//------------------------------// // Not Really a Morning Pony // Story: Consanguinity // by D4ftP0ny //------------------------------// As brilliantly silver as the night had been, the morning dawned in an equally breathtaking burst of pure gold that poured itself over the land and filled the Castle to the brim with warm, loving light. The sky slowly filled with orange and pink, the warm colors chasing away the vestiges of the nighttime as if to clear a path through the heavens for the sun, and, as Skyla made her way down one of the Castle’s long hallways, the young alicorn couldn’t help but feel a little bit sad that the night was ending. Luna was so nice to me last night, she thought with a yawn that chased away the sounds of her hoofsteps in her ears. I wish the night could have lasted a little longer so I could have enjoyed more of it. She blinked her eyes, trying to chase away the granules of sleep that clung to the edges of her eyelids. But after all the excitement yesterday, along with Flurry being practically frantic after Luna and I got back from the roof, meant that I didn’t really get a chance to be outside in the moonlight for long… She sighed and pursed her lips as she headed towards the kitchen, her tail swishing irritably behind her for a moment as she allowed her disappointment to well up inside of her; after that moment passed, however, she gave her head a shake and stood up straighter. No reason to worry about it, she thought as the ghost of a smile touched her lips. After all, there’ll be plenty of nights for me to enjoy from now on. I’m sure I’ll get plenty of opportunities once this whole investigation thing is taken care of… The very thought of everything that had transpired yesterday made Skyla’s ears droop as a wave of tight discomfort washed through her middle, and her hoofsteps slowed minutely as she frowned. I guess today’s the day when I find out what the most powerful ponies in the world want to do with me… the day that my fate in this world is decided. It hadn’t been something that she’d allowed herself to think about very much and, if she was honest with herself, it wasn’t something that she really wanted to think about at all. She hadn’t toyed with the thought that other ponies might have a say in her fate once she’d escaped her Mother… yet here she was, waiting with bated breath and knotted stomach, to see if the ponies she’d fled to would allow her to stay. “I guess I never thought about what things might be like once I got here,” she muttered to herself. “I kind of just figured that I’d get here, say ‘Oh hooray I did it!’ and then get to do whatever…” She sighed and glanced to her left, her gaze passing through the line of windows and out onto the city below, its streets still empty in the early morning light. “I guess this is their world, though… and they have every right to do what they want with me…” The idea that she might be tied down or controlled again made the already firm knot in her stomach twist, but she gave her head another shake and took a deep breath. Take it easy, Skyla, she told herself firmly. They might be in charge of your fate, but at least you’re here and not back in the Empire. She turned her gaze back to the hallway as a sardonic smile touched her lips. The worst that these ponies will say is probably that I can’t go running around without supervision. Back with Mother, the punishment would’ve been… Her heart clenched painfully, and she snorted. Well, it wouldn’t have been easy to live with, that’s for sure. The realization that she was, indeed, better off here no matter what happened made the sour tasted in her throat a little sweeter, but it certainly didn’t chase it completely away. She approached the door at the end of the hallway, the same one that she and Flurry had passed through the day before, and was a little disappointed to note that the guard from yesterday was not there today. What did Flurry say his name was…? Crystal Lance? I think that’s what it was… she thought as she raised her right hoof and touched it to the heavy wooden door. I hope I get to see him again, he seemed nice… but I wonder why there isn’t a guard out here this morning. She smirked and rolled her eyes at her own thoughts. Probably because you’re up earlier than anypony else in the whole castle, you doofus. The night guards are going to bed, the day guards are just waking up, and even Flurry’s still tucked up in my bed, sleeping like a rock. Nopony else’ll be up for at least an hour. She gave the door a push and stepped into the kitchen. The room was dark, with the exception of a