you now?”
“Yes. But every time I screwed up… he somehow found it in his heart to forgive me. Although I’m not sure how he did it, I’m very grateful nonetheless.”
“Ah, so he’s understanding?”
“More so than words can describe.”
“Very impressive.”
“Huh?”
“Your friend sounds very… desirable.”
“Oh, he is.”
“Is he seeing anypony else?”
Twilight shakes her head. “No. I mean, others have asked. But he gave them the same answer as I got. He’s too busy right now for love.”
“While he does sound charming, I must caution you against waiting for him too long.”
“What do you mean?”
“It sounds to me like he’s a workaholic like you, Twilight. Now, please understand that dedication isn’t a bad thing. Quite the opposite. But if he wants you to wait for years, well… you have to ask yourself just how long is too long. That and how many other opportunities you’ll be missing out on in the meantime.”
“Other opportunities?”
“There are other stallions out there, Twilight. Don’t spend your whole life chasing after just one fish in the vast ocean.”
Celestia sighs.
“I did that many years ago.”
“You did?”
Celestia nods. “Yes. And it was a very… painful experience.”
“Can I hear more about it?”
“Maybe another time. Even now, the wounds are still there.”
Twilight looks to her old friend. She sees a sadness in her eyes and decides to change the subject.
“Princess Celestia, what are your plans now?”
“I suppose I can tell you, Twilight. After all, you’ve always been my faithful student.”
Twilight looks at her mentor and nods soberly as she speaks.
“Right now is a rather… difficult time for our nation. Forces within and outside threatened the land in my absence. Even now I am beset upon by those whom would see me dethroned.”
“Dethroned? As in… permanently?”
Celestia nods. “Yes. Captain Decimus was successful in orchestrating my rescue from Earth. However, my captors have most certainly followed me here.”
“You mean humans?”
Celestia sighs. “There have been sightings of one or more residing in Ponyville. I’m told he even attempted to overthrow the monarchy in my absence.”
“That isn’t exactly true, Princess Celestia.”
“It isn’t? Let me double check the reports.”
Levitating a sheaf of papers over to herself, she looks them over carefully for several minutes before speaking again.
“It appears you were correct, Twilight. Apparently he DID take over the country for a time before being cast out by Luna and Cadance. Tell me, did you know of this?”
Twilight shakes her head. “I can categorially say that my friends and I didn’t know anything of the sort.”
Celestia frowns. “That in itself is troubling.”
“It is?”
Celestia nods. “Yes. It means our enemy is capable of extreme subterfuge, cunning, and above all… resourceful.”
“Maybe not.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well… if he’s all that… why hasn’t he attempted to come for you yet?”
“You mean again?”
“Huh?”
Celestia grits her teeth. “He already tried. Fortunately Captain Decimus and Admiral Gaston of the Griffon Kingdom were here to intervene.”
“If he survived, he’d come back.”
Celestia nods and grins wickedly. “He won’t get the chance. Captain Decimus has locked down the castle until that vile creature has been either captured or killed.”
Twilight winces slightly as Celestia continues.
“As I said, this is a hard time for Equestria. But with strength and courage we’ll get through it.”
“So what now?”
“I’ll wait here until the all clear is given.”
“What about audiences?”
“Suspended indefinitely until further notice. Captain Decimus is working hard to bring the creature to justice even as we speak. We just need to be patient.”
“Are you certain this is the best course of action, Princess Celestia?”
Celestia appears confused. “I’m not sure I understand your reasoning. After all, what else could we do?”
Twilight appears hopeful. “Maybe… talk a bit?”
“Yes, I intend to do just that.”
Twilight breathes a sigh of relief. “Good!”
“I will enjoy listening to the beast’s last words.”
“Huh?”
“Before he’s terminated, that is. Whether he’ll beg for mercy or make some empty threats is anypony’s guess though.”
“Maybe that won’t be necessary.”
