I awoke to the morning sun shining through the mostly closed curtains. Makes sense to me that Celestia had let me sleep in as much as I needed. She'd probably cast a sleeping spell on me so that if Nymeria woke up, I wouldn't hear her and go back to sleep. I'd volunteer for colic duty for the week if that was the case.
I sat up with a yawn, stretching out my legs and wings before glancing at the nearby clock. One in the afternoon. Guess I had been tired. Given that I'd only been back for less than a day, I didn't think that I'd be missing any Day Court. Of course I'd have to go back to Baltimare soon to let my staff and guards know that I was okay and not stuck in some other dimension. I'd probably do that today, if not tomorrow. My family came first, and now that officially included Kristen.
Ugh. Not sure what to do there.
The culture shock alone could kill her. I'd been sent to a small town even smaller than the one I'd grown up in. My biggest issue was rent and whether or not I could score any chicken. She didn't get that easy transition, though. She was, for all intents and purposes, a princess now. Or a duchess. I'm not actually a hundred percent sure of her official title. If I knew her, she'd probably want to reject the title, though. I can't see her being wild about ponies bowing to her and calling her "Duchess Kristen" or whatever. For that matter, I can't really see her wanting to get a more traditional "pony" name. I know I hadn't been wild about it when I'd first ascended, but maybe she'd come around in time.
Seriously, though, she's even more stubborn than I am.
I took a quick shower before making my way to the dining room. Given the time I could see some ponies being there. I didn't know for sure if Celestia had actually scheduled Day Court for today, or if she'd given all of us a day or two off. We couldn't be out of commission too long, though. We had a lot to do to completely fix the damage Discord did. I did not look forward to meetings with any foreign leaders, but they might like the fact that I'd solved the problem completely.
My stomach twinged a bit at the memory. I know Luna didn't like to talk about her time as Nightmare Moon, and now I completely understood. I couldn't even decide if I'd felt in control or not. Sure the black magic made the pain go away, but I didn't have to kill him. I could have just maimed him enough that he didn't get back up.
What I hated the most was that it felt... good. Everything I thought of seemed almost foalishly easy with that kind of power. If I hadn't been holding back during the fight with Celestia and Luna, who knew what I could have done to them? I pushed the thoughts out of my mind as I reached the dining room. No need to think about that at the moment.
I opened up the doors to the dining room and smiled when I saw Kristen and Celestia sitting at the table with Nymeria on her high chair not too far away. They all looked at me when they heard me walk in, and Celestia and Nymeria smiled. I quickly moved over to give my daughter a nuzzle and my wife a kiss. I noticed Kristen stick her tongue out at the latter one, though.
"Oh come on, she's my wife," I said, sitting next to Celestia.
"She's also a pony," Kristen grumbled.
"Yeah, so am I." I gave her a pointed look as I began loading my plate with the various items on the table. "And now, so are you."
"Hooray," Kristen snarked.
I frowned at her. "You made the choice to come through the portal, you know, it's not like--"
"As much as I'd love to witness a conversation I'm certain you two will have many more times, I don't think it's best to do so in front of Nymeria." Celestia speared a watermelon cube on her fork. "Besides, it's lunchtime."
"Fair point. Speaking of, how are you getting along with your niece, Kristen?" I asked.
"She might be the one good thing you managed to pull out of this mess." Kristen smiled at Nymeria, who smiled right back. "Okay, she might be a pony who can rip apart entire rooms with her temper tantrums, but she's also adorable! Surprising since you're the father."
"Well my genes might have played a role in her looks too, to be fair," Celestia pointed out.
Kristen nodded. "Good point. She has her mother's looks."
"Oh hardy har har."
We continued eating in silence for a few more minutes. Celestia and Kristen had almost finished their meals when I'd come in, so really they just waited for me to finish up before we continued our talk. Nymeria had begun nodding off a little bit before I finished eating, so once I'd emptied my plate, I gently levitated her onto my back.
"I'll put her down. You two continue doing whatever it was you were doing. I'll come find you when I'm done."
"Very well. We shall be in the throne room," Celestia said. "As much as I hate to not have a day off, I'd rather we discuss a few things today. That way I can have even a slight feeling that I've done something productive today."