single beam of light that lanced through a high window to her left to paint the wall far to her right a bright yellow. The silhouettes of stoves, ovens, and the various implements that ponies would need to cook food on such things lay around her in neat, clean lines, and with a sigh she reached out with her hoof to find the switch for the lights. Of course, being the only one up means that I’ll probably have to find my own food. She flicked the switch and chuckled as the warm, friendly lights that lined the top of the kitchen flickered to life. That’s not a big problem, she thought, casting her gaze across the room as she moved past the counter on her right and turned to follow it. I fed myself for years back in the Empire, so it really shouldn’t be too hard to find something to… to… Her thoughts sputtered and died as her gaze swept from left to right and, as her eyes came to rest on the far side of the kitchen, she found something there that shouldn’t have been: a large, white figure with a mane that shimmered in the light, staring at her with lavender eyes from over the top of a huge muffin. Skyla blinked at the figure for several long seconds, her still-tired mind struggling to grasp who and what it was that she was seeing. Finally, however, her mind caught up and confirmed that she was, indeed, seeing what she thought she was seeing, and her eyes bulged in disbelief as words surged to the tip of her tongue. “P-Princess Celestia?” she gasped, disbelief filling her voice. “Is that you?” The tall alicorn smiled broadly around the muffin clenched in her teeth before lifting her muzzle sharply and giving the muffin a gentle toss into the air. The small baked good performed a single, perfect revolution before Princess Celestia’s teeth found it again, and with a single, audible chomp the muffin vanished. The sound of chewing filled the silent kitchen as Skyla stared, followed by a contented sigh. “Ah, good morning, Skyla!” greeted the Princess of the Sun brightly, her wings rustling against her flanks. “How nice to see somepony else up this early. Normally, nopony’s awake until a good while after I raise the sun, and then nopony’s in a fit state to talk until an hour or so after that!” Her horn ignited and she lifted another muffin from the plate that sat on the far counter with her magic, the golden aura floating the muffin through the air until it hovered near Celestia’s right shoulder. “I think that my little ponies need to work on being a bit more chipper in the earliest part of the day, don’t you? After all, how you greet the morning determines how the rest of your day is going to go.” She turned her head and took a much more demure bite out of her new muffin before turning her gaze back to Skyla, her eye sparkling with interest. “Don’t you think so?” she asked, her words rounded on the edges as she spoke around her food. “Well, I…” Skyla blinked rapidly a few times before giving her head a shake, a motion that caused the curls in her mane to bounce off of her cheeks. “To be honest, Princess, I… I’m usually not much of a morning pony myself… and I’m kind of surprised that I’m out of bed this early today.” Celestia’s expression didn’t change, but Skyla swore she saw the older alicorn’s eyes sparkle. “Oh, is that so?” she murmured around another bite of muffin. “So what has you up just after sunrise?” She swallowed, and a mischievous smile touched her lips. “Did Flurry Heart steal all of your blankets?” Skyla’s cheeks flushed, the heat of her embarrassment flooding her face until it was all she could do to keep from hiding behind her wings. “N-no, that’s not what happened!” she blurted with a wave of her hoof. “She never takes all the blankets, and even if she did it’s not really something that would wake me up…” She sighed and winced. “Ugh, ponyfeathers… I guess everypony knows about her sleeping with me, huh?” she muttered, her ears drooping against her mane. Celestia chuckled around her last bite of muffin before swallowing and stepping away from the counter, her hoofsteps clicking regally even on the modest stone floor of the kitchen. “I wouldn’t say that everypony knows,” answered Celestia gently, her smile soft and kind. “But Cadence and Shining Armor told me that she’s been sneaking into your room at night so that she could be near you, so I thought that might have something to do with it.” She approached Skyla at a perfectly slow and measured pace, her coat all but glowing in the light from the kitchen’s lamps, and as she did Skyla felt herself growing smaller and smaller in the presence of the enormous alicorn. She’d