//------------------------------// // Visits // Story: Gilded Sister // by Kind of Brony //------------------------------// I wish Bluey was in here right now, or better yet, I was with him. Admittedly, he's pretty much spent every minute with me since I was allowed to come home, only leaving when forced by his need to use the bathroom, or by our parents. Still, when he's not here, and I'm not tired enough to sleep, the room is painfully quiet. Lots of bed rest the doctors said, but there's only so much rest I can get before it starts to become impossible. That might be a lot of hours, especially as I find myself still feeling drained even after sleeping half the day away, but for the other half, I'm stuck in bed. It's only the second day back in the manor, and I have already grown tired of staring at the same four walls and ceiling. Bluey has made it mostly bearable, the two of us taking turns reading books out loud together. Apparently, my collection has grown quite a lot while I was away, the colt having asked our parents at every opportunity to buy a new book. He said he knew I'd want to read them when I woke up, and I'm very grateful for the consideration. All the new reading material is keeping me sane, though I'm already halfway through, and still have a long recovery to endure. With a loud sigh, I bring my hooves to my face and rub my heavy eyes. My limbs feel like they're filled with sand, and there's a dull pulse at my temples. Turning my head sluggishly, I look at the covered window, squinting at the slight streams of light slipping past the curtains. Lucky Blueblood is out there in the warm sun, training with Grandpa Shield, while I'm stuck here in the dark. The stallion practically had to drag my brother away, saying it wasn't good for a colt to stay in bed all day and that he needed at least an hour of fresh air and exercise. I could definitely go for some of that first one, and asked if I could come down to the gardens to watch, but Mom shot that idea down, convinced that only a day free from the hospital is too soon to be up and about. No amount of pleading could change her mind, and so here I am, alone, bored, and unable to sleep a wink. I understand that she's worried after what happened to me, but I do hope Mom doesn't stay this overprotective forever. I've spent enough time trapped in a single room and bed for two lifetimes, and I'd rather not be confined to such a life again because Mom thinks a stiff breeze will cripple me. Suddenly, my grumpy musings are cut short by a knock at the door. I ponder for just a moment why any of my family would feel the need to knock before I call out, "Come in!" Mom pokes her head in, a small smile on her lips "Hey, sweetie, I hope I didn't wake you up, but there's a surprise visitor here to see you." Just then, a small, beige filly slips hesitantly in the room, and I smile brightly. "Moondancer!" At the sound of my voice, the filly's purple eyes go wide and her withdrawn demeanor immediately evaporates as she yells back, "Pure!" I'm only halfway into a seated position before the little unicorn is up on the bed and diving into my chest, great heaving sobs as she cries. Mom frantically says to be careful, but Moondancer doesn't seem to hear as she squeezes me tight around the middle. "I-I was s-so scared you weren't g-gonna wake up," she says between breaths, lifting her head to stare up at me with wet eyes. "But I did," I say soothingly, petting her mane as I smile gently down at her. "There's no reason to be scared anymore." "I-I know, and I'm s-so happy!" she cries, getting me to laugh. "I'm happy to," I say. "Especially because you're here to visit." "I'll leave you two to catch up for a bit," Mom says, giving us a gentle smile. "But you still need bed rest, Pure, so I'll be back in a few minutes. Moondancer, your mother and I will be down in the kitchen if you need anything." Then, as an afterthought, she says a little sternly. "No magic, Moondancer. It could hurt Pure, you understand?" As the filly nods, still pressed against my body, Mom leaves, and I push her back some and frown. "Bluey said you came to see me before, but I was rude and slept right through it. Sorry about that, Mooney." It's her turn to laugh, giving me a playful shove. "You should be," she jokes with a watery smile. "With you sleeping I didn't have anypony to be my reading buddy." "What about Twilight?" I ask. "I'm sure she would read with you." "Twilight's sorta gone, though," she answers. My frown becomes more genuine. "Twilight's gone?" "Not exactly," she says, wiping a foreleg across her eyes. "Um, since she's Celestia's student now, I guess she must be