"Fair enough. I'll see you two shortly."
I made my way to Nymeria's room, being careful to not dislodge her from my back. She mumbled something in foal talk and began sucking on her hoof as she nuzzled into the spot between my shoulder blades. I lovingly chuckled and draped one of my wings over her back. I walked into her room without turning on the lights, rather illuminating my horn slightly so I could see where I was stepping. Even as an alicorn, stubbing your hoof wasn't the most pleasant experience. I gently lifted her off of my back and laid her down in her crib, draping a blanket over her and putting her favorite stuffed toy in her reach. Her hoof shot out and grabbed it, instantly hugging it close.
"Daddy loves you," I whispered, gently stroking her mane with my wing. "I'm not going away again. I promise you that. I'm never going to leave you or Mommy again. I will always protect you."
Nymeria reached out and placed her hoof on one of my feathers. I smiled and gently nuzzled her before folding my wing back at my side. After placing the usual foal monitor spells around the room, I backed away and quietly closed the door behind me.
Never again. I'd never leave her at the mercy of any of my enemies. Despite all that had happened, I'd ensured that Discord wouldn't hurt my daughter. If nothing else, I'd done that. He wouldn't have a chance to break free.
I pushed those thoughts out of my mind as I made my way to the throne room. Interestingly enough, the only pony in the room was Kristen. She looked around the ornate throne room, quietly muttering to herself and shaking her head at the sights. She must have heard me come in, because she turned to face me with a grimace.
"Jeez, dude, never took you for someone who would like any of this crap."
I shrugged. "Comes with the title. My subjects expect a certain amount of decorum. Having said that, I don't rule from here. I rule from Baltimare."
Kristen rolled her eyes at that one. "Oh, charming. A pony pun. Do they have a 'hoofball' team called the Ravens?"
I smirked and shook my head. "No, they're actually the Blasts. Like a magic blast." I chuckle to myself. "You get used to it. There are a lot of pony pun names around here. Vanhoover, Manehattan, Las Pegasus, Cloudsdale, Appleloosa, stuff like that. And that's just the town and city names."
Kristen grunts and shakes her head. "Whatever. Like you said: I guess I'll get used to it."
"Right." I look around the throne room. "Where is Celestia?"
"She went to go get the other one. Luna, isn't it?" I nodded. "Right. She went to go get her. I guess she gets grumpy when she wakes up, or something."
"Yeah, it can be pretty nasty to wake Luna up when she's already tired. We always have some coffee ready."
"Genius," Kristen snarked. "Anyway, I guess she wants to talk about some stuff, but I'm not sure why I need to be here for that."
"I think it's because you're going to have to make some major adjustments," I guessed. "Like it or not, you're royalty now. We kind of need to figure out what that means." I smile comfortingly at her and drape my wing over her back. "Don't worry about it. I had to do the same thing when I ascended. It doesn't hurt."
"Somehow I doubt I'm going to get a slice of Equestria, seeing as how I don't want one," Kristen said, sliding out from under my wing. "I'm only royalty by association, right? I don't have any responsibilities."
"I'm not sure," I admitted. "I don't think you'll live at your own palace with your own guards and all that. You'll probably live with me in my palace, but..." I shrugged. "Honestly you can go do whatever you want. Just be careful. Like it or not, you coming here is going to have international repercussions. Being my sister means that ponies are going to see you as having influence with me, and they will use you to influence me. I'm not saying they're going to hold you hostage until I do what they want, but I can definitely see some noble or other doing you a few 'free' favors.
"'Oh, a free day at the spa? We'd love to give you one, Princess Kristen. No strings attached. Then later they cuddle up to you and say 'oh, can I just get a little favor from you? Nothing too major, just ask Prince Antares about this or that. Get me a meeting, show him this proposal, etc.'" I allow myself a minor smirk at the growing look of discomfort on my sister's face. We're not done yet, though. "Then there are the ponies who will want to introduce you to their marrying age sons or daughters. Political marriages are extremely common among the nobility around here. Given that you're the more powerful one because of your relationship to me, you might be able to dictate the terms on paper, but I assure you that they'd try to manipulate you into a marriage that benefits them more. And then there's--"
"Okay, okay, I get it!" Kristen snapped, her hooves over her ears. "Why haven't you gotten rid of these sharks?!"
