"The Agenda doth say that ye must attend to the morning court. There are many appointments that mine sister had set before this impromptu and completely inane, childish idea..." To be completely honest, Luna was more upset that she hadn't thought of this first. I could easily switch places with Twilight Sparkle, she mused to herself. The unicorn would perform mine workload quite admirably, I think.. Her thoughts were cut off and her surly attitude only worsened at Rarity's - Celestia's -- Rarilestia's? Yes, that would do -- blank stare. "Is there something on mine face? Or do ye simply find it fascinating on this morn?"
The unicorn -- No, alicorn -- shook off her shock a bit and tried to fake a smile to cover up her stare. Honestly, why had her sister done this to her? Was this some kind of punishment for one of her pranks? If so, this was cruel and unusual to the highest degree! "Well, I was wondering, shouldn't you be asleep, princess? I mean, it is day time, and I have heard that it's normal for you to rest during these hours..."
Luna couldn't help it. A hoof came up to her face, and rubbed slowly, but firmly down it. She had to fight to compose herself. This mare is not an idiot. She does not understand. She is just ignorant. Don't lose thy temper, Luna! Her face almost creaked at the strain of forcing a smile. "No. We... I," she corrected herself, "sleep when I require sleep, which is not as often as other ponies." Baby steps would ease her into modern Equestrian, which was working well, if not turning her speech into a hodgepodge of both. It was bothering the unicorn, Luna could tell, as Rarilestia's own smile became notably more forced. How dare she judge me?! Why, I should... No! No, Luna. It is NOT her fault that Celestia abandoned you with this nitwi - This perfectly intelligent and not at all imbecilic mare in front of you Oh why did you do this to me, Tia?
For her part, Rarilestia at least had the presence of mind to see that Luna was upset. The young mare raised a hoof to lay it comfortingly on Luna's chest, when a warning glance from the latter stopped that in its tracks. "I'm sorry I'm causing you so much distress, princess," she apologized with a heavy sigh. "I suppose it was wrong of both of us to force this upon you. I shall go back to Ponyville, and inform her that we mustn't burden you...'
Luna fought to keep her expression surly, even as her heart leaped for joy. Yes, That's right! Go back, drag mine lazy deadbeat of a sister back to Canterlot! "I think that would be most wise. Our kingdom is vast, and it requires much work to maintain." She allowed herself a smile, trying to emulate her sister's wise "you have chosen wisely" smile. Unfortunately, it came off as more smug than anything else.
Rarilestia let off a deep sigh, and her expression took on the traits one might expect of a foal whose pet had just passed away. Luna's smile slowly faded as the unicorn spoke. "I have dreamed of an opportunity all my life, but I suppose there comes a time when a mare must throw away their childish dreams, and accept the harshest of realities..." The unicorn, still under the spell that had disguised her as the sun princess, turned from the alicorn before her, and slowly got to work gathering up her things to pack them. The utter sadness in her expression made Luna feel absolutely terrible.
"Perhaps," the moon goddess said hesitantly, "you are not causing distress to a degree where leaving would be necessary..." She gasped in shock as a white blur shot up to her and started kissing her hooves.
"Oh thank you, thank you, thaaaank yoooou!" Rarilestia beamed up at a thoroughly disturbed Princess, who put one hoof firmly onto the mare's shoulder and pushed, while the other hoof rose up away from those supplicant lips. "I will not let you down, I promise!"
I need... What had Tia called it? Brain bleach. Yes, I desperately require brain bleach. As she was trying to shake the image of her sister kissing her hooves out of her head, Luna grimaced a bit. "You already are! Ye act nothing like mine sister, and thy countenance being her's only makes it all the worse! You are acting as an over-eager fool, and I very much doubt you, of all ponies, could possibly replicate her grace, her poise." Realizing that sounded more harsh than it needed to, she added, "And really, none could. So the best course of action, as we see it, is to keep you out of the public eye entirely.