been near her the day before, of course, but any time that she’d been around Celestia there had been other ponies around, other ponies who moderated Celestia’s dimensions simply by virtue of being normal sized; now, however, there was nothing between Skyla and the Saint of the Sun – no pony, no barriers, no distance – to disguise the brilliant white pony’s unbelievable presence and sheer size, and Skyla felt her eyes grow wider as Celestia stopped before her. “N-no,” said Skyla with a slight shake of her head, “Flurry’s been just fine. Actually, she’s been nice to have around… she helps me sleep.” Skyla blushed. “It sounds kind of silly, but her being there is… soothing.” Celestia’s smile didn’t change, but as she nodded thoughtfully Skyla felt as though the taller alicorn knew something that she didn’t. It was a sensation that Skyla was all too familiar with and, despite knowing where she was and who she was with, she felt her shoulders tense in preparation for a game that she’d been all too accustomed to back home. “I see,” Celestia said. “So it wasn’t Flurry Heart who woke you, and it certainly wasn’t anypony else at this time of day…” her expression softened, “…which means that it’s something going on inside that head of yours, isn’t it?” Skyla blinked and felt her heart clench in her chest as warmth flooded her cheeks. “Wh-what?” she stammered, her pinions rustling against her flanks. “P-pardon me, Princess, but I think you might be jumping to conclusions a little…” The feeling that Celestia knew more than she was letting on intensified inside Skyla’s head and it was all she could do to keep her hooves from carrying her backwards towards the door behind her. If I run, she’ll think that she’s right, thought Skyla furiously, and on top of that, running away would show weakness – something I really can’t afford to show a pony as strong as she is. She inhaled slowly and drew herself up to her full height, her ears standing straight up as she did her best to appear calm, collected, and confident, but before she could utter another word to refute Celestia’s claim, the taller alicorn made her move. As Skyla watched, the Saint of the Sun bent her knees and settled herself down to the stone floor, her mane and tail pooling about her like liquid rainbow as she tucked her long legs beneath her. “Am I just jumping to conclusions?” Celestia asked gently as she bent her neck and brought her violet eyes down until they were level with Skyla’s own. “Am I leaping at shadows, or are you simply ignoring them?” Her words were straightforward and unclouded by deception – Skyla was old enough to know that much – but it wasn’t the frankness of her words that made Skyla blink in surprise; rather, it was the openness of her eyes and the soft, gentle warmth of her smile that caused Skyla’s guard to waver. After all, it was one thing to grow up listening to stories about how pure, how wonderful, how benevolent and righteous that Saint Celestia had been, and another thing completely to see how pure, wonderful, benevolent and righteous that she actually was. Skyla squirmed in place as the older alicorn smiled at her, a sliver of guilt sliding into her heart as she realized that she’d suspected Celestia of trying to play the same games that her mother had. She’s not my mother, she reminded herself firmly, her jaw clenching tight as she forced herself to meet Celestia’s gaze. She doesn’t deserve to be suspected just because she shares some traits with her. Finally, Skyla let out a sigh. “I… I guess I don’t really know, Princess Celestia,” she murmured. “I don’t really know what woke me up, but… I guess I didn’t really sleep very well at all last night, so maybe that has something to do with it.” Celestia nodded sagely. “Understandable. After all, what pony could rest peacefully while other ponies are out deciding their fate?” Skyla’s earlier thoughts echoed in the back of her mind, and her eyes widened. “I… suppose so, Princess,” she managed to whisper, and Celestia’s eyes sparkled in the low light of the kitchen. “Don’t look so surprised, Skyla,” she said quietly. “After all, I’ve lived through hundreds of lifetimes of normal ponies. I’ve seen enough and know enough to know when something is bothering a pony. When you’ve lived hundreds of lifetimes, it’s kind of hard not to.” “Well… when you put it like that,” murmured Skyla with a raise of her eyebrows, “I suppose it makes sense…” Her wings rustled against her sides, the feathers pulling at her coat slightly as she tried desperately to meet the gaze of Equestria’s greatest leader. “I guess if I