Any trace of amusement evaporates, and I let out a tired sigh. "It's... complicated. I'm not all powerful here. I can't just order something and have it done immediately, especially with an institution that ingrained in things like business and the military. There would be some major problems if I tried to do it overnight. On the other hoof..." I sit down and begin rubbing my temples. "A lot of noble children fought in the war. A lot of them came back, but there were a fair few noble families that lost all of their heirs. Several powerful and influential families either lost a lot of that power, or will die out entirely."
"So what happens when they do die out?"
I shrug. "It's possible that the crowns take over some of their endeavors, but more likely their assets will be split among several smaller noble families, or just purchased by wealthy non-nobles. I can't say for sure if this war put a permanent dent in the noble class, but at the very least it'll be weakened for several decades."
"Oh... uh..." Kristen blinked in confusion. "Right. yeah, that sounds like it'll be a big complicated mess."
"Yeah, I'm going to have to do a lot of extensive, complicated, and very political things to soften the blow. Given the nature of my job, I have to think of the repercussions of actions ten, fifteen, maybe even a hundred years from now."
Kristen frowned and tilted her head. "A hundred? What, are you immortal, or something?"
"Actually..."
Kristen's eyes narrowed. "Aw no way. So a hundred thousand years from now you'll be doing this same crap?"
I shrugged. "Yeah, possibly."
"Huh. So you're in this for the long haul, then."
"Yep."
Just before I could elaborate any further, the doors to the throne room opened up, and Celestia and Luna walked in. I smiled and walked up to Celestia for a loving nuzzle, which she returned.
"I hope you two are getting along," Celestia said.
"Yeah, I've been telling her some things about what she's gotten herself into."
Kristen scowled at that. "Yeah, sure. Sounds like this will be a real riot."
"I'm certain that it will take some time for you to adjust to all of this," Celestia said with a small smile. "However..." Her smile quickly fell. "Of course, we must take the time to determine exactly what your place in this world is."
"And I take it you can't just open up a portal and send me back to Earth?" The room went completely silent. Celestia and I exchanged an uncomfortable glance, which Kristen immediately picked up on. She groaned and waved her hoof. "It's fine. Whatever," said through gritted teeth.
"So..." I took a few small steps toward her. "You want to go back home."
"Obviously I can't, so why bother thinking about it?" Kristen snapped. "It was a dumb move to go and yeah, I'd do it differently if I could do it again. I just..." Kristen uneasily rubbed her leg. "I wasn't thinking, alright? I didn't think I'd lose my entire life if I tried to get you back. Now you're talking about manipulative nobles and all that stuff and... I want to go back home. I can't deal with all of that."
"I understand, my little pony, and--"
"I'm not your little pony," Kristen grumbled.
A slight frown creased Celestia's face. "It is merely an expression. I meant no offense. Regardless, I am afraid that you made your choice. I understand that this is going to be a difficult transition for you, but I have every faith that you will rise to the challenge. I saw your brother do it, and you seem to be more stubborn than even he is."
"Yeah, we'll see." Kristen huffed and subconsciously fluttered her wings. She looked back to her wings and glowered at them. "Are they always going to do that?"
I smirked at her and nodded. "Yeah, they are kind of in tune with your moods. You might learn to control them on some level, but they certainly reflect what you're feeling, particularly if the emotion is extreme. Everybody has non-verbal communication, but for pegasi you guys just have extra appendages that help with that, if you will."
Kristen stuck out her tongue at that. "Great. Any other fun things I should know about?"
"I am sure that Prince Antares will talk with you in more detail about your new form, but we seem to have gotten a bit off topic," Celestia said. "As Prince Antares's sister, you will likely be a public figure."
"Yeah, he's already talked to me about the nobles and stuff," Kristen grumbled.
"That is only a small part of your role," Celestia admitted. "The common pony will also look up to you. Technically speaking you are a duchess because of your relationship to Prince Antares, but I find no problem in simply referring to you as a princess."