Rarilestia straightened herself up, showing that she at least had the dignity to listen, and Luna's smile became much less forced. But what happened next shocked her. The young mare's eyes half lidded, and her lips curled ever so slightly into an enigmatic, yet kind smile. The inner tips of her brows raised slowly, to give an air of patience, and when Rarilestia next spoke, her voice conveyed a motherly warmth that could lift the spirits of even the most downtrodden of ponies. "Sister, your speech becomes more confused the more agitated you get. Calm down, Luna. Surely, this situation isn't as bad as all that?"
Luna's jaw dropped. "T-Tia?" When that smile shifted just a bit into amusement, the alicorn blushed. Of course, it was all a prank! Oh, what a fool I am! Luna groaned out, more in relief than frustration. "Thank the heavens, I had thought you actually meant to leave me to rule with a pony who knew nothing of the work we must do."
"Luna..."
"I would have had to attend all public functions myself! To deal with all those whining fools! Oh, the horror of it!"
"Luna."
"And I-" She stopped, and tilted her head. "What? What is it?"
On the white alicorn's face was the mirthful grimace of a pony trying their hardest not to burst out into raucous laughter. She failed, to Luna's dismay and confusion.
"Tia, it really isn't that amusing! It was a horrid jest, and you should be overcome by negative emotion!"
The larger alicorn forced her laughing into a soft giggling, and at that point, Luna realized, to her utter horror, that the peals had sounded nothing like her sister's. "Oh, you call her Tia? That is the most adorable thing I have ever heard!"
Rarilestia wasn't fast enough to dodge the flying pillow, but for her credit, Luna was equally incapable of evading the counter-attack. And so the bedroom devolved into chaos.
---
Celestia could have flown, teleported, or taken a chariot to Ponyville. She could have been there instantaneously, and be already all set up in her disguise as the unicorn Rarity, but that would have drawn too much attention. Too many questions would be asked, and she wanted to enjoy this for as long as she could.
Besides, the princess had never been on a train before, and she wanted to try it. Wanted. Such a nice word to her. "I wanted to ride the train, and I did!" She declared it out loud, happy just to be able to say something like that without being reprimanded or given stern looks by an adviser, servant, or guard. Celestia ignored the odd looks the joyous statement had given her. As she remembered, Rarity was prone to such silly outbursts, anyway. She trotted from the station with the confident strut she knew Rarity to use, feeling so liberated by simply doing what she had wanted with no justification other than she wanted to.
If only Discord could see her now!
The train ride had been a new experience, but that was all there was to be said about it. It was more comfortable than her chariot by far, but her guards weren't there to chat with, and that often kept her busy on the long rides to other cities. As the train was, all there really was to do was to watch the countryside go by, and Celestia had long since memorized it. There had been food served, and while it wasn't of the quality she was used to, the cake was quite nice. Cake was always nice. Still, not even cake had been enough to make her want to stay on that train. As soon as it had pulled into the station, she had been the first passenger out, and her luggage followed.
She hadn't brought much. Just a few bags that the young mare had insisted she bring, some outfits she thought would be, in her words, "ravishing" on Celestia. The alicorn thought this amusing, as the outfits were sized for Rarity, and both of them knew that the disguise Celestia had taken was of Rarity, but it was the thought that counted, after all. And Celestia found it wonderful how thoughtful Rarity really was when she wasn't getting wrapped up in her fantasies.
After quickly consulting a map of Ponyville, she turned to a path heading west of the town. She couldn't go to Carousel Boutique just yet. She had a lot of skills developed over her many, many years, but sewing wasn't one of them. She knew just the pony to ask for that particular talent, however. The only problem would be getting her to help.
---
Luna still wasn't done glaring holes into Rarity, the unicorn was dismayed to note, and it was made all the awkward by the fact that they now had an audience. In the throne room of Canterlot palace. Rarity was determined to keep her composure and poise as Celestia, however, despite the wrathful gaze directed in her direction. For the most part, it seemed the ponies who were here by appointment were taking this completely in stride, as though it were normal. Some even seemed to find it amusing, as if they knew full well why the smaller alicorn was so agitated.