really busy. Nopony has seen her much, not even Lemon Heart, and their houses are really close together." "Has anypony gone and tried to talk to her?" I ask, tilting my head. "I don't think Aunt Celestia would make a little filly study so hard that she can't spend time with her friends." "No..." Moondancer answers slowly, looking away. "We... don't want to bother her, you know. She's important now, after all, right?" "Moondancer?" I say, getting her to flinch for some reason. "You know that kind of stuff doesn't matter with us. I mean, Bluey and I are technically a prince and princess, and we still have friends. I'm sure Twilight's feeling really lonely with only her studies." "It's not like she hasn't always studied instead of hang out with us," the filly mumbles. "I'm sure she's fine. She's not the one who was in the hospital, after all." There's a bitterness in her voice I've never heard before, and I'm stunned. I expected that sort of thing from Blueblood, but not Moondancer. "Mooney," I begin hesitantly. "Are you... are you mad at Twilight for the accident?" Her jaw clenches as she frowns. "... She didn't even try to say sorry," she whispers. "Huh?" "When we all got together to see you at the hospital, and they didn't let us in, Lemon Heart tried to get Twilight to come with us, but when she went to her house, Twilight wouldn't even come down to talk to her." "Maybe she was just busy," I try, but that only makes Moondancer more upset. "Too busy to see a sick friend in the hospital?" She says incredulously. "Too busy to see the friend she hurt?" "It was an accident-" "But she still did it!" she counters. "When I bump into other ponies, I say I'm sorry 'cause that's what you're supposed to do. Even if she didn't mean to hurt you, she still could have come with us to say sorry." "I... Moondancer," I begin, struggling for words. "I don't want you to be mad at Twilight- we're all friends." "She's never tried to be our friend," she grumbles, crossing her front hooves. My chest feels tight, and I begin to grow desperate. "Please, Mooney," I whisper. "Don't be mad at her. Not because of me." She looks curiously at me, and I need to make her understand. "Please, I don't want anypony fighting because of me. Fighting because of how... how weak I am," I say, sniffling as my eyes start to sting. "What are you talking about?" Moondancer asks, scooting closer. "Weak?" "My magic," I say, feeling disgust bubble up. "My weak, stupid magic. It's all wrong, and that's why I'm like this now. Twilight's accident didn't hurt anypony else because they're normal and healthy, but not me. It's not Twilight's fault I'm like this..." "But that's not your fault!" Moondancer quickly abolishes. "You can't change how your magic is, but Twilight should be able to control hers. She should have practiced more or something." "What if her magic is different?" I counter. "What if her magic is like mine, but... reversed?" Moondancer blinks a few times, confused. "What would that even mean?" "Well, I'm... my magic is really weak, and that makes it hard for me to use it at all, but maybe Twilight's magic is so strong, she can't control it." I have no way to prove the theory, but at this point, I'm just hoping to distract Moondancer from her animosity towards the other filly. It seems to work as Moondancer bites her lip and scrunches her brow. "That... you can't know that..." "But it could be true," I press. "You say I shouldn't feel bad about how my magic is, but doesn't that mean the same should be true for Twilight, if her magic is different too? She didn't choose to have insane amounts of magic, right? She just has it, and she has to learn to deal with that just like I have to learn how to deal with having hardly any magic." "Wow..." Moondancer begins after a few seconds. "Leave it to you to make having tons of magic sound like a bad thing. I almost feel lucky now that I don't have magic like Twilight's." I smile, relieved. "Yeah, I can get that. Still, I don't think I'd turn my nose up to it." I gesture around me and the bed that I'm stuck in. "Beats the alternative." The filly doesn't laugh, looking down and twirling a hoof on the sheets. "I wouldn't want that much magic... if it meant I would hurt you." My smile grows a little sadder as I reach out and gently pull her into a hug. "I'll be better soon," I whisper, pressing my muzzle into her neck. "Then things will go back to normal, and we can forget all about this stuff." "I... I don't think I'll ever forget that day," she whispers. "I still have nightmares." I squeeze a little more. "I'm sorry." "It's not your fault." "It's not yours either, or even Twilight's. It