Celestia frowns. “Considering what he did to this land in my absence… it is most certainly warranted. And as leader of our country I intend to see this matter through to its logical conclusion.”
Twilight gasps. “But that will most certainly be dangerous!”
“Maybe. However I will do whatever it takes to safeguard my little ponies, Twilight. Whatever… it… takes.”
That night Twilight opens her eyes to the same field of flowers and gazebo. Walking over to the structure, she finds Luna waiting for her.
“How did it go?”
Twilight sighs. “Princess Celestia is… pretty much the same mare I’ve known for years.”
“Pretty much?”
“She’s become a literal shut-in though!”
“That much we already knew.”
“But now I know why.”
Luna raises an eyebrow. “Do tell.”
“Captain Decimus has convinced her that Arc’s a longstanding threat to Equestria!”
“WHAT?!”
“It’s true! He’s even taken credit for rescuing her from her captors on Earth, and claims Arc overthrew you and Cadance in the past!”
Luna grits her teeth. “Again Decimus attempts to thwart us!”
“But Princess Celestia has been given official reports that corroborate everything Decimus is saying!”
“He’s being aided by those in the clerical wings! That’s the only way such reports could have been complied!”
“What are we going to do?!”
“Nothing at the moment.”
Twilight gasps. “Nothing?! But the longer she’s fed these fake reports the harder it’s going to be to convince her that they’re bogus!”
“I understand that, Twilight. However, if we were to burst in there now as things stand, it would only serve to convince her that such a plot is even deeper than it is now.”
“Even if you were to…?!”
Luna sighs. “Especially me. I’ve… done terrible things in the past. Things that Celestia still remembers.”
“As Nightmare Moon?”
“Yes. Even though nopony alive, other than her of course, has any true memory of those times.”
“I wasn’t there, so I can’t really relate, I suppose. But I did learn something from Arc that’s pertinent at this time.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“Forgiveness.”
“But she has…”
Twilight shakes her head. “No, Luna. You need to forgive yourself.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s obvious you’re still blaming yourself about what happened back then. You need to let it go and move on.”
Twilight sighs before continuing.
“Arc’s been doing that for me pretty much since we met.”
“You’ve made mistakes in your relationship?”
Twilight nods. “Big ones, yes.”
“And he’s okay with that, isn’t he?”
“How, I don’t know.”
“Arc has always been wise and fair in his decision making. That’s why I had no fear of returning control of the nation to him recently.”
“He was supposed to come right home after rescuing Princess Celestia, you know. Then he and my friends were going to start dating.”
Luna raises an eyebrow. “Dating?”
“We all love him. It was supposed to be a time for getting to know one another more intimately.”
“I’m very sorry, Twilight. But the fate of the country and my sister were in the balance. I needed to be with her and couldn’t do that while leading the nation.”
“Please understand that I’m not blaming you for this, Luna. But the only reason I didn’t fly off the handle when it happened was because Arc showed me that such things don’t help a situation.”
Luna nods. “If Arc is indeed alive he will return one day. Of that I am certain.”
“What will be done in the meantime?”
“You need to stay with Celestia at all times. See to it she’s kept safe from Decimus and his cronies.”
“Why can’t you help with that though?”
Luna sighs. “Because I need to make preparations and remain on standby… just in case.”
“In case what?”
“If all Tartarus breaks loose and Celestia vanishes again. Then I’ll no choice but to return to Canterlot to retake the throne with my own forces. That will prevent Decimus from following the Order of Succession to himself.”
Twilight frowns. “The sounds like it could get messy.”
“It most likely will. That’s why it’s so important that you stay with Celestia and report what’s going on. I’ll advise you as best I can, of course. We’ll keep things together until either Arc returns or Celestia comes to her senses and tosses Decimus out.”
“Which do you think will happen first?”
“Either would work. But I do think we’d be better off if Arc were to face my sister and… deal with the threat right in front of her.”
“How?”
Luna grits her teeth. “By killing Captain Decimus… again.”