Unfortunately, Rarity did not have the same clarity. Luna had seemed to calm down during the pillow-fight, and even enjoy it. But as soon as they had come to the throne room, the night princess's mood had soured and fallen into a brooding that seemed to hold the poor disguised unicorn as the cause. Nonetheless, this hadn't prevented Luna from giving sound advice, which Rarity was relying on far too much for her liking. She hadn't entertained even the briefest thought that these appointments would be so complicated and boring, and the details of tax laws fully evaded her, and Luna was soon rendered busy herself, trying to placate some of the more complicated requests, which distracted her sufficiently that she couldn't give the advice Rarity had been so relying on. The disguised unicorn gulped a bit. You can do this, Rarity! Just pay attention!
Two nobles, both unicorns, approached the throne. One, a silver-coated pony with a green mane, seemed infuriated. The other, a yellow pony with a golden mane, was merely annoyed. Before the "princess" could ask what troubled them, the former jabbed a hoof at his fellow. "Your majesty, I demand that this cretin be jailed! He has disrupted to flow of water to my garden in a clear act of sabotage!"
Rarity was a bit taken aback by the audacity of this unicorn demanding anything of a princess, and so blinked a few times, trying to decide how to respond. She looked to Luna out of the corner of her eye beggingly, but no help was forthcoming, as the smaller alicorn was now arguing with her own appointment quite angrily. And loudly. Before the poor mare could come to a decision, however, the gilded pony spoke. "Sabotage? Hardly. That patch of weeds you call a garden was dying anyway. I merely had the water re-directed to where it would be more useful."
Rarity could tell that the first unicorn's temper was only held in check by the fact that there were armed guards nearby, who disapproved of the outburst, by adjusting their spears. "Useful?! It is a SWIMMING pool! My poor, dear garden, now dessicated because of your vanity!"
"Ahem. Excuse me, gentlecolts." The two ponies froze and looked up to whom for all the world looked like the sun goddess. Rarity enjoyed the looks of awe for a moment, before continuing. "Would you please explain how you re-directed this flow of water?"
The second noble instantly looked guilty, as though he had his hoof caught in the cookie jar. "Well, you see, your highness... I just..." A look of realization struck his face Wait, must I explain this? Surely, princess, you would know?"
"Explain it anyway," Rarity commanded, broadening her smile just slightly. Her seeming confidence was belied on the inside by her fervent prayers that this would be taken as an attempt to make the noble understand what he had done wrong, and not a lack of knowledge. Which would be suspicious. And she wasn't suspicious at all!
The stallion gulped, and to the young mare's relief, seemed to do just that. "The aqueducts underneath Canterlot have a series of junctions, and at these junctions, valves. By having somepony turn these valves, the water's flow can be halted or turned aside, in other directions."
Aha, success! Feeling pleased with herself, the disguised unicorn kept her gaze level and locked onto this noble. "So, you had someone turn one of those valves? Wouldn't that keep water from the citizens of Canterlot?"
"Oh, no, your highness. Certainly not." He puffed out his chest in pride as he bragged, "my family were the ones who first created those aqueducts, and it was designed with multiple paths, in case part of it breaks or is overflowing. By turning certain valves, I can halt the flow of water to one spot without effecting the rest of the street."
"And so you kept the water from his home?"
Quickly shaking his head, the yellow stallion opened his mouth to reply before his jaws suddenly were clamped shut by his rival's magic. "Ahaha Princess there's no reason to get bogged down in de-" Rarity decided she did not like either of them, but this one was particularly uncouth. She sharpened her gaze, remembering to keep it subtle, and he immediately released the silenced stallion.
Once so released, the noble shot a glare to the insolent foal, and continued. "No, I did not. This stallion constructed, illegally, I might add, a reservoir connecting to an aqueduct that was being used merely to service his garden. There were water shortages because of it, and I took matters into my own hooves."
