//------------------------------// // 471. Weather by Tapufini // Story: The Sun and the Stars: A Twilestia Prompt Collab // by Fuzzyfurvert //------------------------------// by tapufini *** The bucolic hush pervading Canterlot was sharply ruptured by a bolt of lightning that brought with it its concomitant brief flutter of false daylight to the late evening serenity; most of the city's residents were grateful to be safely tucked away in their beds, blissfully unaware of the surprise thunderstorm – from time to time, atmospheric anomalies wandered in from places beyond pony control such as the Everfree Forest – raging just beyond the bricks and mortar of their houses. Those that had the misfortune to still be outside – mostly the young and the restless, seeking entertainment in the wild narrows between the city's more pedestrian main thoroughfares – quickly sought shelter wherever they could, waiting out the deluge under canopies, beneath balconies, and between doorways. While the extra bout of heavy rain might've been seen as a blessing by some – especially for the farmers in the midst of what had, so far, been the hottest Summer on record for much of Equestria – there were some notable exceptions. One such exception was a tiny unicorn filly who listened to the persistent pitter-patter sloshing against the windows with a darkly solemn expression shadowing the delicate features of her muzzle; it was all well and good for her to know rationally that lightning was nothing more than a simple electrostatic discharge caused by rising ice crystals, but that sudden booming crack that was able to pierce the stillness so absolutely was enough to send her huddling into the nearest corner, forelegs covering her mulberry eyes. As usual, Twilight Sparkle had been studying late into the night; Celestia had, after much consideration, instituted a policy of allowing her most promising students unfettered access to the castle's libraries, and – though, in her innocence, she was unaware of how much of an imposition she could be at times – Twilight had all but co-opted one of the many tower rooms as her own. On any given day, it was usually to be found littered with books, notes scribbled in bird-like handwriting, laboratory equipment from her many practical experiments, and just sometimes, when she was allowed, a baby dragon. Twilight was eager to care for Spike herself – she was grateful to Celestia for allowing her the honour of naming him – but she understood that her mentor's coterie of servants were better-equipped to handle the fussy infant until he was old enough to be released into her custody. Somepony was usually on-hoof to alert her when it was time to go home, but many was the time when they had either forgot to do so or found her so endearingly engaged with her research – tongue hanging out in concentration – that they couldn't find it in themselves to disturb her. It was a running joke amongst the staff that Twilight would invariably be found keeled over at her desk, small pools of drool collecting around her muzzle. Not much chance of that happening tonight, thought Twilight, amazed that she could still even think logically with all of this going on, shivering despite the warmth as she watched the storm at work in mute horror. It was almost pretty: the radiant bolts of energy sizzling through the sky, never exactly the same colour twice. Almost, but not quite. Twilight did some more thinking: sleep was a necessity, but impossible in the current situation; unless the parameters shifted soon, unless some new dynamic was introduced, she was at an impasse. She let out an impassioned sigh: her teachers had often complimented her on her problem-solving and analytical skills, too. Her train of thought was quite startlingly derailed when another flash flooded the room with brilliant white light; the ghastly boom sounded uncomfortably close, and part of her wanted to inch toward the window to see if some part of the town below was on fire, while the rest of her wanted to find the most heavily-fortified section of the castle and barricade herself within it until the storm abated. She was just about to sate her morbid curiosity when yet another loud cannonade of noise rang out; Twilight found herself tripping over her own hooves, so quick was she to back up, and her rump collided painfully with the stone flooring. Her pathetic snivelling must've been heard by some passing servant because the next thing she knew she was looking up at a light brown muzzle with a sympathetic expression cast from wrinkles carved into it. “What are you still doing here, Miss Sparkle?” the servant Twilight hesitantly identified as Dumbwaiter, one of the many castle staff charged with taking items to and from different guests, asked kindly. Wiping away snot and tears with a foreleg, Twilight replied hurriedly, “I'msosorry,IknowI'mnotsupposedtobeherebutIgotsocaughtup-” “-Slow