//------------------------------// // Celestia Vs Knitting 2/2 // Story: Scootamom // by Richardson //------------------------------// Nightlife chirped in the pre-dawn darkness, only just barely drowning out the sounds of a titan's hammer below the surface and the noise of a town awaking. Battlements grew wet with the morning dew, deadening hooffalls ever so slightly as the guards made their rounds. And silenced those of a prowler on the move. Dim grey light failed to illuminate the nooks and crannies of the ancient posts and gave shelter to the small figure darting forth with improbable speed. Commander Eaglehoof surveyed his realm, the tiniest wry smirk of joy gracing his face as he did. All was well, no intruders from without, not a missed patrol path within. None could threaten the princesses or any under his protection, no matter what cost he would endure. Tiny pitter-patters echoed behind him, an intruder on the prowl catching his attention. Sharp eyes darted to the cityside battlements in search of his target. He knew his most infamous prey was close by; no other pony had quite the distinctive gait that she did. Pitter-patters rang slightly throughout the fortifications, seemingly coming from multiple directions as he touched down onto the rough and wet stone. Senses stretched themselves to the limits as he silently stalked towards the tower at the epicenter of the aural disturbances. He mused on the strange situation he found himself in; an actual mandate to keep Scootaloo in custody and within the castle walls rested in his helmet as he pressed himself flat against the exterior wall. Gleeful thoughts passed through his mind as he soundlessly slipped inside. Shadows darted about the tower interior from reflective puddles and two figures in a game of cat and mouse. The sharp pitter-pattering of hooves passed behind Eaglehoof, the tawny-furred stallion twisting about in pursuit of his prey. Nothing once more. He turned back, shock widening his eyes as he realized how well he had been played. He threw a hoof between himself and the crackling peril that hovered before him as- –-------------------------------- Scootaloo looked down from atop the thundercloud she had borrowed from her foalsitter Cadance, grinning at Eaglehoof still twitching from the epic thunderbolt that had shocked him. A moment was all it took to tie him up, sliding his quivering form under a table in the tower. With the only obstacle that could stop her from achieving her Canterlot shopping spree out of the way, it was time to break out the grappling hook launcher. The rest of the guards never expected an escapee, their watchful gaze missing her stealthy movements as she set up her equipment on the roof of the tower. She was just glad that Pinkie had loaned her the modified party cannon after having sent home a letter to her. Sights slowly lined up on the unsuspecting building across the way as the little filly took aim, touching off the fuse as soon as she was certain she'd hit her mark. A pity, then, that she forgot Muleton's first law of physics. Finding herself on the other side of the tower reminded her nicely of it, however. It took Scootaloo a few seconds after the forceful air blast to realize she'd missed entirely. Her small frame just couldn't hold the cannon steady on her own. A few minutes work had the cannon braced with every loose object she could get her little hooves on as she stood off with a remote fuse in hoof. It was now or never, considering that Eaglehoof would soon escape his bonds. Pwhoooft! Scootaloo watched with unbridled glee as the grappling hook flew across the gap between the castle and the city of Canterlot proper, wobbling from side to side as she did. The thin steel cable tied to it buzzed in the air as it fed out from the pile it had been rolled up into; it's passage scorching the stone with friction. Filly hooves found their places atop the edge of the battlements as she anxiously watched her line to freedom slowly losing momentum, drooping in midair as it arced down towards the lonely target. By luck, it landed atop the roof, sliding as gravity tugged at the cable it had trailed. Scootaloo tugged at it and prayed it would hold as she hooked up. "Got to be the craziest thing I've ever done. Got to be the craziest thing I have ever done!" Steel creaked as she swung out into open air. Damp, cold air rapidly slicked her mane back as she crossed the gap in a riotous screaming rush of adrenalin. Hooves kicked out midair as her instincts warred with her higher thoughts; her wings splaying out instinctively in terror from the sensation of free-falling brought on by her unorthodox escape. Nothing but the roof before her could stop her, she'd let nothing but the roof before her end it. Granted, a sound not at all unlike a beach ball hitting a five story tall mountain of jello never factored into her plans. Scoots whimpered against the purple-glowing magic force field that had so rudely impeded her progress, painfully aware of yet another of the laws of physics from her encounter. Angry buzz and the acrid smell of magic burning into steel assaulted her senses as the field transformed and cut the zip line that held her. As quickly as she had been crossing the gap, she found herself sliding down the field tailored to her identity; the little filly knowing exactly who to blame for the rude and awkward rubbery noises that plagued her ears as she did. "Alright, alright. Ten bits, as promised." "Come on, Scooty. Jig's up, your mom is not letting you run out this month." Scootaloo painfully glared from where she rested upside down, fixing on Shining Armor and Tenderhoof exchanging bits. The two white-furred stallions closed in on her, Shining wrapping her in a personal magic bubble as he did. "My Mom, or Princess Celestia?" Scoots was glad her hooves and wings were not the only things she was quick on. One shot was all she had to pull off her escape. Tender, she could outrun. But Shining, well, her sensei could handle him. Shining patted her on the head through his bubble, smiling knowingly. "Both, Scooty." Tenderhoof eyes widened almost imperceptibly as a thought came to mind, the white pegasus scanning the battlements for something. The dim and grey overcast