//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Swimming Lessons // by Lupin //------------------------------// Epilogue “That’s it, Sunset, now swim towards me. That’s it. Good!” Princess Celestia beamed, wrapping her forelegs around the little amber filly. “You’re progressing wonderfully with those exercises.” It was another blisteringly hot summer day in Canterlot. The castle’s pool had finally been fixed, every piece of ice removed and processed, and now the crown princess of Equestria was enjoying yet another dip into its cool waters, with company, of course. Sunset returned her smile full force. “Can I keep swimming?” she asked, eyes dancing with enthusiasm. “Please?” “Of course you can.” Celestia let go, and Sunset was off like a shot with a jubilant cheer. As her student proceeded to jet from one side of the pool to the other, Celestia could only laugh. It was an impressive feat for a filly, especially considering everything that happened. Momentarily getting out of the water, she grabbed a towel in her magic and sat down at the large glass table. A set of documents were waiting for her. Taking up a quill, she read over the first before giving it her signature. Moving onto the next, she read a few lines before glancing back at Sunset. She seemed so happy now, full of life and confidence as she swam through the water. A warmth tickled the princess’s chest. It’s the way she should be. As she read through the document, signed it, and moved onto the next, she made a mental note to have Kibitz place an order for some pool toys. They could be kept in the storage closet. She’d need him to schedule the installation of a slide as well. After all, if Sunset was going to keep using the pool like this, it was only fitting to make it more foal-friendly. And maybe, after she started school, Sunset would want to play here with friends. It wasn’t like her swimming pool saw a lot of use these days, so Celestia was happy to share. “Princess, are you coming back in?” “Just a moment,” replied Celestia as she added one last signature. Folding her towel neatly on the seat, she went back down the stairs and into the water. Sunset was taking a rest from her constant motion, clinging to her floatation ring before slipping it on. Celestia smiled. “So, my faithful student, what shall we do now?” The filly beamed. “Can you show me some more magic?” “Of course.” In fact, she had something in mind already. “This is an old exercise used by some unicorn wizards.” Lighting her horn, a portion of water floated out of the pool, rippling in the air, but never dripping. “Let me try!” exclaimed Sunset, bouncing in her floatation ring. The filly lit her own horn, but rather than floating upwards, the water simply churned. She grimaced. “This is hard.” “It is a bit difficult for a filly your age, though with the ability you’ve displayed so far, not impossible,” said Celestia. It was the perfect sort of exercise to help Sunset with controlling the power of her spells, a particular must if recent events were anything to go by. Sunset gave a grunt as she pushed harder with her magic. This caused the churning water to shoot upwards, hitting Celestia in the eyes. The filly gasped. “Sorry!” Celestia wiped her face with a wing. “It’s alright. Levitating water requires more finesse than force, Sunset. You need to be gentle and hold onto the water you draw out. Give it another try.” Sunset nodded her head, and her horn ignited. The water churned harder, but it still didn’t levitate. “Lost it again,” she muttered. Her face brightened. “But I know I’ll get it eventually.” Celestia smiled. “That’s the right attitude to have, my faithful student. As you grow older and your magical coordination naturally improves, you’ll eventually be able to do things like this.” Celestia lifted another portion of water before shaping it into a perfect sphere. Sunset’s eyes widened in amazement. “Wow!” She poked a hoof at the ball, marveling at how it rippled before returning to being perfectly still. Celestia smiled warmly, before a hint of mischief entered her mind. With a gentle shove of her magic, she sent the ball of water right into Sunset’s face. The unicorn gave an “oof,” inching backwards as she wiped her face with a hoof. “Princess, why’d you do that?” she cried. The alicorn chuckled. “Well, considering how many times you splashed me in the last several days, I think it’s only fair that I even the score.” Lighting her horn again, she lifted a much smaller sphere of water, sending it at her student. Sunset blocked it with a foreleg. “Hey!” She used her own magic to force the water up as a form of counterattack. When that proved less effective, she slipped out of her floatation ring to add the splashing power of her hooves. The pool became the battlefield of a full-on splash war as both sides continued to fire. At one point Celestia used her wings to shield herself, resulting in a cry of foul from the unicorn, before she turned her floatation ring into a similar form of cover. Water sloshed up and over the sides as the two ponies kept firing shots amidst their own laughter. Just as each side was