was all just an accident," I tell her. "Still doesn't mean that I'm not sorry. I'm sorry you were so scared, and I'm sorry you had to worry because of me." "You're my friend. I'm supposed to worry for you." Huffing a small laugh, I say, "Well, here's hoping you won't have to so much from now on. As soon as my magic is working again, I'll practice twice as a hard so no pony will have to worry about this happening again." "Maybe I can help?" Moondancer offers meekly. "Once I start at Celestia's School, I bet I'll learn all sorts of practicing exercises." "That'd be great," I answer sincerely, pulling away. "It can be like a study group; you, Blueblood, and me." "We can invite our other friends, too," Moondancer adds. "And Twilight," I say, watching closely for her reaction. She flinches, but still nods hesitantly. "Maybe..." she says, not looking at all convinced. "If we can talk to her, anyway. If she won't even come down to talk to Lemon Heart when we go to her house though, she probably won't talk to us." I sigh, but quickly try to hide my disappointment with a smile. "We'll still try, though. She's a friend, after all, so we have to at least try to include her." "Right," Moondancer agrees. Verbally, at least, if not with her body language. Deciding to give up for now, I try to change the topic to something a little safer. "So... what do you want to do? We still have some time I think before you have to leave." She perks up, and I instantly know what she's about to say before she says it. "Read a book?" she suggests at the same time I mouth the words. She frowns petulantly as I laugh, but she quickly grows happy when I agree. By the time Mom comes back up to tell us Moondancer has to leave with her mother, we've finished one of my new books and have had as thorough a discussion possible about the literary themes of a pop-up story. Moondancer's assurance that she'll come back tomorrow with new books of her own in tow give me something to look forward to, and luckily, right after she's gone, Bluey is back in the room demanding we re-read the pop-up story for his benefit. Apparently, he had been quite eager to read that one when he picked it off the shelf, but resisted temptation until I was awake to read it with him. Despite having just finished it, I still smile wide and agree. Even if the story and gimmicks aren't as interesting the second time through, the look of joy and wonder on my brother's face as we turn each page is entertainment in itself. Having him beside me also makes it easier to nap as we cuddle as close together as possible, the scent of green grass and warm sunlight that still clings to his coat from outside filling my senses and helping me drift into a peaceful sleep. It was a novel experience, Princess Celestia thought, to be the one knocking at another's door, standing in the open while waiting for some pony to answer. She was used to always being expected, to always having a greeting party ready to welcome her as soon as she stepped off of her chariot. And yet, here she was, alone, her two pegasus escorts waiting on a cloud above while she visited what little family she had. It was all she could do to convince the captain and her personal assistant to allow her this minimal guard detail, but she wanted this visit to be as informal as possible. She wasn't a princess arriving at a diplomatic meeting, after all. She was an aunt visiting her recovering niece after a very bad accident. An accident she still felt personally responsible for even after being told a dozen times it wasn't her fault. It was her school, and while she didn't personally create the test and setting, she did sign off on the whole affair. She knew the possibility of a foal surging, had seen it happen before under the stress of the entrance exam. It was by design, after all, that foals with such latent magical potential have it revealed during the exam. It was why things were set up to put pressure on the would-be students. Not just any unicorn surged after early foalhood, and those who did were ideal candidates for her prestigious school. Every one of her personal proteges throughout history had been such a pony as they often needed an experienced hoof to guide them through the trials their own phenomenal magic presented them. Even knowing this, however, she let herself be lax while the safety of her little ponies were on the line. She should have been there from the moment the exams had started, not running late. She should have created wards and barriers around the room to protect her subjects in case a particularly powerful surge occurred. Yes, a foal had never surged so intensely before now, but