morning made it hard to tell, but for a moment he swore he saw a figure clad in black atop the walls. "So, how is my sneaking out any different from you and Princess Cad-" Shining jabbed his hoof into Scootaloo's mouth as soon as she began to speak the name. Tenderhoof jumped ever so slightly at the sudden movement and glanced over to see Shining sweating arrowheads. "You alright, Shining?" "C-... My betrothed has been rather twitchy about what I've been doing since Princess Luna reopened the Lunar Forge." Shining looked back to Scootaloo as he felt her grin about his hoof, the little devil ready to make her move. "And for your information, we both had our cutie marks before we went out alone." Scootaloo's eyes crossed, focusing on Shining's hoof as she began to wriggle her tongue around it. Instantly, the hoof shot from her mouth as Shining began to try and shake off the sensation of being violated. Boy cooties were worth it for what was about to happen next. Tenderhoof gave Shining the strangest look as he danced about, his eyes glancing back to their prize as he disregarded his partner's actions. "So, what did licking him accomplish? You're still bubbly, Scoots. I know you want to ge- why are you smiling like that?" Scootaloo took the deepest breath she could, her deep gasp of air calling Shining to her horrifying solution. "Oooooh Sensei Ca-" "Scooty, no!" "-aaadaaaannce! Luna's hitting on your Sweetums again!" "Sweetums!" The black-clad form swooped from the heavens on pink wings of love, wrapping her hooves around the barrel of Shining's armor. Cadance gave her faithful student a knowing wink as she gripped harder and nipped her fiancee's ear in a playfully dominant fashion. "Mine!" "Save yourselves!" Shining Armor scrabbled for any purchase he could find for the last few seconds he remained on the ground. The heavy wingbeats of his alicorn lover ripped him out of his shoes and dragged him into the skies towards her retreat. Tenderhoof glanced sideways with shocked eyes, met by Scootaloo's smug and knowing grin. The pegasus gave her no chance to try again as he shoved his own hoof in her mouth to stop her from siccing Princess Luna or some other terrible fate upon him. Scootaloo didn't care as she began mumbling something around his hoof, an apparently long-winded monologue as her new captor started planning his return to the castle. "You're not cootie-reflexing my hoof out of your mouth, Scoots. I'm not interested in finding out what hot, delicious moon-love was like 1000 years ago. Oh don't try that pouty face either. You know the Thousand Yard Puppy Plead technique doesn't work on me. Wait just a second, I know I've got- what, what's the matter?" Scootaloo mumbled what sounded like 'look out!' loudly about the white stallion's hoof. Her eyes had grown wide with terror and she dropped flat to the street; the actions triggering reflexive instincts in her companion as well. Tenderhoof looked up several seconds later, wondering where the threat was coming from. An irritating realization struck him as he noticed he had failed to protectively cover his mark. "Look out, a convenient distraction. So that's why Eaglehoof always ticked off with her. Stupid cheap trick." "It's not cheap if it works, Lieutenant. You had her?" Commander Eaglehoof dropped from the skies to land beside his pegasus right-hoof man, his armor blackened and his coat unusually fluffy and cuddly. "Err, yes. Shining Armor and I set up a trap along her most likely point of egress. She sicced Princess Cadance on him and got me with the-" "Oldest trick in the book. But it's oldest for a reason, uses our reflexes against us. You need a reason to get going, noodlehoof? She's getting away!" Eaglehoof lightly smacked his subordinate on the back of his head as he spoke. The two flared their wings, taking flight in pursuit of their mark like a pair of guardian angels on a mission from Celestia. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hammer met semi-molten metal, sparks of magic flowing forth from the impact. Heat forced itself from the very core of the world to twist the armor-work. Hammer met semi-molten metal, its owner forcing her magic into the mythic alloy. The Lunar Forge howled in the blasting wind channeled from the four ducts from the corners of the world, magmatic heat rising from its heart. Hammer met semi-molten metal, driving the natural crystalline lattice from the alloy with divine fury. Luna inspected her progress, alicorn eyes seeing so much more than even a blacksmith using magic. Her four winds whipped harder about her form; flapping her smith's smock and her tied back mane in the hurricane gale whipping past. Her pool of magma boiled in it's superheated state, a conduit forced directly from the heart of the world. Adamantite, Mithril, and Vibranium shimmered upon the surface of the great molten lake as she drew the legendary metals from the core of the world. The diarch of the night replaced her hammer upon her tool wall behind her; freeing her full attention for inspecting her work. One of the perks of being in magical semi-stasis for 1000 years was that her skills had remained as finely honed as the day she had been locked away. Her studious eyes scoured the surface and shape of the still white-hot piece, looking for imperfection and misalignment. Magic poured forth as she twisted with all her might; metal groaning as telekinetic force crushed and strained at it. Alloys thought impossible to make or mold bent at her will, forming further into the helm they would become. Satisfied with the perfection of her work, Luna reached forth and took her hammer once more. The great shutter of the chimney opened and the magic of the moon itself poured forth; silvery strands of energy wrapped the work in their grasp and sank into the silvery form. The very rock beneath Luna's feet roiled from unseen forces as heat burned upwards, reheating her piece once more. Hammer struck semi-molten metal, crushing it denser once more. Magma from the deepest depths boiled beneath it, heating it white-hot once more. Hammer struck semi-molten metal; Luna wrapping mystic power into her work. Precisely aligned structures channeled energy and drank it down into the rippling layers of crystallizing matter. Hammer struck semi-molten metal; Luna's pursuit of her ultimate work continuing into the night. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The two guardsponies stalked the alleyways of the deep Canterlot markets, shuffling uncomfortably in the enclosed space. The warrens had been built into the uppermost levels of the old mine, blocking the skies above in the smothering embrace of solid rock. Thousands of gazes, not all eyed, uncomfortably glared at the pair through the teeming throngs. All-consuming noise blotted out any sound from beyond a few feet's distance; a hundred deals competing with each other for the same limited spectrum of sound saw to that. Eaglehoof glanced over the wares, looking for anything that might attract a foal of Scootaloo's age. Noticing just such a thing in the distance, he shoulder-nudged his grudging partner and the two set off across the tight marketplace to take a closer look. Neither noted the slight glint in the shadows of the ceiling that kept itself pointed at them. The throng jostled and churned with movement and nearly swept them away as they made their way to the stand in question. Their silent watcher crept closer to them, the crowd's dull roar keeping them from hearing the hoofsteps above. Tenderhoof could be seen looking about in suspicion as his counterpart banged a hoof atop the stall countertop. Behind it, the two tall and gangly unicorns manning the shop glanced at each other nervously, their snide commentary muted flat from the distance as the stalking being moved ever closer. A red mustache twitched as the two were shown Scootaloo's photo, its owner pulling an assortment of strange and likely useless items to placate the guardspony before them. Eaglehoof swept them back out of his personal space, the proud commander shoving the photo into the two's face as he started in on a tirade once more. Coins spilled out between the pairs, a bribe by any other name as the unsuccessful unicorns did everything in their power to make the guardsponies go away. Tenderhoof leaned closer to his tawny superior, whispering an aside to Eaglehoof meant to be overheard by the two ginger-maned troublemakers. Eaglehoof gave his best smile back, before nearly breaking the stall in half as he slammed a hoof down in fury. His voice echoed in a passable imitation of the old royal speaking voice as he swept the coins back at the pair of unicorns in preparation of arrest. "Tell me, which of you two mouth-breathing, noodlehooved, salt for brains idiots thought it was a good idea to bribe the solar guard?" The watcher in the dark kept her vigil as the unicorn brothers ran for their lives from the irate guard commander. It hadn't been her planned distraction, but it had been amusing to watch. The not at all merry chase pounded a path in the deep markets, even as the pair of guardsponies took to awkward, shallow flight in pursuit. Scootaloo gave the group another minute to disappear into the further depths of the bazaar before she ripped herself off the overhangs with a stuttering ThthTHOP! of abused suction cups. Stubby foal's wings spread open as she fell and the little orange would-be ghost glided down out of sight further into the deep alleyways. The old cobblestone nearly tripped her as she landed and stumbled to a halt outside of a curious shop she had been observing. A glance to her left revealed nopony looking in the maze of old homes and alleys; a glance right only gave her a glimpse of the unceasing stream of hoofborne traffic back and forth across the plaza beyond. Scootaloo looked up to the shop's sign, which disturbingly displayed a mummified hand; wondering what it meant. No matter, she had a rare and mystical artifact to find. Well, if she ever figured out what 'mystical' meant. Her still suction-cupped hoof quickly pressed the door open, and her small orange form slipped inside with the slightest whisper of rustling feathers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I tell you again, Doo, 25 and no more!" The wizened old voice echoed forward from deep inside the old shop, past the jars of mummified creatures and ancient vases. Scootaloo paused in her removal of her noisy hoofwear, swearing the second voice sounded disturbingly like one of her mother's old guards. "And I'm telling you, 'uncle', that I'm not parting with any of the ancient coins for anything less than 30. Take it or leave it." "For you, Doo, and your retirement, deal." Scootaloo slipped free of the last of her irritating hoofwear, looking to get a glimpse of the mysterious mare at the counter. As she did, the miniature pegasus tugged slightly too hard and toppled backwards into a massive pile of scrolls and elder knowledge in an almighty crash and bustle of scattering papers. A mammoth stony 'whumph!' answered her from the front counter as the sound surprised whomever had been haggling. "Deal! Got a back way o-" "Past counter, over the seven fountains of Judo, second left and-" "'kay, thanks, gotta go!" Rapid hoofsteps faded away into the back of the store, faint sounds of old artifacts tipping over rumbling in the distance as the customer beat her retreat. "I would ask for one more thing, but..." A wrinkled old stallion thrust his head around the corner into Scootaloo's face a second later, peering dead on into her eyes. Pegasus hooves tripped over each other as she scuttled back from her observer and over her small mess. "But, I do believe my original customer has already left. Call me 'Uncle', everypony does." Scootaloo nodded at his suggestion before he bumped her between the eyes on her forehead. The faintest glimmer of orange light flickered from the hoof-tap, just the slightest ember. "Ahh. I thought I saw your mother's eyes. Come, come. I think I have just what you are looking for." 