"Princess Kristen," Kristen said, as if testing the name on her tongue. "Huh. Okay."
"Of course, keeping your Earth name may not be wise," Luna pointed out. "As you can see, your brother took an Equestrian name upon his ascension. For the sake of the Equestrian public--"
"Nope. Kristen. I'm not changing it."
A patient smile crossed Celestia's face, and she gently placed a wing on Kristen's back. "You would have full approval rights, of course, but for your subjects' sake, I suggest--"
"They can deal with it," Kristen said with a glower. "I'm Kristen. End of story."
"Oh come on, Kristen, think of it like a Gandalf/Mithrandir sort of thing, you know?" I said. "You know, you'd be Kristen to us and for everypony else you'd be whatever other name worked best."
"Hmm, that's an interesting point," Kristen said, tapping her jaw. "And I think I have a good idea of what my name should be." She instantly gave me a flat look. "Kristen. You've gone native. I've figured that out pretty well. Doesn't mean that I have to." She frowned and tilted her head as a thought struck her. "So wait, though." She turned to Celestia. "Did you say 'subjects'?"
"I did. As royalty you do have some measure of power here. I doubt that it will be on the same level as your brother, but as a princess they would look to you by default. I cannot say for certain what that will look like until we actually get their reaction to your appearance, but given that you are Prince Antares's sister, I can see them welcoming you very quickly, especially in Baltimare."
"They're all good ponies over there," I chimed in. "They'll be very welcoming."
"Right, I'm sure." Kristen sighed and rubbed her leg. "Coming after you through the portal was a dumb idea, wasn't it?"
"Even we cannot see what the future holds," Luna said. "You may have some grand part to play in the coming years."
"Yeah, but I'm not immortal like you guys, right?"
I shook my head. "I really rather doubt it. If you were you'd look a lot more like us."
"Well there's that then, at least." Kristen took a deep breath. "So anything else you want to talk to me about?"
"I think most of your education will come in Prince Antares's palace in Baltimare," Celestia said. "For the time being, you'll be residing there. We shall make our decisions once we get a better feel for how the ponies there react to your presence."
"And if you should change your mind on the matter of the name, we can--"
Kristen hit Luna with a glare I'd seen a lot of times growing up. "Not interested. If the ponies here can't handle my name then they can shove it."
"If that is how you feel, then that is how you feel," Celestia said, smiling warmly at my sister. "I do not think they will have an issue with it, we were merely offering." Celestia nodded and turned to me. "I think it is time for you to return to Baltimare. Your subjects there need to see you. They will be frantic if they think you are still missing."
"Yeah, I think so too." I fluttered my wings to stretch them out a little bit. "No time like the present, then."
With that settled, the four of us walked out of the room. Celestia commanded a nearby servant to get a chariot ready for Kristen and I which, in keeping with Celestia's standards, was ready for the two of us by the time we reached the courtyard. Kristen eyed it suspiciously, but with some prodding from me she stepped on. I was just about to follow her, but Celestia held me back, motioning for me to follow her out of Kristen's earshot. I nodded back and assured Kristen I wouldn't be gone for long before joining Celestia.
"What's up?"
Celestia looked around to make sure nopony listened in on us before speaking. "I didn't want to say this in front of Kristen because I do not want her to worry. She saw too much when you fought Discord."
I flattened my ears and looked down at the ground. "Yeah, I wish she hadn't seen that. I wasn't a very violent person on Earth. Her and I got into some scuffles, but nothing like that. If I had to guess, she didn't even think I was capable of something like that. I'd rather her get to know the new me more gradually. I'm worried that her seeing that negatively impacted how she sees me, even if she's not showing it."
"I would not be surprised," Celestia admitted. "It is something that you will have to talk to her about in more detail once she is settled. However, there is one more matter that worries me: Discord's replacement."
I frowned and tilted my head. "Wait, his replacement? Like he'd reincarnate, or something?"