it was always a possibility. She had gambled carelessly, and her niece and new student both were the ones to suffer for it. The door opened, drawing the princess from her regrets. It was with practiced ease that she calmed the servant down and assured him that he had not kept her waiting too long. That same talent also came to bear when she soothed the fretting Ornate Garden, who felt the need to apologize for not being prepared for Celestia's unscheduled visit. The elder Blueblood was a welcome a welcome change of pace as he smiled widely up at her and invited her inside for refreshments. "Some tea does sound lovely," the princess said, walking besides her nephew. "I actually flew here on my own wings, and I'm a bit embarrassed to say, it took more out of me than I expected." She chuckled. "Perhaps I've allowed myself to be catered to a bit too much." "Your job is stressful enough as to warrant it, I think," Blueblood said, getting his wife to nod. "Definitely," she agreed. "I've heard there's been quite an uproar about the... incident at your school. A lot of furious parents demanding an answer to the danger their foals were placed in." Celestia frowned, fighting the urge to drop her head in shame. "Yes, and rightfully so," she answered, side-eying the pink mare. "I'm honestly surprised you are not among them. Your daughter was the one who suffered most from my negligence." Ornate looked uncomfortable as she answered, "I won't lie... I was quite upset those first few days. Upset at the school, at you, and even myself for not being able to protect Pureblood, but, after a while, I realized that being angry won't change what happened." She looks seriously up at the larger mare. "That's not to say I don't believe you or the school are blameless, and I do hope changes will be implemented in the future to assure no foals are put in danger like this again, but... I forgive you for what's happened." Celestia blinks, both surprised by the bold way the usually fretful mare spoke to her, and for another reason. "I... thank you, for your forgiveness," she said sincerely. "And I assure you, I intend to do just as you said, and makes the needed changes to prevent something like this from happening again." The serious expression fades away from Ornate's face as she smiles lightly and nods. "Good, I'm glad to hear it. I hope you make sure the adults are safe, to. I heard from my brother that the parents in the room had some interesting... side-effects from the whole affair." "Ah, yes, that," Celestia began. "Nothing serious, but the short stint as plant-life had left the parents with a desire to sit in sunlight in an attempt at photosynthesis from time to time. Your brother helped in purging the last of the floral magic from their systems, however, and they've made a full recovery." Ornate raised a brow, but instead shook her head as they arrived in the kitchen. Blueblood, having remained silent while the two mares talked things out, quickly went about preparing the tea himself. "Don't you ladies worry, I've got this," he said jovially. "It's not everyday I get to serve my aunt tea in my own home, after all." "What a gentlestallion," Celestia teased. "I'm glad you finally got past the mud throwing phase." The stallion smiled sheepishly. "What can I say? I was a rambunctious colt." "Something I'm glad your son hasn't inherited," the princess said before thinking about it. "Well, not entirely, anyway. He's still quite the excitable colt." "I can't imagine what he'd be like without Pureblood," said Ornate with a dramatic sigh. "She does so much to temper her brother's energy." "That she does," Celestia agreed as her nephew nodded, back to them as he set the kettle. The tea was made and biscuits were brought from a tin. The three sat mostly in silence as they enjoyed the simple meal, Celestia taking the most pleasure from the peaceful snack. It wasn't gourmet, or served to her from a tea set that would cost most ponies their life savings, but it was good, and she relaxed in the company of those she thought of as family. "Aunty," Blueblood said suddenly as they neared the end of their tea. "Not that I'm not thrilled by your visit, but I doubt you came to see my wife or me exclusively." Placing her cup down, Celestia closed her eyes and nodded slightly. "You are correct," she answered, eyes opening. "Pureblood is now awake and home safely... I would like to see her, if it's possible." "I figured," Blueblood said with a small smile. "Your mane is pink." Celestia ran a hoof through her straight, pink mane absently. "I understand that Pure is even more sensitive to magic now than ever, so I made sure to