'Uncle' hobbled away, leaning back around the corner of the aisle to wave an old greenish hoof and beckoned the young filly to follow. Scootaloo blinked, trying to clear the vague fuzziness from her vision as she stumbled on after him. The deep, dark aisles of old nicknacks and magic artifacts gloomily rose up about them as the light from the front of the store was slowly swallowed. "What do you mean 'my mom's eyes'?" "Ahhh, the purple. It is very distinctive. She doesn't even write anymore, not even to her keeper of treasures. When you decide on your gift, you should tell her to write again." The goateed old earth pony kept up his swift pace even as he talked. Somehow, he could squeeze nimbly through even the tightest of gaps that Scootaloo found problems with navigating. Everything around them seemed to grow more primal, and ancient as they continued for an improbably long time. "Err, I still dunno what you're talking about, my mom is the royal assistant Sunbeam." Scootaloo just barely avoided missing her stride, repeating the lie drilled into her head by her mother. 'Uncle' paused to shift an old suit of armor, revealing a small alcove in the chaos of the shop. Disturbingly neatly organized and lined with tidy shelf after shelf as well as a wall of safety deposit boxes; it seemed completely out of place compared to the rest of the shop. A multitude of items had been carefully sorted onto each of the shelves, mostly locked away behind enchanted glass. "So that is what she calls herself now. No matter. I have just what you need." Scootaloo rolled her eyes, shuffling about as she waited in the stifling silence. Oddly modern lighting hummed overhead, further driving her to distraction as her wings fluffed ever more anxiously. The old proprietor seemed to be taking his time in looking for whatever it was he had in mind, opening the boxes one by one to inspect them. "Ah, the animal talismans. Have been looking for far too long for them." Scootaloo slowly zoned out as 'Uncle' went on with his search; her eyes glazing over with boredom. Disturbingly, a deep reverberation began to tickle every strand of her fur at once as she continued waiting; growing stronger bit by bit as she uneasily began to look about for it's source. In a daze, she began to reach out towards the nearest shelf as the reverb began to grow into a mind-consuming mechanical klaxo- THWAP! "Touch NOTHING!" 'Uncle' stood behind her as he spoke, his cuff to the back of the filly's head smarting. Scootaloo jumped back in surprise as she realized that it had been some strange metal pony skull encrusted in painful-looking wires that had been beckoning her. Looking to the small archway they had entered in by, she found herself shivering even more at the inky blackness beyond the tiny radius of the alcove's lights. "What is that thing?" "Old. A reminder of things past and yet to come. Has the power to warp minds, would have been very bad if you had touched." The old shopkeeper had dug himself into the deepest part of the largest lockbox, rummaging loudly for his goal. "Why keep it?" Scootaloo edged back around 'Uncle', looking over his back at the skull. She realized that the air was filled with faint, creepy whispers at the very edge of her hearing; indistinctly trying to tell her great horrors. "As a reminder. Ah, here we are." 'Uncle' slid free of the box, clutching a small inlaid redwood case between his forehooves as he wormed free. Scootaloo slid back a little, wary of whatever might emerge from the head-sized box as the proprietor tapped it in three places and broke the timeless seal with a hiss of equalizing gasses. "Ah, here. The last known." With a final clunk of opening locks, the distinctive box opened wide, revealing the small hoof-sized black-inlaid box within. "Last known what?" 'Uncle' smiled widely as he continued, opening the tiny latch on the small case. Inside, an ornate compass spun lazily about as colors shifted atop its needle in a strange display. Markings Scootaloo could almost, but not quite make out faded in and out atop the dial and within the inner casing of the nautical compass. "This, young one, is the last known Compass That Doesn't Point North." "What kind of a lame compass doesn't point nort-OW" Scootaloo found herself lightly bopped behind her ears once more for doubting the artifact before she could finish speaking. 'Uncle' ignored her slight glare as he supported it with a sole single hoof; smiling slightly as it turned first blue and then jade and set itself on two distinct headings. "North does not matter if it points instead to somepony. Here, take it. And think of your mother." Lightly quivering hooves reached up to the mythic object and nearly flinched away as its needle turned brilliant yellow. Mustering her courage took only a second, however, and she snatched it up. And a brilliant glow burst forth from it with the fury of the sun in response to her grasp and her thoughts. "Oh. Ohmygosh." "As I said, Morningstar. It knows, and shows. So long as she lives it will attempt to point to her, even if it can only spin endlessly." 'Uncle' watched inscrutably as Scootaloo jerked at the mention of her name. "No cost. I was overpaid for replacing the Elements in the old castle." Scootaloo thought as fast as she could to try and cover for her mother; her ears laying flat back as realized there was no real way to deny him. The old shopkeep reached forward and pressed the compass shut once more for her; shutting the bright light of the sun within its case. "Perhaps it is time to leave." "I don't really know who 'Morningstar' is." Her protest felt wooden as she was turned around and led back out from the deep, dark realm towards the front of the shop. Feeling strangely short, the journey back was quick and simple. And waiting for her was an unwelcome sight. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the term is 'busted'." Tenderhoof waited by the counter as Eagle stood outside with his two sullen antagonists bound up and waiting for them both. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clicker-clicker-CLACK! Nobles twitched at the sound of knitting needles hard at work, many averting their eyes from their fair princess's latest attempt at knitting. All bowed before her as she absentmindedly strolled towards court with her work strung out before her with magic. A few brave souls looked up to see if she had any attention left over to even notice any of them. A decision that all who dared quickly came to regret as the action brought their gaze to rest upon the... thing, that Celestia was knitting. No mortal mind could dare examine it for more than a few seconds before the impossible geometries and viewing angles would drive them into a shivering wreck pressing their eyes into the floor. It was madness given fluffy form. Clicker-clicker-CLACK! "Princess Celestia!" The solar diarch paused in her perky stroll, turning to face her favorite nephew where he stood. Despite the cozy mid-afternoon light, he still had his eyes tightly screwed shut for protection. "Oh, Blueblood. Its wonderful to see you again. Why are you squinting like that, though?" "Have you noticed your little project, auntie? I'm afraid I drew the short straw in asking you to cease working on it." Celestia leaned backwards as she began to wonder what in Equestria was so objectionable about her knitting. She had the basics down after a nice week of lessons from dear, timid Fluttershy. And after more than 2000 years of multitasking, the princess of the sun found the mildly confusing task of walking and knitting at the same time to be enjoyable. "Oh, Blueblood, you don't need to worry about me. I know it needs a great deal of work, but I only just now learned. And this little sweater is for my d- sister." "I'm not worried about you, Auntie." Blueblood winced as he felt her tail tweaking his nose. He had already seen her abomination once before, and the glance had nearly driven him to drink. "The court-" "Is more than capable of minding its own business and staying out of my personal life, nephew. Or have they forgotten about their agreement?" Celestia's voice darkened with past irritation. When Scootaloo was still growing within her, she had decided it was time to finally take her long overdue vacation, and had taken her private hours back one by one from the grueling business of the court. More than once had they attempted to butt in on matters concerning her eclectic personal hobbies, and as far as she was concerned the matter was as good as dropped already. "Yes, they remember, but-" "Blueblood, let an old mare have her little foibles every once in a while." Celestia slowly circled her nephew, wondering if he was growing to become as 'noble' as the rest of her hecklers. "Princess, they don't mind that you are knitting! Your current work has soaked up some of your magic and is harming mortal ponies who look at it!" Blueblood spat it out before his aunt could walk off. Swiveling his head, he tried to keep track of the solar princess's movements as she circled him like a hungry kitten. Celestia raised an inquiring eyebrow as she listened and wondered what in Tartarus Blueblood was babbling about. "Oh, my little pony, how could something made of yarn hur-" The color struck her, a tri-pronged attack on her perception of time and space alongside incomprehensible geometry and improbable angles. Her knitting needles dropped to the carpet soundlessly as she gave a strangled yelp of surprise at the sight she beheld. Blueblood groped about with a foreleg and hugged his aunt after a moment of blind searching. "Will you please rid us of it, Aunt?" "I- uh, yes. I think that would be best, to start over. I- is it bigger on the inside?" Celestia did her best to find words to properly explain her shock as she examined the offending tangle of absentmindedly knitted yarn. Her questing hoof poked at it, and disappeared deep into the loose mass. Her eye was not amused with the rest of her when she leaned in closer to discover that space and time were twisted within the construct as her hoof reemerged from it at an inopportune moment. Getting a hoof in the eye, especially her own hoof, tended to do that. "Auntie? Aunt Celestia?" "I will be right back, nephew. I apologize about this, and for assuming you were speaking with the lesser members of the court" Celestia wormed out of Blueblood's grip and teleported away to her most trusted hiding spot. After a few moments the elder prince of the courts opened his eyes, grumbling to himself as he did. He had hoped Celestia would have just burned the thing on the spot so he could spend time with her. After Twilight, and her 'working vacation' that had been going on for the past ten years, he had wanted to take any chance he could with his favorite aunt. After all, he only had a finite amount of time left in the world with her, and her orange yarn ambitions. "Orange?" Blueblood leaned in, inspecting the yarn that his distant aunt had been using. "Aunt Luna is a blue and purple wearer. Why would Auntie knit a sweater for her in orange?" -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luna moaned as she did her best to stay awake. After her debacle with one of the land's most recent inventions, she barely even had enough energy to watch her beloved moon rise once more. She sat in the common room of the royal suites in a tired state and struggled to hold her eyes open. The slight smell of smoke still lingered in the air from the defenseless popcorn so utterly fried in the kitchenette of the shared apartments. Blood throbbed between her eyes as a symptom of her migraine. The pulsing beat of her heart sent itsy-bitsy spikes of pain shooting through her sinuses and brain while a red-hot stick seemingly pressed deep into the back of her eye-sockets. Hissing, she almost laid her head down to rest and to take the pressure off her mistreated head. But the lunar diarch jerked back, barely resisting the sweet siren call of sleep. She still had her m- She still had 'Tias boots to plan out atop catching up on the most relevant current events for herself. The Neighties seemed oddly appealing to her for some confounded reason. Appealing and familiar, hauntingly so. A deep breath found itself interrupted by the acrid smoke still lingering; disrupting her train of thought as she did her best to fight off the accompanying spike of pain from beneath her skull. She paused in the middle of a coughing fit, choking back her wheezing as her ears and nose caught the slightest hint of somepony else in the room. Celestia sheepishly paused mid tip-hoofing behind her lunar counterpart, her abomination still clutched in her magic. Luna groggily stood and wobbled over to hug the elder alicorn, trapping her in place. "Yes, Luna. Please let go, I need to get rid of this before more of our subjects see it." Blue tinged aura clashed with the golden glow of the noonday sun as the Lunar