down, Miss Sparkle,” Dumbwaiter said, suppressing a grin, holding up a hoof to cut off her babbling. “Start again.” Collecting herself, Twilight said, “I'm sorry. I know I'm not supposed to be in the castle so late at night, but um, nopony interrupted my studying and I, uh, thought I was getting somewhere with an experiment I'd been having trouble with and I didn't want to just stop.” She looked up at him, eyes wide in alarm. “Am I going to be in trouble, sir?” “No, Miss Sparkle, of course you're not in trouble.” He took a quick look around the rather-cramped confines of the tower. “But perhaps you'd be more comfortable in one of the guest quarters downstairs?” Twilight nodded enthusiastically, getting on to all four hooves and beaming at the servant. “Yes, thank you!” As they walked down the spiral staircase, Dumbwaiter, to keep Twilight's mind off the storm, asked her about her studies; he didn't understand a tenth of what she said, and he doubted that many ponies short of Celestia herself could, but she seemed happy to have something to occupy her attention … to say nothing of a willing listener. The more she spoke, the more he rather got the impression that she didn't have a lot of friends in school. The room to which he eventually led Twilight was one of number of small but opulent suites, normally used by the retainers of travelling royalty and the like; there was a comfortable-looking bed, a dressing-table and a wardrobe normally stocked with the latest fashions, but more important than that was the bathroom. That storm had really done a number on her nervous stomach and she was glad to see it. “Um, Mr. Dumbwaiter, sir, may I ask a favour of you?” Twilight asked falteringly, coyly batting at the ground with a hoof. “Certainly, Miss Sparkle. What can I do for you?” He fixed her with an expectant look. “Would you be able to stay here until I fall asleep? It's just that-” Twilight looked away, aware that her muzzle was turning cherry-red “-I'm scared of the storm.” “Well, that's understandable. There hasn't been one like this for years,” said Dumbwaiter, casting a glance out the window. Thanks to the reinforced glass used in the suites, it was less noticeable than in the tower. “I'd be honoured to grant your request, but alas there are many tasks to which I must attend.” Off Twilight's defeated look, he quickly added, “However, there is somepony usually awake at this hour that may fit the bill. Shall I fetch them for you?” “Yes, please,” said Twilight eagerly, wiping away the last of her tears. “And thank you so much for all your help. I, um, I'm sorry to have been such a bother to you.” “We're here to serve, Miss Sparkle, your apology is unnecessary,” Dumbwaiter said and disappeared, shooting her a mock salute as he did so. Twilight took the moment of relative peace to quickly clean herself up; whomever was going to be saddled with the inauspicious task of foalsitting her, she at least wanted to look presentable for them. She was just finishing up resettling her frayed bangs – it was always a nightmare trying to get the stripes to line up correctly – when an even more impressive head of hair made its way into the room. “Princess?” Twilight stared in slack-jawed wonder as Princess Celestia herself made her quiet, dignified entrance, a half-smile playing on her lips. Her ethereal mane undulated this way and that, and trying to keep track of its many perturbations soon made Twilight nauseous. “Good evening, Twilight,” Celestia said, her tone low, warm and inviting like a dollop of honey in a mug of tea. “I understand that you're having some difficulty in getting to sleep because of this terrible storm?” Once again, Twilight felt her muzzle turn bright red. Well, now my mentor knows that I'm nothing more than a big scaredy-pony. Terrific. Can this day, well, night get any better? “Twilight, are you okay?” asked Celestia, mother-like concern flooding her voice. “You can talk to me about anything, you know that.” Letting loose a defeated sigh, Twilight's withers slumped as she said, “I'm scared of the storm.” “That's nothing to be ashamed of.” “Isn't it?” asked Twilight, a little more angrily than she'd intended. Sitting down on the bed and trying to calm herself, she continued, “Even though I know exactly what causes thunder and lightning happen, I'm still scared of them. Even though I know I'm safe in here, I'm still scared of the storm outside. That's not … normal, surely, for an intelligent pony?” “May I sit down?” asked Celestia, gesturing with a golden-shod hoof to the empty space on the bed. Twilight nodded. “It's perfectly normal to feel fear, even toward those things which you do understand,” said Celestia, taking up a position next to her student and favouring her with a tender smile. “These storms contain vast power, and they are uncontrolled, and that makes them worthy of our respect. Even grown-ups, even