knew what was wrong myself, I’d tell you,” she said after a moment. “I mean, all I know is that I woke up way earlier than normal and couldn’t go back to sleep, even though I still feel tired.” She let out a resigned sigh and dropped her rump to the floor, curling her voluminous tail around her so that it hid her front hooves from view. “I… I’ll admit that I had a thought that sounded an awful lot like what you said,” she admitted, her ears drooping towards her mane. “About resting while others decide your fate, I mean.” “I thought you might have.” Celestia’s gaze never wavered, though her smile grew infinitesimally. “You don’t strike me as the type of pony who likes to sit around and have things decided for her.” Skyla blushed and nodded, but her expression quickly melted into a frown. “I guess so… but how do you know that? You just met me yesterday – how can you tell me what kind of pony I am?” Celestia’s smile grew into a grin and, to Skyla’s surprise, a giggle escaped her lips. “Just as I said before,” she chuckled. “I’ve been around long enough to become quite good at judging a pony’s character, and the fact that you literally tore a hole through space and time to chase your dream tells me everything I need to know about you.” Skyla’s eyes narrowed and she felt the back of her neck grow hot. “Oh, is that so?” she asked, and the amount of challenge in her own voice surprised her. “Then tell me, Princess. I’ll be happy to tell you where you’re wrong.” Her tail swished away from her hooves as she stood, her eyes suddenly filling with an uncontrollable heat. “So go ahead,” she growled, “tell me all about me.” The sour taste in her mouth returned even more harshly than before as Skyla stared at Celestia, her heart pounding in her ears. Oh by Saint Celestia’s golden raiment, what am I doing?! The thought exploded in the back of Skyla’s mind in a whirlwind of cold shivers and a sick twist of her stomach, but the hot sensation that filled her wouldn’t be dissuaded. She couldn’t stand the thought that somepony like Princess Celestia, a pony who had ruled with love and kindness for a thousand years, would sit there and say that she knew what Skyla was like, what her life had been like. The very thought made her angrier than she had ever been, and as her wings bristled she knew deep down that she was probably focusing her anger at a pony who didn’t deserve it; however, what was done was done, and for several long moments Celestia sat in silence, her eyes never leaving Skyla’s. The smaller alicorn felt a cold smile curve her lips as the moments turned into a minute, and she was just starting to gather her words for an ‘I told you so’ speech when Celestia finally spoke. “I can tell you that you’re smart,” she began, her voice the same, measured tone that it had been before. “I can tell you that you’re determined, tenacious to a fault, and probably downright stubborn at times.” The white alicorn shifted on the floor, a motion that caused her mane to shimmer as light from the rising sun lit the room brighter and brighter with each passing minute. “I can tell you that you care deeply for those around you, even if you grew up in a world that didn’t value compassion, and that you’re still conflicted about how you should behave in this world.” Celestia’s words fell onto Skyla like snowflakes, each one spoken with such soothing gentleness that the fire behind her eyes started to calm almost immediately. Her mask of anger melted away in the face of Celestia’s words and, as the other alicorn continued, the pounding of Skyla’s heart in her ears faded away and was slowly replaced by a horrible aching in her stomach. “I can tell you that you’re brave,” said Celestia, “and that you’re resourceful, skillful with your magic, and clever enough to keep a project like a mirror portal hidden for seven years. You probably didn’t have many friends, so you’re struggling to accept the value of other ponies in your life while doing your best to keep them distant just in case things don’t work out.” She glanced up at the window, where the sun was pushing higher into the sky, and her smile melted away as the sunlight touched her face. “I can tell you that you’re lonely,” she said, her voice dropping to just above a whisper, “and that you’re desperately seeking a place where you can be safe and loved. That’s why the idea of other ponies deciding that you can’t stay here woke you up so early today, and is coloring your conversation with me even now.” She blinked slowly before dropping her gaze back to Skyla, a ghost of her former smile touching her lips. “Well, that’s