diarch took the twisted mess of sheeted spacetime and yarn. Luna's tired mind dutifully processed the inelegant folds of twisted dimensions in space and time as she sleepily clung to Celestia's foreleg. "Oh, 'Tia. Thou still reacts badly to failure, doth thou not?" "Luna, this is rather dangerous. Its making our little ponies sick, I need to lose it." Celestia nipped at the twisted ball of hyper-dimensional space time with her teeth in an attempt to tug it away from her younger companion. Her leg was slightly cramping as Luna held tight to the elder alicorn's shoulder, using her as much as a crutch to keep standing in her tired state as she was in. "Nonsense, 'Tia. It needs to be studied. Carefully, yes. It doth nopony any good for it to be hidden away, when it could teach our little ponies so much about the workings of folding space." Luna tugged at her elder companion, trying to drag her to a lockable cabinet. Celestia grudgingly wobbled with Luna as the younger alicorn continued. "Thou hast seemingly become less willing to admit and learn from thy mistakes as thou hast become older, 'Tia. Look at us, notice how such actions effected us. Rejoice, thy mistake is something to take notice of and avoid in the future." Luna wished she hadn't made such a grand proclamation as her head throbbed in answer to it. With a final flourish of her magic, Luna slid the eldritch mess into her private cabinet and locked it fast. "And what does this have to do with protecting my little ponies?" Luna gave her elder the faintest of concerned looks as the tone in Celestia's voice worried her. "Thou art smothering them, 'Tia. Let them make mistakes, let them hurt themselves. They will not think you the lesser." The solar princess raised an eyebrow at Luna's semi-accusation. "Let them? They're more than capable of making mistakes on their own. No, they don't need their princess setting a bad example for them." Celestia kept her voice even and quiet as she spoke. Luna found herself being gently rested against the foot of the communal couch with a downy blanket draped across her. "Too hard on thyself, 'Tia. Far too hard on thyself." Celestia ignored her lunar counterpart, stepping to the darkening window in introspection and inspection of the deep orange sunset. Finally, after a time she at last spoke softly. "Then why do I feel like I'm failing them?" Luna's breath hitched for a moment as the echoes of her own fall whispered hauntingly in her ears. "Thou art not, 'Tia. Trust us. No more than we were failing them. Keep trying. We did not become master of our forge overnight, after all. Thou might wish to wait on blind knitting for a few years, however." Celestia calmly avoided talking further even as a dark blue ball of yarn impaled itself on her horn in the grip of Luna's magic. "Thy daughter keeps on attempting to make an abacus for us despite her... inprofficiency; we continue to forge our present for thou despite four days awake and our continuing research into troubling issues. The least thou can do for thyself and thy ponies is to keep going and never doubt thyself." "One to talk, yourself. Though, if I might ask, 96 hours on coffee? Not good, I've tried." Celestia carefully slid her newest attachment from her horn. "Just not enough of me left for everything at the end of the marathon. Not enough of me left for much of anything now." "... Coffee?" The solar diarch paused with her hoof poised just before her door, realizing that a terrible mistake had just been made. Whirling, she turned to her young counterpart to find her buried in the kitchenette's refrigerator. The starry tail of the time-lost monarch quivered like Pinkie Pie with an attack of the twitchy tails as she made great and terrible slurping sounds from within. "What have I done?" Celestia rushed to the side of the moon princess, unsure of how best to pry the chilled mug she had from her muzzle. "I did it again, I just doomed us all to the night that never sleeps. Luna, please don't drink anymore, its not-" "Huzzah! What nectar of the moon is this? I know this drink! We must have more, it hath made us ready for the week already!" The Crown Princess of Equestria wondered if it was possible for herself to be brought up on treason charges for introducing Triple Expressos to the the night princess. It couldn't be any worse than burning retinas with 7-D knitting. "Luna, put the coffee down. Please?" Slurps answered her. "Please?" --------------------------------------- Celestia glared at the implement of her frustration, daring it to mock her once more as it had the day previous. The lunar blue yarn sat there, unheeding of the solar death glare attempting to burn holes in it with ill intentions alone. Her hooves darting forth with intent to mangle, Celestia roughly stabbed the yarn with her picks and dragged the tip free of its messy home. Magic enhanced her sight and reflexes as the thrice-defeated mare of the sun did battle with her most successful foe. The fearsome clicker-CLACKing of knitting needles rang through the air with the speed of a rainbow (Dash). Intense concentration built from more than 3000 years of life experiences held each stroke within the latticework as the diarch of the sun performed her miracle. A blue sleeve slithered into existence from her needles as Celestia kept at her latest attempt to produce something wearable. It wasn't the prettiest of knits, but her magic held the emergent fabric within the normal dimensions of the realm. Celestial telekinesis drove the sleeve to fold back upon itself to form a liner, a deft knitting spree hooking it to itself and anchoring it all together. Celestia gave her creation a stern glare, daring it to do more than sit there quietly and obediently. Something about it was still slightly off, some angle or magical current in the midst of the impossible. With a flourish, though, she slid the completed sleeve onto her horn for safekeeping and began again. No rest for the weary. ----------------------------------------- "So Mom, why has Luna been jittering like Pinkie Pie with a Twitchy Tail all week?" Scootaloo gave her matron a stern look past the counter they were sharing breakfast at as the lunar diarch kept up in her manic history trawl behind them. "Coffee." The