fully contain mine before arriving." "Thank you for your thoughtfulness," Ornate said. "As for Pure, I checked on her and Blueblood a while ago. They were sleeping peacefully." Celestia frowned. "If that's the case, I'd hate to wake them, especially while Pureblood is still recovering." "Nonsense," Blueblood said. "Their actual bedtime is still a few hours away, so waking up now will make it easier to sleep later. Besides, if they found out that you actually came to visit, and they slept through it, they'd be devastated." Ornate looked conflicted for a moment, but eventually sighed. "He's right. If anything, I know Pure will be ecstatic to see you, and high spirits does a recovering body good." she stood up. "Come, I'll show you to her room." "I'll be in my study," Blueblood added, standing as well. "Make sure you come see me when you're done with visiting the twins, Aunty. I'd love to talk a bit more." "I'll make sure to do that before I leave," promised the princess, standing to follow the matriarch of the household. As they walked, Celestia found herself being lost in memories. This home was nearly as old as Canterlot, and she's been close to the lineage residing within it for almost as long. There were changes here and there. Places where repairs were made and renovations done, but it was still familiar enough to remind her of the friends and family of generations past. The ones she has said goodbye to. At least for now, she did not have yet another parting to bear as they approached the room of young Pureblood. Ornate cracked the door open enough to poke her head inside. "Aww, they're so cute," she breathed, and Celestia stepped up behind her, poking her own head through the gap above the much shorter mare. She agreed with Ornate's assessment, and found herself making a similar sound of adoration. There on the bed lay the twins, Pureblood curled against her brother's chest while his chin rested on the top her her head. A closed book lay near the bottom of the mattress. Once again, Celestia found herself tempted to leave the two to their slumber, but Ornate had already entered the room. Approaching the bed, the mare gently rocked the two awake, luring them back from sleep with quite whispers. "Pureblood, Blueblood, I'm sorry to wake you, but there's somepony here I think you'll want to see." "Mommy?" Blue mumbled, blinking wearily up at her as his sister stirred, yawning and rubbing at her eyes. "Yes," Ornate said, looking over towards the princess. "And somepony else." Blueblood's gaze followed his mother's, and stopped on the alicorn. He blinked a few times as Celestia stepped fully into the room, then his eyes slowly widened. Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted with a shout of, "Aunty!" before having to scramble forward in a half-dive. Blueblood, apparently not caring one iota for his safety, sprinted across the bed and dived off the edge, and the princess barely managed to catch him before impact with the hard floor. Front end prostrate and with a young colt in her forehooves, Celestia couldn't stop Blueblood from hugging her face. "Aunty! You came to visit." "Blueblood! That was very dangerous!" Ornate scolded, stepping over to grab her son and allow the princess to stand. Blueblood, for his part, just looked confused. "No it wasn't, Mommy. Aunty Celestia caught me." "But what if she didn't?" the mare tried to reason, wanting to get the point across in case he tried a stunt like that again. "You could have gotten very badly hurt!" He looked more confused, and actually shook his head as if his mother were spouting nonsense. "Aunty Celestia will always catch me. She's the greatest princess in the world, you know." "Even if that were the case," Celestia interrupted, stepping forward to nuzzle the colt while he was still held in Ornate's grasps. "I can still make mistakes and fail, so it's best not to take unneeded risks." The colt still looked confused, so Celestia moved her lips to his ears and whispered. "At least, it makes your parents worry, so we better not do such things, right?" "Oooh," he breathed, finally nodding. "Right, Mommy and Daddy are pretty silly sometimes." He looked up to his mom and added, "Sorry, Mommy, I won't do that again, I promise." "Thank you, Blueblood," she answered with a soft smile and kiss on the forehead. "Aunty Celestia...?" Pureblood mumbled groggily, at last up and stumbled to the edge of the mattress. "What are you doing here?" Moving over to the bed, Celestia scooped the filly up and nuzzled her. "I'm here to visit you, Pureblood. I was so glad to hear that you woke up that I came as soon as I could to see you." "You didn't