Celestia shrugged. "It is possible, but I am not certain it would happen in that manner. Discord was created as a way to balance out the world. While there shouldn't be a perfect balance between order and chaos, we cannot have too much of one, thus Discord was created to balance things out a little more. In the beginning he was not what you knew him as. He was more of a prankster, not some mad being bent on controlling the world. Rather he..." Celestia spun her hoof as she thought of the words. "Added a little flavor to the world. Made it so that things weren't always so predictable. It was when he let his power corrupt him that we had to trap him in stone. Prior to his schemes he was more of a brat at his worst, not the sadist you met."
"So what's your point?"
"My point is that he was brought into the world to add a little more balance, and the powers-that-be might decide that that balance might need to be restored. It is possible a new chaos lord will appear, and when he does..."
"Are you saying that we need to identify this potential new chaos god and sort of shepherd him to be better than his predecessor?"
"Perhaps, though that might be a bit difficult. Chaos is rather unpredictable like that." A small, sad smile crossed Celestia's face. "It is one of the things I loved about Discord before he went down a darker path."
"Hmm." I took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, I think you might be right about all of this. I can't say for sure, but you might be. My first night back Death came to talk to me." Celestia raised an eyebrow in interest. "He said that actions like mine always have consequences. If he's right, then something's going to happen." I frowned. "You don't think Nymeria or Luna's foal could..."
Celestia tilted her head in thought. "I do not think that Nymeria could be the new chaos lord. Call it maternal instinct, if you must. I, of course, cannot say for certain. As for Luna's foal... I suppose we shall have to wait and see."
"Sounds like a fun time," I grumbled. "In any case, I'll let you know if I get any future developments on that front, although I'm not sure we'll see it coming. At any rate, my subjects await."
After a quick kiss and nuzzle, I made my way back to the chariot, where a glaring Kristen awaited me. "Good of you to just walk off like that."
I gave her an apologetic grin as I sat down across from her. "Sorry, alicorn stuff. Fate of the world, things like that."
The chariot took off, causing Kristen to jerk forward and hang onto the edge as if she might fly off at any second. After realizing that she was fine, she glared at the four pegasi pulling the chariot before turning back to me.
"Tell me you haven't turned into one of those 'mystical being that's always keeping secrets' kind of rulers."
"I'd love to tell you that, I really would, but..."
Kristen huffed and crossed her forelegs. "Great. So you're not going to tell me anything about your job, are you?"
I frowned and shook my head. "No, nothing like that. It's just that there are some things that we don't tell the general public, just like any rulers. The 'mystical' part comes more from the fact that we're immortal and much more powerful than anything else. Granted, those two attributes make it so that we must plan ahead far longer than anypony else on this planet. We're going to meet the great-great-great-great grandfoals of the ponies we currently rule over, and what we do now could very well affect them in their daily lives."
"But I'm not immortal, right?"
I grimaced and shook my head. "No, I don't think you are. That's um..." I cleared my throat and looked away from her. "That's something to not discuss right now. You just got here. I know we have to plan ahead a lot, but I'd rather not start planning your funeral, thank you very much."
"Right, right, I was just curious." An awkward silence fell between the two of us for a few minutes before Kristen broke it. "So, tell me about this palace thing of yours."
"It's home, I like to think," I said with a smile. "Of course, it's a home where hundreds of ponies a day come in asking for stuff, but the servants and guards help with that."
"Servants and guards, huh?" Kristen snorted. "Remember when we were talking about what we'd do with a billion dollars? Even then you said you never wanted servants."
"It did take some getting used to," I admitted. "But when you have my schedule, you need all the help you can get. I might be able to move the sun around, but even I'm not powerful enough to do all of my court stuff, my appearances at things, any special events, and then cook and clean any of the million other things my staff does on a daily basis. My workload is crushing enough without all of that."
"Wait..." Kristen frowned at me. "Did you say 'move the sun around'?"
"Sure did, though that's not my job. Here the sun and the moon don't rise and set on their own. Celestia is in charge of the sun and Luna controls the moon. It took me a few tries, but I finally managed to raise the sun myself once."
"Unbelievable." Kristen looked down to examine her own body. "So I take it that's not something anybody can do."
I shook my head. "Definitely not. Before Celestia and Luna, the unicorns got together and raised the sun and moon, but now they're in whatever industries their cutie marks match with."