young orange pegasus graced her regal mother with a strange look, before inspecting her other relative once more. Sure enough, a Starbucker mug was hidden amongst the clutter of history books and almanacs. Shudders wracked her form as she wondered how long Luna could last before twitching out all over the throne room from drinking too much of the stuff. "Mom, if she flips out and declares that nopony shall ever sleep again-" "We make a mistake just once, and never hear the end of it. We are not going to make everypony stay awake forever. How would we gain the time to finally catch up and work upon our forge?" Luna reached past a book detailing the full integration of Equestrian society as she spoke and drug her coffee mug out once more to partake of it's caffeinated goodness. "Yes. Now everypony will heckle me for introducing you to coffee and your all night forging sessions." Celestia light-heartedly joked with her young counterpart past her own newspaper. The first petitioners asking for the shutting of the lunar forge had arrived only the day before, asking for the source of the infernal racket that rang across Canterlot each night. "Yeah. Kinda loud, Luna. Really cool seeing the giant column of fire and smoke coming out of the mountainside, but really loud." Scootaloo scratched in several more answers onto her homework as she spoke. An idle questioning thought passed through her mind; wondering why she always ended up with more homework whenever she was in Canterlot. Celestia absentmindedly nodded in assent. "The 'Keeps everypony from Fillidelphia to Ponyville awake every night' kind of loud." Luna looked up to her companions with wry and sarcastic displeasure. "Yes. Our forging from the very heart of the world would perhaps do such a thing. Very well. We shall install one of the modern devices, a 'muffler', we believe? Yes. Perhaps thou shalt sleep without the comforting lullabye of progress tonight." Scootaloo choked her chuckles into a pained snort as her mother merely closed her eyes in mirth. Celestia spoke once more, jabbing home with her retort. "Yes, I suppose one could call banging on mithril until it relents begging for mercy 'progress'." "Say what you will, 'Tia, but we are far better able to work with it than thy pitiful 'smiths'. If we were not, why, we would still be working on thy and thy youngest daughter's gifts." Luna snapped her book shut as she spoke. The slight shock on the rest of her family's faces was more than worth it. "Mithril?" Scootaloo's eyes widened in awe of the sheer awesome of owning anything made of the nearly unworkable and invincible metal. "Yes. Well, tis actually our own unique alloy of mithril, adamantium, and vibranium. Tis what we forged the settings for the Elements from." Luna counted the seconds down in her head, smiling without even needing to look as Celestia's utensils dropped as her magic failed her. "Alright, Luna. I gotta call you on that. No way you could'a made those three play together." Scootaloo spoke up as her mother continued to stare into space. "Tis true that they are hard to work with together. But, heat from the core of the world itself helps. As we said, we are already done." Celestia shook out the slight surprise at the revelation of Luna's true talent with metal. "Oh. Well, I did finally get your presents knit as well. Though I must say that I wish I had never learned to knit." "What, with you going around knitting holes into the world? That was awesome!" Scootaloo pumped a hoof in the air at the thought. "And making everypony sick whenever they looked at it. So, you never did tell me what was so important that you had to leave the castle without permission. Oh, I think I can guess, though I would imagine you'd like to show us instead." The solar diarch hid her face behind her newspaper, remaining steadfastly unreadable. "Yeah, I need to work on hiding what I do more. I did get some things." Celestia's brow furrowed in thought, a realization striking. If everypony was done, why wait? Her magic snaked out into her room, grabbing the sweaters she had crafted and brought them out into the common room just out of sight. The faint glow of Luna's own magic alerted her to her counterpart's own thoughts as several angular objects slid beneath her table. "So, if I am done, and Luna is done, and my little pegasus is done then what exactly are we waiting on?" Celestia set her newspaper down as she spoke. It wasn't all that interesting anyway. "Tis a good question, 'Tia." Luna slowly slid her books away from her in anticipation. She would have to hide her own present for Celestia in her books: and Celestia wore shoe size 'extra-super-jumbo', so she needed the room. "Uhhh, I'm gonna have to go gr-saack!" Scootaloo paddled the air as her mother's telekinetic field picked her up and slid her towards the elder diarch. Fabric squeezed over her head and down her form in a tight and smooth embrace. Tingling magic clutched to her form, the soothing warmth of her mother's power buzzing at her from all angles. Murmurs of confusion echoed from her alicorn family at her coverings, and the reaction they had to her. "Moooom! You know I hate it when you pick me up like- Whoa this is cool." The little orange filly marveled at the thin black sweater clinging to her. It was like a warm breeze was wicking at every strand of her fur, and soft as her mother's morning light. "Best. Sweater. EVEEER" Celestia looked down to her hooves, then back to her daughter's outfit. It had been orange, and distinctly unmagical only a short time before the little filly had been stuffed into it. Luna put her own hoof on Celestia's shoulder as they watched Scootaloo free-float midair, twisting and turning to inspect herself. With a grin the size of a small manticore, Scootaloo's wings began buzzing furiously and slowly drove her towards her own room. "I have no idea what just happened. I know I had nothing to do with the enchantment on that. It was-" "A mess, 'Tia? We know. When we started out, we encountered similar oddities. In time, we came to recognize it. For now, we may need to give her a helm." Luna's magic caught the young daughter of the sun by the tail; long enough for the night princess to slip on a strange angular