about it,” she said finally. “Feel free to tell me where I was wrong.” The aching in Skyla’s stomach intensified and she plopped her rump back to the floor as she stared up into Celestia’s eyes, her heart aching. “Princess Celestia,” she began, her words thick with apology, but to her surprise Celestia shook her head and held her right hoof, forestalling her comments. “You’re right about one thing, though,” Celestia conceded. “I don’t know exactly what your life was like back in your version of the Crystal Kingdom, and, if the truth be told, I don’t care to know. That is a part of your life that we here in this world can’t change, and to hear about it would only bring me heartache.” She dropped her hoof back to the floor, and her smile returned in full force. “What I do know, however, is that you are still a good pony despite all of the bad things that have happened to you in your life – and that means more than you probably know, at your age.” Celestia smirked. “You also remind me quite a lot of my sister and myself when we were younger.” The older alicorn unfurled her right wing and stretched it towards Skyla, who stared at her open-mouthed as Celestia’s snowy white feathers brushed gently against her left cheek. “You needn’t worry, Skyla,” whispered Celestia. “I’m quite familiar with travel through space-time and parallel worlds and, unless I’m greatly mistaken, Twilight’s not going to find any reason to try to send you back.” She smiled again, and Skyla felt warmth trace through her from her nose to her hooves. “We’re here to help you, little one. Twilight, Luna, Cadence, and I – we’re all here for you if you need us.” She withdrew her wing and folded it against her sides once again before rising to her hooves to tower over the smaller alicorn once more. “I hope that you’ll call on us if you need anything.” Skyla could only nod as she stared up at the Saint of the Sun, her words of anger and apology long since lost in a whirlwind of shame. Celestia just smiled and ignited her horn, the glowing golden light blending in perfectly with the light of the rising sun. “I look forward to speaking to you again another time, Skyla,” said Celestia as she took a step around her towards the door. “And please, keep in touch with Luna. She would like very much to be somepony you can rely on.” Now Skyla blinked and jerked her head to her right, her vision following the magnificent sun that adorned Princess Celestia’s flank. “Luna said that..?” she asked incredulously. “But… but why would she-?” Her words were stifled as a muffin sailed through the air and performed a crisp u-turn that placed it perfectly into Skyla’s open mouth, the golden aura of magic that had suspended it going dark as soon as it was wedged firmly between Skyla’s teeth. Her eyes bulged as she took a large, involuntary bite out of it, dropping the rest of it onto her waiting hoof as she watched Celestia laugh once again. “I’m sorry, Skyla, but you shouldn’t talk with your mouth full,” she said over her shoulder as she turned out the door, her expression one of such absolute mischief that Skyla’s mouth dropped open despite being filled with half-chewed muffin. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you later today, so until then – enjoy your muffin, and chew with your mouth closed!” Skyla’s eyes narrowed and she closed her mouth with a hearty snap that echoed in the empty kitchen. That didn’t go the way I expected it to, she thought as the tip of Celestia’s tail vanished through the door. She chewed her muffin thoughtfully, the soft, sweet bounciness filling her with a strange contentment that she didn’t think she really deserved after what had just happened. Though, I guess I really didn’t know what to expect after saying something like that to the Princess of the Sun… she thought as she swallowed the rather large bite. She felt a smile tug at her lips as she opened her mouth and tossed the remainder of the muffin into it. She was nice, though, she thought as she rose to her hooves. It felt strange, thinking about somepony like Saint Celestia as a real, flesh-and-blood pony that she could talk to and interact with, but as Skyla headed towards the plate of muffins that Celestia had left behind, she couldn’t help but feel a little bit better about the day ahead of her. After all, how you greet the morning determines how the rest of your day is going to go, right? She snagged a muffin in her aqua colored magic and lifted it off the plate as she’d seen Celestia do, her smile spreading across her face. Maybe I could become a morning pony, after all.