"Cutie marks?" Kristen glanced down at my flank. "Is that what that picture on your butt is?"
I nodded. "Yup. Each pony gets them when they discover what their special talent is. Usually that happens when they're younger, roughly between the ages of seven and ten, but every now and again there's a special case like you and me. I didn't come to Equestria with this, just like you don't have yours yet."
"Uh-huh." Kristen tilted her head. "And what exactly does a scorpion have to do with your job?"
"Well, my official title is the Prince of Snark, Sarcasm, Foal Services, Education and Pastries, so I'm in charge of all of that. My cutie mark factors more into the star Antares, alongside the fact that scorpions are very maternal creatures. Snark, sarcasm and pastries were more of a joke that eventually became official."
Kristen rolled her eyes before responding. "So what exactly am I, then?"
"In terms of what kind of pony?" Kristen nodded. "You're a pegasus. You can fly and you can also use your innate pegasus magic to control the weather and things like that."
Kristen's eyebrow raised in interest. "Really? Control the weather?"
"Oh yeah, without the pegasi we'd be in trouble. While not every pegasus is in weather work, most of them are. The pegasus 'headquarters', if you will, is Cloudsdale. That's where all the weather gets made."
"Made? So there aren't any naturally occurring clouds or something?"
"Not on the whole, no. Some places yes, but generally the pegasi will create most of them."
"Huh.” Kristen tilted her head. "And am I going to get some weather related job, then?"
I shrugged. "What you do now is entirely up to you and, to be honest, what your cutie mark will be." I raised a hoof to forestall the inevitable follow-up question. "Don't worry, your cutie mark isn't randomly assigned. It's something you're already passionate about. A filly who loves dancing isn't going to get a cutie mark that says she should be a coal miner."
"So I should get something water related, since I wanted to be a diver back home." She frowned in thought. "Ponies can swim, right?"
"Oh yeah, definitely. Pegasi are some of the best swimmers, too, what with your guys' wings and all." I tapped my jaw thoughtfully. "Maybe that's why you turned into one.
A small smile crossed Kristen's face. "Yeah, maybe." Kristen looked out in the direction we were flying. "So how much longer before we get to, what was it, Baltimare?"
"About three or four hours this way. It's faster by train, but, you know, royalty."
"Of course," Kristen grumbled. "So what happens when we actually get there?"
"My main concern right now is making sure my subjects know that I'm okay. My secondary objective is to introduce you to them. My servants and guards should get used to you pretty quickly. You're my sister, so they should treat orders from you like they're orders from me. Once that's settled then I want to get you started on some school."
From the way Kristen looked at me, you'd think I'd just said that I planned to throw her out into the bitter cold to fend for herself. I uneasily grinned at her and scratched the back of my neck. "If you're going to be living here you have to know where you're living. I'm not saying you have to get into politics, you can go be a swim teacher in Vanhoover if you want, but you should at least know about your new country. Besides all of that, you're a princess. Ponies are going to know that and act accordingly. If you do decide to become a swim teacher, that's not going to stop all the stuff with the nobles I was telling you about earlier."
"Oh come on!" Kristen groaned. "I'm not going to marry some pretty rich boy who only wants me for my status."
"I'm not saying you ever have to marry anyone for any reason," I insisted. "I'm just saying that ponies are going to treat you differently and you need to be prepared for that. Then there's the other countries, their leaders, the effects of the war, how all of that might affect you as my sister, and--"
"Okay, okay, I get it!" Kristen insisted, putting her hooves over her ears. "Hooray for school!"
I smiled sympathetically at her. "I know. You already finished college and all that."
"Actually I didn't," Kristen said. "I dropped out not too long after you..." Her ears flattened and she looked away from me. "Yeah. Too much crap going on there. Got my diving certification instead. I was gonna do that. I had plans on being a diving instructor in Australia before you came back."
"Huh, cool."
Of course that's all out the window now, but hey, there are some really good diving schools around here. Maybe she could integrate some Earth techniques into what we do here. Whatever the case, I'd do everything I could to make her transition as smooth as possible. The culture shock would hit her very soon, but I wanted her to have a happy life. I didn't agree with her choice to come through the portal after me, and neither did she in hindsight, but that didn't mean she had to be miserable. She adapted to living in America, even though she's a Canadian at heart. She's a Powell, same as I was.
