Student and Teacher, Servant and Mistress, Citizen and Ruler, Friend and...Lover?
by Honey Mead
***
Adventures in Homeownership with Sunny Skies and Dusky Sparks: Degrade
Evening was just starting to set as Sunny Skies stepped through the little iron gate to the cottage. She took a moment to marvel at it, same as she did every day. A streetlamp across the way blinked on.
It needed a name.
For any other building, it would have been a ridiculous notion. Houses don't require names, don't deserve names. Some buildings do, of course, but those are almost always large buildings with almost as much history ground into their walls as into her skin. This little cottage though...
With such whimsical thoughts occupying her attention, Sunny trotted to inside. “Sparky, I'm home.”
The lack of an immediate response did not surprise her, Dusky was notorious for falling hoof over horn into a book. Then the door closed and cut off the last bit of noise pollution from the outside.
The distinct sound of running water could be heard from the kitchen.
Sunny's ear twitched.
“Dusky?” she called out, a small tremor in her voice. She sloughed off her saddlebags and the school work they contained as her hooves dragged her unwillingly deeper into the cottage.
Sunny froze. Her hoof was wet.
A thin trickle of water snaked down the hallway, disappearing into the kitchen.
Her eyes closed in a futile attempt to forestall the deluge of images her traitorous mind was conjuring up. She did not open them as she walked down the short hall to the kitchen's entrance. They remained shut while all four of her fetlocks sopped up the standing water.
“Dusky, I know you're in there.” A small whimper confirmed it. “When I open my eyes, am I going to find that there is,” her hoof wiggled, “an inch of water covering the whole floor?” Another confirmatory whimper. “Am I also going to find that this water came from you trying to fix the leaky faucet I specifically told you to call a plumber to fix?” A final whimper.
Sunny sighed. She could already picture the scene perfectly. Dusky was undoubtedly curled up in a corner, soaked from head to tail. The cabinet under the sink was most assuredly open, all its contents stored safely on the counter. Without fail, the faucet would be damaged in someway, if she were really lucky, the pipes wouldn't be.
Her eyes opened. Dusky sniffled and cowered deeper into her corner.
Long-suffering, but still full of love and neigh limitless patience, Sunny smiled, crossed the flooded floor, and wrapped her sopping wife into that special hug that only she, filled with the warmth of a summer afternoon, could. Dusky fell instantly into the embrace, burying her muzzle into Sunny's pink locks. She sniffled and sobbed, but never quite made it all the way to crying. After a minute or two, her composure returned.
“So,” Sunny started, “do you want to tell me what happened?” Dusky shook her head, still buried beneath a sea of pink. “But you're going to tell me anyways, correct?” Dusky nodded, though with a definitive reluctance.
Sunny repositioned them until they were nose to nose. With a slow, purposeful movement, she drew her tongue up Dusky's muzzle, between her eyes, and ended at the base of her horn. It wasn't a light, sensual lick meant to excite the other mare. Rather, it was a firm lap that pull at the hairs of her coat and left them drier than they had before. All the tension fled Dusky's body. More licks followed, Sunny grooming her in the old way. The practice had fallen out of favor more than two generations ago, but Sunny had many fond memories of being groomed by her mother and even her sister. She'd just started on Dusky's mane when she spoke again.
“I'm sorry.”
“Don't be.”
“I just… I feel…” Dusky slumped, every ounce of energy carried out of with the harsh whisper of, “Useless. I can't cook. I can't—I don't do anything. All day, I just…” She sniffed back a sob. “I thought… I wanted to help.” She fell silent for a few seconds, then whispered, “It wasn't supposed to be like this.” Her whole body sighed. “This was my idea, and I’m just…”
Celestia’s magic filled the room, and, for a short few seconds, it became a sauna. Then the window opened and all the steam fled out into the cool evening air, leaving the kitchen as dry as it had ever been.
By the time Celestia realized her mistake, it was too late, and there was a sharp flash of magenta magic…
And Twilight Sparkle was gone.
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Anyone else noticing a common theme of grooming "the old way" in fics recently? I don't ever remember seeing it before Noble Thought did it...
4772399
I can't say that I wasn't influenced by Noble Thought, but I know I first picked it up from Cloudy Skies with 'Lost and Found'.
oh, what happens!?
can't just leave with a cliffhanger....
4772504 yuss, we require more, MORE I SAY
4774024 Seconded. But to be fair, Honey's take on Celestia is often a lot meaner than the canon one.
4774024 4774031
I disagree with your sentiment... Mostly because you are ignoring that it is Luna, not I, who is claiming this thing.
4774058 The issue being presumably that Luna is unlikely to say such a frankly smug and meanspirited thing to her sister. She's callous and hard, but never obnoxious or condescending.
But once again, since your Celestia is indeed much colder and more arrogant than the typical one (at least in the early stages--she grows out of it and starts acting much more like herself midway through), so I can see where Luna is coming from.
4774058 It should be noted I still quite like the chronicles of Dusty and Sunny (several of the upvotes are mine). I just can understand the "grating" comment, since it is one of the flaws I find in the earlier pieces.
4774191
No. It's cool. I happen to disagree with your assessment, mostly based on my personal experiences with my own sisters (no opportunity to jab or poke was ever passed up), but that's hardly important.
I've always viewed Tia as unintentionally, but understandably, arrogant and a little cold. It makes sense given... well everything we know about her history. I imagine it as a point of embarrassment, something that she rarely notices she is doing until after the fact (and sometimes only when it's pointed out to her).
4774233 An understandable take on Celestia, if not the one we see in canon. She likely could have been as arrogant as she is in this 'verse if she was just a little bit different. It still bugs me because I like her to be more sympathetic than that, but it is an interesting take for certain.
And having a brother myself, I can agree with you to an extent. This is obviously something that has caused Tia a lot of pain and even potentially despair, though. Her entire purpose has been rendered useless. When my brother or I am in especial pain, we are there for each other, not mocking each other for our flaws.
4774248
I guess I'm just not seeing it to that extent. Frustration is the furthest I'd go, save for specific individuals. Celestia's feelings on the matter are more along the lines of someone who's moved to a new house and hasn't gotten used to the new floorplan yet, and Luna's comment is poking at her because she always complained so much about the wall that separated the kitchen and living room (stupid wall). But then, Author Death and all that jazz.
I'm not entirely sure what you mean about her purpose... I look at Celestia as a little more self-actualized than to define herself by her job.
4774322 I would completely agree for canon Tia, but your stories say otherwise. This Celestia seems to be focused to the point of everything else on her job. She neglects her wife, her family, everyone. Then she learns that all that was done for absolutely nothing, because the system works fine without her. Like Twilight, that would make anybody feel useless, and so Luna's reaction seems more like a Kick The Dog moment than a harmless jab at her.
That is a terrible spot to leave us hanging. How rude. Awesome story though.
You left on a cliffhanger! Why would you do that!?
4774710 4775678 4772504 4773341
dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/109212453/NPH%20Evil%20Bunny.gif
4787072 GIVE US A CONCLUSION TO THIS!!!! YOU CANT LEAVE US HANGING LIKE THIS! AAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!
W-wait a second...It ends here?
No way!
How dare you end it there!
8712602
Here's the rest on Honey Mead's page. LINK