have to do that," the filly said bashfully. "You probably have all sorts of important princess stuff to do right now." Celestia frowned. "Pure, I will never be too busy for you or your brother. Being a princess is important, but so is time with my family." Truthfully, she wished she could spend much more time with the pair, but her duties were many. Still, the paperwork on her desk wasn't going anywhere, and she certainly wouldn't put off visiting her niece after she just got out of the hospital. Sometimes, Celestia wished she could dream walk like her sister once could. Then she could visit Blue and Pure every night. Closing her eyes and taking a breath to unclench her heart after thinking of her beloved sister, Celestia smiled once again at the filly. "Now, how about we have a little chat, hmm?" she asked, looking down the bed at what lied there. "It looks like you've started reading the books your brother collected for you while you were sleeping. Are his selections proving as good as he said? He insisted he knew exactly which ones you'd like the most." "I did!" Blue stated proudly, chest puffed out. "Right, Pure?" The filly nodded, looking more awake by the second as she plodded across the cushy mattress to grab the book. "This one is really cool," she explained, opening it up to reveal little paper structures. "It's a pop up book with a really nice story." "Is that so?" Celestia responded, sounding curious. "Would you mind reading it with me?" Unlike what she expected, the filly was not eager to oblige. Instead, her smile became strained. "Well, I kind of already read it twice today, um, but if you really want to, I guess I can read it again..." She side-eyed her bookcase longingly, and the rows of new books there, and Celestia couldn't help but giggle. "No, there's no need for you to read it again. Maybe another time," she said, getting the filly to sigh ever so slightly in relief. She smiled wide when Celestia added. "How about a new one you haven't read yet? Then we can experience it for the first time together." "Yeah!" she cheered, going to hop off the bed before halting to look over to her mother. "Um, but, can you grab it? Mom doesn't want me getting out of bed..." Celestia raised a brow at the mother, who blushed in response as she placed her son down on the bed. "I just want to make sure she's resting enough, is all," she mumbled, and Celestia nodded in understanding. It perhaps was a bit excessive, forbidding the foal from walking across her own room, but the princess recognized Ornate's reasoning. Her daughter had suffered a terrible accident not long ago and was still on the mend. It wasn't surprising that she would be a bit overbearing in the coming weeks. Finally, Celestia nodded and moved to the bookcase, making sure to stand out of her niece's line of sight. Lifting a hoof in preparation to grab one, she asked, "Which would you like to read?" Pureblood beamed, and soon, Celestia fond herself squeezed onto a bed far too small for her great size with two foals between her front legs and a book held in her outstretched hooves so all three of them could see. She listened, only commenting when prompted, as the two foals took turns reading. Celestia smiled whenever Pure would help her brother when he had trouble with a word, patiently sounding it out with him until he smiled and continued on. It was amazing to Celestia that the filly could be so bright and cheerful after what had happened to her. She was such an attentive sister, always looking out for her sibling and doing all she could to ensure his happiness, no matter her own condition. Celestia wished she had been like Pureblood a thousand years ago. Perhaps then the twins would have a pair of aunts instead of the one who could hardly see them. Shaking her head ever so slightly, the princess refocused on the story being read to her, giving her thoughts on what the encroaching end would be. She wasn't positive of the specifics, but she was at least sure it would be a happily ever after one. All good stories ended like that. "And they all lived happily ever after... Wow, you called it, Aunty," Blueblood said, reading the last line of the book. "Good job." "Well, she's probably read, like, a million books by now," Pureblood commented. "I bet she's read so many that she can guess what's going to happen in almost all of them now." "Oh, ponies have still surprised me from time to time," Princess Celestia said, closing the book and placing it down. "There's so many original ideas left to explore that I'm sure I'll keep being surprised for years to come." "That's good, I guess," mused the filly, rubbing her chin. "At least