Rarity frowned inwardly, thinking. Celestia would come to some kind of agreement between them, wouldn't she? But how- An idea struck her, and she leaned her head down a bit to the two. "I understand how it is to want to have an extravagant garden, but the water shortages are completely unacceptable. Instead of filling up this reservoir, give me the proper paperwork," Surely, Luna won't mind just a few more documents? "- And I'll be sure to have them approved. In the meantime," her gaze turned to the second stallion. "Use your knowledge of the aqueducts to create more water flow on your street to accommodate for his garden. Is that acceptable?" Both stallions nodded, though hesitantly. Rarity had the feeling they were more concerned about one-upping each other than coming to a compromise, but the mare was having none of that. "Good. Get right on it." They headed off, and Luna finally turned her attention back to her "sister".
"What has occurred? Where did they go?"
"I solved their dispute, sister," Rarity tried not to show how proud of herself she was. "Don't we have more to do?" Luna gave the unicorn in disguise a suspicious glare, but seeing that there was no open fighting in the throne room between the two stallions, shrugged. And so, the appointments carried on.
---
The sun was shining down through the branches of the trees, dappling on Celestia's coat. As she headed down the path, the disguised alicorn had a bounce in her step, a song in her heart, and a plan in her head. Given, her plan had stretched a few hundred years too far, but one could hardly blame her for that. After all, when a pony lives for thousands upon thousands of years, they tend to have problems with time. But one could blame her for focusing the plan not on her learning to sew, but of a unicorn currently sitting in her throne.
Celestia had been Princess Celestia for far too long. Could anyone blame her for wanting a break? She herself couldn't, at the very least, and that was why she plotted. Perhaps Rarity could handle this task for a bit longer, she thought to herself as she sighted the charming little cottage at the end of the path, the last home before the Everfree. And if not, perhaps she could be convinced to learn.
Celestia stopped and collected her thoughts, pulling herself back to the present. She was making a step forward when a bird glided down and alighted onto her horn, bringing the alicorn pause. She smiled to the small creature, and listened patiently to its song of greeting to the sun. The tune was cheery and light-hearted, but short, and the swallow gave a little bow out of embarrassment for the flaw. "Never you mind, little one. Your song was wonderful. But I am supposed to be in disguise, you know." The songbird brought its left wing to the right side of its face, and winked conspiratorially before flying off. After a good-natured chuckle, Celestia started forward again, only to now notice that she was surrounded by a myriad of animals, who had crowded around her hooves while she was distracted. "Oh dear."
Before she could extract herself, the front door of the cottage opened, and out peeked Fluttershy. The pegasus smiled softly at the sight of "Rarity", and stepped out. "Oh my, are my friends bothering you?"
The disguised alicorn reminded herself of her disguise one last time before speaking. "Oh, they're no trouble at all," Celestia said, congratulating herself for the awkwardly forced lie. That really did sound just like Rarity. Chrysalis could learn a thing or two from me, perhaps. An absence struck her as odd, and she looked around. "Where is Gilda?"
Fluttershy gently shooed the animals away with her wings before replying, "She went out to find something to eat. Hunting, I mean..." At that, "Rarity" gave a little shudder. Celestia wasn't at all bothered by the idea, but she felt Rarity would have been.
"Well, Fluttershy, I truly would hate to inconvenience you, but I desperately need your help!" The word desperately was accentuated by the "unicorn" casting her gaze to the sky, and with a small shake of the head.
"Wh-What can I do to help...?" Fluttershy lowered her head a bit, no doubt already doubting her ability to do much of anything.
"I've received an order I may have a problem with, and an extra set of hooves would be incredibly useful." Celestia sealed the deal with a pleading smile. "Pleeeeease?"
Fluttershy hesitated a moment, before she opened her mouth to reply with, "I-I think I can help with that..."
The disguised alicorn noticed Angel, disapprovingly staring, of course, at the pegasus, likely to remind her of some chore. Oh no, you're not getting in the way this time, little rabbit. "Rarity" slipped around to behind Fluttershy, making the pegasus squeak in surprise, and also putting Celestia between her and Angel. "Oh, thank you, my dear. Let us hurry along, I haven't much time!" She gave the pegasus a gentle push along that made her squeak again (something Celestia found utterly adorable, of course), and then they were off. Angel stopped in his tracks, and peered suspiciously at the two mares. Pointing a threatening finger at Rarity, the little rabbit silently vowed revenge.