I spent the rest of the flight giving her a few base details of what to expect, on top of a little Equestrian culture. I went over the four types of pony in a little more detail, along with their roles. I touched on a few of the different countries and their leaders, alongside of giving her a very brief rundown of the war. Mostly I talked to her about my life in Baltimare and all that entailed.
"Your own religion." Kristen gave me a flat look and crossed her forelegs. "You have a group of ponies that worship you as a god."
"Well, uh... yeah. I'm an immortal pony more powerful than any other pony on the planet, except for Celestia and Luna. They've had thousands of years to grow their power and knowledge and I've had around four. To some ponies I'm a living deity."
"But you aren't actually, are you?"
I shook my head. "No, I'm not. At the end of the day I'm just a guy who was hit with some magical necklaces and became really, really powerful and immortal. If you get the right weapon I can still be killed. I am nowhere near all-powerful. If you had to compare me to something, we're more like Greek gods than anything, though even that comparison isn't perfect."
"So then why the heck do you let them worship you at all?"
"It's... complicated," I admitted. "If I told them not to then they'd think I was angry with them for something and they'd start trying to do all of these things to get back in my favor. On top of all of that, they'd worship me whether I wanted them to or not. I've done some things that have greatly improved the lives of these ponies. I've saved some of them from slavery. It's just... easier this way. I made sure that they haven't said anything I don't agree with in my bible."
"Your bible." Kristen gave me a flat look. "They wrote a bible about you."
"Yeah, they did. I wasn't really happy when I first found out, but it all goes back to what I was saying earlier. They're going to do it whether I want them to or not, so I might as well control what they're doing and saying in my name the best I can."
"So, um... they're not going to think that I'm some kind of deity since I'm your sister, right?"
"I... actually have no idea how you're going to factor into it." I frowned and tilted my head. "But now that you bring it up, yeah. Or they might just see you as the non-godly sibling of their god, just like how Jesus had a bunch of brothers and sisters that aren't worshiped." I paused for a moment. "Either that or you're going to be revered as some sort of prophetess and any words from you about my time on Earth will be used to update my bible, so no pressure."
"Good. Grief." Kristen sighed and rubbed her leg. "Just wonderful. Maybe I shouldn't be speaking to them at all, then."
"That'll be kind of difficult," I admitted. "My secretary is probably my most devout follower. She's going to want to talk to you about all of that. You'll let something slip eventually that she'll want to run to the church with."
Before Kristen could respond to that, the chariot began making its descent. She grabbed onto the sides again as if she'd fly off if she didn't hang on for dear life. I smirked at the sight and looked down to where we were going to land. Dozens, if not hundreds of ponies crowded around the landing area, many of them cheering my name. My guards kept them in check for the most part, which I appreciated. I didn't much care for the idea of being swarmed by the crowd, especially with Kristen beside me. She'd get enough of a first hoof culture shock of my followers without being trapped in a mosh pit.
The chariot landed and I smiled serenely and waved at the gathered ponies. Many of them instantly dropped to their knees in a bow, and I could see tears in the eyes of several of them. I gracefully stepped off of the chariot and cast a spell so my voice could be heard over the noise.
"Mares and gentlecolts, I thank you for being here. It means a lot to me to see your support in this uncertain time. I understand that my disappearance was frightening for you, but rest assured that I am back to stay and I am completely unharmed. I..." I faltered for a moment. I wanted to let them know that Discord wouldn't be coming back, but that brought up the memories of why he was gone forever.
Keep it together, Antares. Nothing bothers you. You're an emotional rock that they can all rely on.
"I can also assure you that Discord shall never again terrorize these lands."
"He slew Discord!" one of the ponies in the crowd shouted. "I heard it from my cousin in Canterlot! Prince Antares slew Discord in combat!"
The crowd noise became deafening, and my guard had to begin pushing ponies back so I wasn't completely mobbed by them. I raised my hoof to calm them down, pointedly staring at any pony that started to ask me a question.