that means you won't get bored of reading anytime soon. I'd hate it if we could never read books with you again." "Yeah," Blueblood agreed with a nod. "You make reading way better." Celestia raised a brow. "But I didn't read at all. It was only the two of you." "It's 'cause you make the best pillow!" Blueblood explained, flopping back against her chest. "You're soft and warm!" "Mhmm," agreed Pureblood, draping herself across one of the alicorn's legs. "You're so warm, like sunlight." Celestia chuckled at that. "Fitting, I suppose... Anyway, would you two like to read another book?" Looking out the window, she frowned slightly. "I'll have to lower the sun soon, but I have time yet." While Pureblood looked happy, Blueblood bit his lip. "Um, that sounds fun, but I gotta go do something real quick first." "Oh? And what's that? Do you need help?" offered the princess, getting the colt to shake his head and stand. He jittered in place as he looked towards the door. "No, I can do it myself like a big colt," he said, quickly jumping off the side of the bed and scurrying to the door. He ran out, but poked his head back in. "Be right back! Don't start reading without me!" "We won't," Pure promised. "Remember to wash your hooves after, though! You always forget." The colt blushed and mumbled, "I won't..." Celestia looked down at the filly questioningly when her brother was out of the room, and she answered without prompting. "He has to use the potty. It's gonna take a couple minutes for him to get back though. The closest bathroom is kind of far." "Ah, I see." Celestia looked to the door with a small frown. "Perhaps I should have taken him, then. He seemed like he really needed to go, and I could have carried him there faster." Pure waved off her fears and looked towards the bookcase. "Don't worry. He hasn't had an accident in the hall in forever. He'll make it. Now, what book should we read next? I'll let you choose, if you want." Blinking a few times at the comment, Celestia decided not to press. Blueblood was just a colt; accidents were nothing to be ashamed of for him and it was none of her business. "Hmm, I'm not sure... Honestly, I haven't read many of your books, so any would do." "Well, I have plenty of new ones still, so any on the top shelf should do," Pure suggested. "Being asleep so long really put me behind on my reading." The princess couldn't suppress the wince at that, glancing towards the entrance. Blueblood hadn't returned yet and she couldn't hear his hoofsteps approaching. This would probably be the only time she had alone with the filly before she left. "Yes, you did sleep for quite a long time..." she started, looking down at her niece with a sad expression. "I'm... I'm sorry that happened to you, Pureblood." The filly looked at her owlishly. "Why? You didn't do anything. It was just an accident." "Yes, but I still feel I could have done more to prevent it, and that I didn't is what I'm sorry for." Celestia sighed and looked back towards the window. She could feel the sun nearing the horizon and the time she would have to put it to rest drew close. "None of that should have happened to you. It shouldn't have been possible." "Aunty Celestia, please don't be sad," Pure said as she placed a hoof on the mare's chest and looked up sadly. "Everypony has been saying how sorry they are, or how mad they are at Twilight, a-and, it just makes me feel awful." She sniffled, but continued. "It was an accident, but everypony is upset still. I don't want ponies to be sad because of me, or mad at Twilight because of something she didn't even mean to do." "Pure, I..." Celestia didn't know what to say. She wanted to apologize for making the filly distressed, but seeing it was her apology that caused this, she hesitated to do so. Pureblood wiped at her nose and looked down for second, letting her hoof fall back to the bed. "Twilight's your student now, right?" she asked suddenly. "You see her a lot?" "Well, yes," answered the mare. "I've been teaching her to better control her magic so there is not a repeat of the exams... That's what she wants to focus on most, at least." That had actually been the filly's own request to Celestia when she was calmed enough to talk. Having learned she had hurt another pony with her surge, Twilight had been devastated, then adamant later about mastering her own magic. "Is she... Twilight isn't blaming herself too, is she?" Pure questioned hesitantly. Something in her eyes was pleading, yet also knowing, and Celestia decided against lying. "... Yes." Closing her eyes, the filly took a deep breath. "Can you tell her not to? Tell her I'm not mad? Our friends have