//------------------------------// // There Are No Strings When You Play With Shadows, Part 1 // Story: Letters from an Irritated Princess // by Tired Old Man //------------------------------// At a grand table situated in the middle of an alabaster castle dining hall, two sisters sat beside each other, nursing their teacups with practiced manners, slow sips, and the absolute resistance to chug the entire cup in one shot in anticipation of a moderately stressful week. A small plate of scones accompanied the ornate tea set Celestia had set out, and it would not last long between the two of them. “Hey, sis,” Luna began after she sipped her teacup. “Yes, Luna?” Celestia asked just before she sank her teeth into a scone. Luna’s horn glowed, and a small cube of sugar levitated out of a sugar bowl, held softly in her deep blue-violet hue of magic. It dropped into her cup with a plonk, followed by a light stirring with her spoon. “Considering how this journal’s deeply integrated with some dark evil Starswirl sealed away, do you think we should be a bit more proactive in helping with his journal?” Celestia took a small handkerchief and wiped away some crumbs. “We could, or we could let Twilight and her friends sort it out. They’ve proven themselves to be reasonably capable with tinkering with Starswirl’s spells.” Luna raised an eyebrow. “Even the one that was altered to ruin multiple timelines, sister?” Preparing to take a sip of tea herself, Celestia stopped and set the cup back down. “Hey! Even if I don’t agree with the results, I will still respect the ingenious spellcrafting methods used to achieve them.” “...Huh,” came Luna’s immediate response, and after a moment of mulling she crafted something more articulate. “I suppose that’s fair, but what if their meddling invites another catastrophe? What if they need our help?” Celestia chuckled, and waved a forehoof dismissively. “I'm sure if it was really dangerous and crucial to the future of Equestria, Twilight would remember to let us know. She’s usually very good about keeping other princesses in the loop, especially when it comes to great evils being unleashed.” “Sis, that’s you you’re describing,” Luna deadpanned. “You have to pull teeth with Twilight to get information out of her nowadays.” “...Oh, right! Right,” Celestia said, a small sigh escaping her lips. Celestia looked away from Luna, her face distantly gazing at… no, beyond one of the stained-glass windows. Another bite of scone followed. Luna took a deep breath, and exhaled. “...Sister, we’re probably going to be completely out of the loop on this one, aren’t we?” “Unfortunately so.” Luna tapped a forehoof to her chin, then a crescent moon smile appeared! “Well, why not do something else in the meantime?” “Like what?” “Something to distance yourself from this whole affair. Like… like a beach resort!” Celestia’s eyes opened, and a small smirk appeared. “...You know, that actually does sound enticing. Do you know why?” Luna paused to think before offering, “Because it will get you out of this somber state of yours?” “That too, but I’ll get to enjoy some nice, quality sunbathing!” Luna’s eyelids lowered and her lip straightened as the annoyance culminated into the most appropriate verbal response she could muster: “...” “What?” Celestia threw her forehooves out. “Don’t tell me you didn’t see that coming!” Luna rolled her eyes. “I did, and I dread it all the more for you actually saying it.” Celestia tittered. “It’s a good thing that’s the only pun I’ll use today. I’m all for this idea.” “Excellent! I shall begin preparations immediately,” Luna stated with joy, nearly leaping out of her seat. “Oh!” Celestia exclaimed. “But before we go, I need to hide Sunny and Moony on the off-chance that they figure something out to bring Starswirl back.” Luna stopped just as she passed her sister’s seat and wheeled around. “What? Where did that come from?” “Well, hypothetically speaking, he wouldn’t be thrilled to see two more of us running around. He could barely stand US as is, and with him knowing there’s double the trouble around, he would not stand for it.” Luna shook her head. “Sister, they’ll be fine. We’ll just have them substitute for us in the castle as usual and—“ Celestia’s tone suddenly hardened. “No. The second he sees them, he will know what they are and send them back to the mirror pool in less time than it would take to register disgust with us on his face. I can’t risk their safety in his presence, Luna. I just can’t,” Celestia finished, her voice quivering with the last words she spoke. ‘Twas a nervous concern that Luna would not leave unaddressed. “...Very well. Where would you hide them?” “Preferably in a place Starswirl would never think to look for magical shenanigans… or a place where Starswirl has never been before.” Luna blinked, and slowly squinted her eyes. “...Such as somewhere here in Canterlot?” “Yes, precisely!” Celestia confirmed. “Should we vacate a broom closet in the castle then? Stash them in your hidden tower bunker? Perhaps one of our guest rooms that exist which the maids have forgotten?” Luna offered. “Even better!” ~~~ “Sunny, Moony, I give you a tower that absolutely nopony has used for quite some time!” Sunny regarded her surroundings with the sort of grimace a child wears when entering a haunted house for the first time. “Ew! This place is filled with dusty books, cobwebs, books made out of dust, cobweb-covered dusty books, and a huge bookshelf with all of the above!” Moony, however, took in the musty place with less disgust than her sister. “Isn’t this Twilight’s old tower? Why are we out here?” “It is, and it’s here you two are going to stay for a while until we come back from our trip, okay?” Celestia searched her vocabulary for a bit of careful, concise wording. “It’s for… important security reasons involving both of you.” “Oh… is it because I broke that pot in the kitchen last week and found a replacement in your bathroom?” Celestia’s eye twitched. “No, but many ponies were very upset at the swap, myself included.” “But I told them like a hundred times that I cleaned it throw… through… really well!” “That was still a crappy decision, Sunny,” Moony said. Sunny whipped her head around to face Moony. “You don’t have to tell me twice! Or twenty, or two hundred times!” “You still did it after the four-hundredth time, sister!” Moony shot back. “Never mind about that!” Celestia interjected. “What’s important is that it’s not that incident, and you’re still staying in this tower until we get back. Understand?” Sunny brought a forehoof to her head in a saluting pose. “Yes, big sis! I heard you loud and clear!” Moony rolled her eyes, adding, “If she forgets in the next five minutes, I’ll remind her.” “Excellent. Have fun, you two!” At that, Celestia marched out the door to a world of sun, surf, and beach-crawling turf. “...We’re not staying in here, right?” Sunny asked as soon as the door closed. “Big sis, I would rather smash the windows of every building in Canterlot than spend the next three days cooped up in this tower with you.” “...You could just say ‘Yes’, littlest sis.”