"Yes, it is true that I defeated Discord. However, I feel that it is not an accomplishment that we should focus on. Rather we need to look ahead to ensuring that any damage he might have done is completely repaired. Focusing on Discord is much less important than unifying at this time." The crowd tried to speak again, but I kept my hoof raised until they went silent. "Now if you'll excuse me, mares and gentlecolts, I must retire to my palace. I am weary from everything that has happened. I will release an official statement on all that has happened soon, and Day Court will resume in short order. I merely ask for a few days to regain my bearings." I tilted my head in a nod to the crowd. "Thank you, my loyal subjects."
My guards moved the ponies aside to make a pathway with which I could walk into my palace, where more guards doubtlessly waited to keep the crowd from entering. Sure enough, just as I walked through the door, Blaze and Rapids waited for me alongside Tulip, whose face was streaked with tears. I smiled warmly at each of them.
"Hello. I'm back."
Tulip ran forward at full speed, but stopped just before she reached me. Her foreleg was lifted as though she wanted to come closer, and she bit her lip nervously. I smirked and sat down, extending my hooves to her.
"Come on. It's okay."
Tulip instantly shot into my embrace, burying her face into my chest, wetting my fur with her tears.
"I was so scared!" she wailed. "I thought we'd lost you forever and I didn't know what to do and I wasn't sure how to raise my foals without you around and I wanted to keep them hidden from Discord and I didn't know what he'd do if he found them but I didn't know where to run or if I should stay put or if--"
"Tulip, it's fine. We're all fine. I'm back and Discord isn't going to hurt anypony else anymore, okay?"
"So, um..." Blaze uneasily scratched the back of his neck. "Did you, um... kill him and stuff?"
"Yeah." I sighed. "I guess I did. So that's why we don't have to worry about him anymore." I let go of Tulip and stood up before stepping aside to reveal Kristen, who looked at the scene with a slight air of amusement. I extended a wing in her direction. "And everypony, this is my sister, Kristen. She came back to Equestria with me."
Tulip let out a loud gasp and alternated between looking at Kristen and me. "S-sister? That's your sister?"
"Is she your secretary?" Kristen muttered to me out of the corner of her mouth. I subtly nodded, and Kristen groaned.
"That's wonderful!" Tulip's face split into a huge grin and she rushed over to my sister. "Uh, I don't know if I should shake your hoof or I can bow to you if you want. My name's Tulip. I'm Prince Antares's consigliere."
"Charmed, I'm sure." Kristen gingerly extended a hoof, which Tulip stared at for a moment, likely deciding if she should kiss it or shake it, before deciding on shaking it.
"She's my most devoted staff member," I said. "The ponies in armor are my loyal guard. The one on the left there is Captain Blaze, and the one on the right is Lieutenant Rapids. They've been with me almost since I first ascended."
"Oh, you flatter me, Prince Antares," Blaze said, waving his hoof in front of his face as though he was blushing.
Rapids's smile was a little more brittle as she tilted her head to Kristen, making sure to not move her mane away from her missing ear.
"Uh, yeah. Nice to meet all of you too," Kristen replied.
"In time you'll have to learn the names of every single pony who works here, along with their jobs and the names of their families and the palace gossip they know about and--"
"Oh please tell me you're joking," Kristen groaned.
I smiled at her and draped a wing over her back. "A little, yes. You are a princess now, though, so some information on where you are living is required."
"Oh, yes, you're a princess! Princess Kristen," Tulip said, nodding enthusiastically. "If you need anything just let me know and I'll do my best to help you out! Just let me know what I need to do!"
"Right. right." Kristen moved a half step closer to me. "I think I'll just stick with TD for right now, thanks."
The previously happy atmosphere of the room instantly evaporated, and uncomfortable looks crossed everypony's face. Kristen picked up on it and glowered at them. "He's my brother. He was TD to me long before he was Prince Antares to you. I'm going to call him that, you got it? Call it a princessly right."
"Oh, yeah, that makes sense," Tulip muttered. "Yeah, you can call him TD, Your Majesty."
I allowed myself a quiet snort and rolled my eyes. This would be a bit of an adjustment.