been trying to talk to her, but she won't see them. Maybe... maybe you can tell her to come visit?" "I'll pass along the message," Celestia told her, getting Pure to nod her head. "She really doesn't have to blame herself," the filly continued. "It wasn't even that bad, really. It was kind of like a really long nap. I can barely even remember it..." Celestia tilted her head inquisitively. "Remember it? The accident, you mean?" "No," Pure said, shrugging a little. "I don't remember that too well either, but I meant sleeping for all that time. I can barely remember what it was like." "You... were aware?" the alicorn pressed, almost afraid of the answer. She, along with her doctors, merely assumed Pure was in a dreamless coma, but to claim otherwise... What would it have been like to be stuck inside ones head with no escape to be found? "Um, maybe? I think I had a long dream and... yeah, it could have been scary, but it was still just a dream," the filly said, tucking her legs underneath her and lowering her head. "Dreams can't hurt you... Not really." Already, Celestia was contemplating contacting the best foal psychiatrist she could find even as she asked, "Do you remember what you dreamed about? You said earlier that you barely could, but..." "Not really." She scrunched her nose a little. "Just some voices maybe." "What kind of voices?" "I'm not sure... Well, except for maybe one... and the color blue." "A... Blue voice?" "Yeah, and it talked funny, like with thous and thees and stuff." Celestia's heart froze, along with the breath in her lungs. After a few seconds, she forced herself to breathe out slowly. "Is... is that so?" "Mhmm." "And... what did this voice say?" "Mmm, not sure. It helped me though. I remember that." Celestia was surprised to hear that, then instantly felt guilty for it. "Oh... I'm glad." "Yeah, I think I was having a nightmare, but the voice made it stop. Um, that was right before I woke up." Licking her dry lips, the princess nodded lightly. "It sounds like you had a very hard time while you were asleep." Pure hummed noncommittally, rolling some fuzz on the sheets with a hoof. "Maybe... It's fine though 'cause I don't remember most of it. What I do is only because I tried to remember it." Celestia leaned down and nuzzled the filly's blonde mane. "If that's true, then I'm glad, but Pureblood, if it does bother you, don't think you can't tell anypony. None of us will be mad if you ask for help. Remember, you'll always have ponies to talk to if you need." "I know that," she mumbled, stretching out her neck to return the alicorn's nuzzle. "Thanks, Aunty." Celestia smiled. "You're welcome, Pure." Her ears flicked towards the door just then, and her smile grew a little wider. Blueblood entered a moment later looking far more relieved than when he scurried out. "Phew, there, now we can read the next book," he said, making his way towards the bed. "What one did you pick?" "Actually," Celestia began. "We haven't decided yet." The colt stopped, then frowned. "Really? What have you been doing this whole time?" "There are quite a few to choose from," she answered, getting her nephew to huff. "You sure are lucky I'm going to become a prince to help you, Aunty," Blueblood said, changing course to the bookcase. "I can help you make choices faster so you don't spend all day on them. Here, let's read this one, The Polka Dotted Zebra Tries to Make friends." "Ooh, sounds interesting," Pure said. Blueblood climbed up on the bed, book clasped in his teeth. "Ah knuw. Ish wha Ah tol Mommy ta ge eet." He spat it out and smiled. "Since Pure and me read that last one, I think Aunty Celestia should read this one." "Well, that certainly sounds fair," Celestia agreed with a nod. She picked up the book and the foals quickly got back into comfortable positions. Opening to the first page, the princess did her best to entertain the twins, even going so far as to try different voices for the different characters. Reading did well to focus her mind away from other thoughts, though she knew Pure's words would be plaguing her later that night. This would be especially true when she lowered the sun below the horizon and tugged the moon from its slumber. Princess Celestia would spend so much time staring at the silhouette of her sister on the moon, that guards who could see her would worry, and she'd have to slog through her morning duties, exhausted from poor sleep. For now, though, she focused on the little ones with her, and finding out if the polka dotted zebra would find someone who liked him despite his oddities. Much to all three ponies' relief, he did, with the shortest giraffe on the plains.