the weather pegasi whose job it is under normal circumstances to create these tempestuous conditions, know that.” “So. You never stop being afraid of things?” asked Twilight, looking up at Celestia with a frown. “Even when you get to be as old as me, no, you never stop,” Celestia replied, idly stroking Twilight's back until her knotted muscles eased up somewhat. “And that's a good thing, too. Fear exists for a reason: it's a teacher, and its lesson is to never, ever go into any situation unprepared. To never, ever think that you know so much that you can be arrogant.” Feeling somewhat more relaxed, though not entirely convinced by these words, Twilight found herself lying down in the bed, stifling a yawn as she did so; Celestia did likewise, wrapping her delicate yet powerful forelegs around the tiny filly. Without bothering to stop and worry about whether it was proper or not, Twilight found herself wriggling in Celestia's grasp until her back was flush with her mentor's chest. “I'm sorry for being so silly,” Twilight said quietly, shutting her eyes tightly to avert another flood of tears. It'd probably be Tartarus to get the dampness out of these expensive pillows. “Fear is never silly,” Celestia said seriously, using her flowing tail as an impromptu duvet for the pair. “If anypony ever tries to make you feel small or stupid because you're afraid of something, it's only because they are afraid of being seen as weak, of being vulnerable, in front of others.” After a moment of silence, Celestia said, “May I tell you something, Twilight?” “Of course.” “I'm afraid of storms, too.” “Why?” For a moment, Twilight could only hear Celestia's shallow breathing, and she turned her head to see the look on her mentor's face. It was a study in rigidly-controlled melancholy. As if some ancient and terrible pain had scabbed over without ever healing properly. “You don't have to tell me if you don't want to,” said Twilight, patting Celestia's foreleg with a hoof. “But I promise to keep it a secret if you do.” Not that I have anypony that to tell secrets to, other than Shining Armour, anyway. “It's only fair. You were open with me, after all, and it's only right that I do the same.” Gathering up her courage, Celestia said, “It was on a night like this one that … my beloved sister disappeared. Whenever there's a storm, I'm reminded of her.” It was only a small lie. Looking back, that ferocious fight that had destroyed the old castle had certainly felt like a storm, anyway. A single tear fell down her cheek. “Perhaps it will be on a night like this one that she will come home and be reunited with me.” For a long moment, Twilight was silent. She wasn't sure what to say; she was deeply moved that Celestia had trusted her with something so personal, something that she had been carrying for a long time. “Thank you,” she eventually said. “For what?” asked Celestia quizzically. “For telling me. I appreciate you trusting me with this.” Looking slightly abashed, Twilight added, “I, er, hope that your sister does come back someday.” “I hope so, too.” Celestia's voice turned wistful as she recalled how Luna had been before … well, just before. “She was a lot like you, you know.” “She was?” Twilight was intrigued by this. Her classmates were of the opinion that nopony in Equestria was like her, and that was not meant to be taken as a compliment. “Mm-hm,” said Celestia. “Very smart, very powerful, but always unaware of just how truly talented she was. Maybe I should've ...” “Should've what?” Twilight asked. “Made more of an effort to tell her what I'm going to tell you now: that you are a beautiful, young pony with a brilliant future ahead of you. That you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it. That I'm so proud of what you've accomplished so far, and that I'll go on being proud of you forever.” Tears, but this time of joy, streamed down Twilight's face; she squirmed until she was facing Celestia, and embraced her in the tightest hug that her tiny muscles could muster. Celestia reciprocated as gently as she could, bearing in mind the size and strength differential between a fully-grown alicorn and a unicorn filly. Ever since her entrance exam, Twilight had felt slightly unworthy with her position in life – there must've been better ponies out there who could've been Celestia's personal student – but knowing that she felt this way about her, that she was on the right track toward fulfilling whatever arcane destiny fate had in store, made her feel so much better. In the warm embrace of her mentor, Twilight Sparkle was finally able to forget about the storm and fall asleep. It was much later before Celestia did likewise, but it was with a sense of peace that she hadn't known since she was much, much younger. On a night very much like this one, when her sister had held her close, telling her that there was no need to be afraid of the darkness.