helmet onto the pegasus's head. Scootaloo squawked and protested as Luna did her deed, her wings buzzing faster into an almost droning roar before the night diarch released her. Shortly afterwards, the filly's new helmet passed its first stress test with shining colors as Scootaloo shot into her room in pint-sized recreation of a sonic rainboom. "Luna." "Yes, Tia?" Celestia scowled at her dark counterpart's innocent grin. "Why, exactly did you work her up?" "We test our work. Twas just the final proofing. And before thou asks, yes we were fully assured that she wouldst survive intact." Luna slid back from the azure sweater hovering threateningly close to her face. The garment was held aloft in the grip of Celestia's magic, sticking close to its intended owner. "Mom! Stop it! I'm pegasus, we're built for going splat at high speeds! I don't need babying!" Scootaloo's indignant shouting interrupted whatever Celestia was about to do. Sounds of belongings getting tossed out of drawers followed her voice out and distracted the celestial diarch. "Mmm. We find this exquisitely comfy." Celestia raised an eyebrow in inquiry as Luna trotted about, stretching out her new sweater that gleamed with the faint lights of the stars. Words died on Celestia's lips as she wondered how Luna had gotten into it so quickly. Her attention had only been diverted for a few seconds, nowhere near enough time to entirely squeeze into it or even do so comfortably. She raised her hoof to her chin to scratch at it in pondering wonder. The odd feel stopped her, and Celestia found her leg clad in a segmented armored boot painted in white and gold. "Yes, our present. We know how thou enjoys thy hikes through thy lands. Cloud lines them, and they are enchanted to disguise themselves using thy own illusions." Luna preened at one of her wings nonchalantly to cover her smug, sly grin. "Alright. How did you get them on?" "We shalt not bore thou with the details. Tis a technique we pried from our niece Cadance during our Modern Equestrian lessons with her. Her 'Swift Romantic Reclothing' technique? Nay, that tis not the title" "I won't ask any further then. And, I need to apologize for my slight outbrust concerning Scootaloo. It's a subject of concern for me." Celestia circled Luna with grace and comfort in her new leggings. Each step she inspected with immaculate precision from the way the light reflected to the slightest noise any step might produce. Luna's quality had not dropped at all in her banishment. "Tis motherly to be concerned with her wellbeing." "No, it's mushy. I feel all soft and tender just listening." Scootaloo sat in the doorway to her room with her two presents behind her. She was eyeing the pair with concerns that they might try and drag her to a hug club or something. "I uh, don't have much. I kinda had to find mine instead of making them." "Oh, Scootaloo, it's the thought behind it. I don't mind it if there wasn't much you could give." Celestia leaned down to Scootaloo to inspect her helmet as she spoke, marveling at the strange transparent visor that protected the eyes. "Um, yeah. Luna, I didn't know what to get for you. I mean, you've got a telescope and hammers and, er, stuff. But I did remember how you were grumbling about numbers the other day." Scootaloo dug into the box she had drug out of her room and pulled free a frame made of the richest mahogany one could find. The brilliant beads strung out between the sides glistened with their enamel finish and slid back and forth as the orange filly wobbily presented it to Luna. Her hoof quivering ever so faintly with admiration, Luna took it from Scootaloo and admired the dedicated craftsponyship required to make the abacus before her. Softly, the lunar diarch at last spoke as she cradled her gift to herself. "We... how didst thou know? We have sought for something like this since our return." "Well, you were old-timey, it was old-timey. I figured, well, if they used 'em a jillion years ago you'd want to use one now instead of a calculator." Scootaloo brushed off the praise with a wave of her hoof. "Old... timey? Oh, thou means antique! Well, yes, we are. As is thy mother. We shall ignore thy accidental slight and proceed with enjoying our delightful present." Luna swept Scootaloo up into a hug of nearly crushing proportions as she spoke. Her other unoccupied foreleg cradled her gift as she grinned at Celestia. "Yes, I'm old. Old enough to remember your ticklish spots and how to sneak up on you in the middle of the night." Celestia pawed at the floor in enjoyment of her new hoofwear, pleased enough to ignore the light ribbing. "Well, old enough that if I wanted to get a present for you from when you were a filly, it'd end up being two rocks to make fire with. So, I gotchya this instead." Scootaloo managed to slide slowly out of Luna's semi-headlock and dug out her other present. Luna paid no attention to the scurrying menace as she calculated away on her gift. Scootaloo shuffled over to her mom with her ornate present on her back. Its relatively miniscule size clashed with the sense of power emanating from it as Celestia picked it up with her magic. The little orange filly watched as her mother brought it up to eye level, and ever so slowly opened it. The solar diarch's eyes drew first narrow in confusion, before growing wide in bafflement as she looked down at her daughter. "A compass that seems to be broken?" Scootaloo nodded as Luna furrowed her brow and looked up. "A Compass that Doesn't Point North." KerCLACK! Celestia's jaw worked for a moment as she attempted to place where the phrase seemed to have come from. Then the metaphorical mage light burned brightly above her horn as she saw how shocked Luna had been when she heard the name. Why, Luna was still fumbling her abacus from hoof to hoof from the shock. The Compasses, mystic guides to what couldn't be found any other way and long thought lost forever. "Which one?" Celestia spoke quietly as she inspected the lost object closely. "Tis the last. The Compass of the Loved." "Yeah. I figured, since you already had everything you actually wanted, you'd want something that told you what you already have. Us, no matter how far we go, no matter what happens. Us, together."