ready to release another volley, the door opened, and Kibitz stepped inside. “Your Majesty, Miss Shimmer, the—” At the sound of the voice, both ponies turned their heads, and whatever Kibitz was going to say was lost when their watery projectiles, one fully formed and one unformed, shot right into his face. Celestia froze, eyes widening in horror. “My… apologies, Kibitz,” she said awkwardly. “We didn’t mean to get you caught in the crossfire.” “Sorry, Mr. Kibitz!” cried Sunset, joining her mentor. Kibitz wiped the water from his face with a hoof, before looking down at the scroll he’d been holding. “My schedule!” he proclaimed. “Not again!” Wincing in guilt, Celestia turned to her student. “Perhaps it’s time we call a truce and dry off for a while.” Moving toward the stairs, Celestia got out of the pool and levitated her towel over to herself, before giving an extra one to her majordomo. He took it without a word, still largely focused on his ruined schedule. Sunset trotted after her mentor, grabbing her own towel in her magic. Celestia cleared her throat. “Now, what was it you were going to say, Kibitz?” “I was going to tell you that the chefs are ready to serve lunch.” He pushed a damp strand of his mane back into place. “And as important as Miss Shimmer’s swimming lessons are, I must remind you that there is still Day Court to attend. There are twelve petitioners waiting to speak with you.” Celestia was taken aback. “Twelve?” Kibitz nodded. “At minimum, Your Majesty. I believe I saw some additional ponies arriving as I was walking here, though I could not be sure. Needless to say, shuffling your schedule over the last few days resulted in something of a backlog.” He unfurled his damaged schedule. “And then you have a meeting with ponies from…” he squinted at the smeared words, “Chicoltgo, I believe.” The princess sighed. It seemed the heat wasn’t enough of a deterrent today. And she’d been enjoying herself so much. But now it was back to the unbearably hot throne room. “I guess that means I can’t use the pool for a while, huh?” Celestia glanced at her student. The unicorn was looking at the pool with such tremendous disappointment, not wanting to give up her new activity. But it just wasn’t safe for a seven-year-old filly to be in a swimming pool without adult supervision. She could assign a guard to watch Sunset, but Celestia knew they’d do just that, watch. A pool like this wasn’t much fun for a filly all by herself. Sunset couldn’t practice levitating water either, even with a guard. After the freezing spell, Sunset was strictly prohibited from using magic in the swimming pool without Celestia being present. “I’d suggest a short lunch,” Kibitz was saying, still trying to read his writing. “If you hurry to the dining hall, and we run through the petitioners as efficiently as possible, I’m fairly certain the meeting can stay on time.” “Actually, Kibitz,” interrupted Celestia, lips turning upwards as an idea came to mind. “Tell the chefs to bring lunch here again.” The stallion looked up in surprise. “Your Majesty?” “We’ll be eating lunch here,” repeated Celestia. “And have the petitioners brought here instead of the throne room.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sunset share in Kibitz’s look of shock. “Pardon me, Your Majesty,” said Kibitz, using a handkerchief to rub water from his ears. “But did you say you wanted the petitioners to be brought to the pool room?” “I did,” answered Celestia, forcing down the laugh that now threatened to escape from her throat. “In fact, I think I’ll hold that meeting here as well.” “But Your Majesty,” Kibitz blustered. “The pool is not the proper place to conduct—” “It’s quite hot today, Kibitz,” explained Celestia simply. “You know how the throne room can be in summer. I’m sure all those ponies would appreciate being in a much cooler room such as this, so I see nothing wrong with the change.” Her grin threatened to break the boundaries of her face. “And considering that Cloudsdale scheduled several heatwaves over the next few months, I think I’ll be conducting much of my work from here for the remainder of the summer, until things cool down.” Beside her, Sunset’s face lit up like a candle. “Princess, can I keep using the pool while you’re working?” The princess laughed. “Of course, my student, as long as you behave and don’t interrupt anypony. And no splashing, either.” Sunset gave an excited little hop. “Yes!” “Sunset,” chided Celestia. “You need to be careful on a wet floor.” The filly paused, cheeks tinging red as she remembered the water under her hooves. “Sorry.” Kibitz, on the other hoof, became a shade paler. “All summer?” he muttered weakly, glancing down at his schedule. Celestia turned back to her majordomo. “Kibitz, please go tell the chefs to bring lunch here. And then instruct the guards to escort the petitioners after we’re finished.” Reluctantly, the stallion bowed. “I’ll tell them at once, Your Majesty.” With a newfound stiffness, he turned around, heading for the door, muttering one last thing under his breath that Celestia almost didn’t catch. “And start looking into waterproofing.”