“So, am I dead?” Baked Bean asked.
Celestia laughed slightly. “No, my love. You are not dead, despite your best efforts. You are still very much alive.”
“Where are we, then?” Bean glanced around at the swirling nebulae and soft white clouds in the sky overhead, then down to the ground beneath them that seemed to be made of stars. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“This place has no official name,” Celestia replied, while pulling her precious Bean in just a bit closer with her wing. “But Luna and I typically refer to it as the Plane of Ascension. This, my love, is where Alicorns are born.”
Bean said nothing to this, but reached slowly out, then up towards his forehead. He chuckled a little when his hoof found nothing but mane, but he did notice that Celestia was frowning slightly.
“Not today, I guess?” he offered.
“I suppose not,” Celestia said. “It’s a bit strange, though. With what you have endured over these last two weeks, I would think that Harmony⁽*⁾ would see fit to acknowledge your sacrifices on behalf of Equestria, and for me.”
⁽*⁾ Harmony had obviously never tasted Bean's Whipped Double Chocolate Moose or he would have gotten wings and a horn right there in the kitchen.
“But I have been rewarded, my dear. I yet live, and I know that you still love me. That alone has made everything worth it. I would endure the depths of Tartarus itself if it meant I would have you.”
“Thankfully, you need not pay such a drastic price,” Celestia replied. “And I am beyond sorry you felt the need to earn it in the first place. You should never have felt the need to purchase my love.”
“Oh, I never felt like I had to buy it.”
“Don’t lie, Bean.” Celestia’s face contorted and displayed her deep sadness and despair. “Especially if you are trying to spare my feelings. What has happened to you is entirely my fault, no matter how you try to spin it. I should never have demanded you leave my side, ever.”
“It hurt when you ordered me to go away,” Bean admitted while staring at the ground. “But I was far more worried about your safety. I just wanted to do what I could to protect you; to keep you safe. I couldn’t let Tirek just waltz in and do whatever he wanted to.”
Celestia nuzzled Bean’s neck, and he felt a small wet spot start to form when she rested her head across it. “And if I had told you why we were giving up our magic, this would not have happened. My love, from now on I will never exclude you from anything. My desires to keep you safe caused you great harm, and I was blinded to the good that you had to offer in my time of need. Your ideas were sound, and born from a desire to be supportive. It was wrong of me to dismiss you.”
“I can’t be upset at you for trying to keep me safe,” Bean replied, while glancing back to the sling on his left rear leg. “As you can see, I’m not as sturdy as you are by a long shot.”
A shudder passed through Celestia’s body, and Bean nuzzled up a bit closer to comfort her. “You have given so much, Bean. I promise I will make this right again, in some way or another.”
“You already have. I cannot ask for anything to be more right than your love.”
“My dear husband, your actions have thrown so much fuel on the fires of love within my heart that it is now as bright as my sun,” Celestia replied while her wing pulled him in a bit closer. “It has never diminished in the slightest. Everything you do makes it grow.”
“I’m glad to hear that," squeaked Bean, "but air! Air!”
Celestia let out a small yelp while she lifted her wing. “I’m sorry!”
“Ohthankyou,” he replied with relief and a small laugh while her wing came back over him with less force. “Give me some time to heal, and then you can hold me as tightly as you like.”
“I fully intend to take you up on that,” she replied. “I cannot live without you.”
“Nor can I without you.”
“Then together we shall remain, for now and forever. You kiss better than your stuffed toy counterpart, after all.”
“I should hope so,” he laughed. “How did we get here, anyway?”
“You were sent here when you tapped into the power of the sun,” Celestia replied. “Or, at least I think that’s how we got here. I’m not entirely sure of the details.”
“The sun sent us here?”
“It may be that I am responsible for this. When I saw what you were trying to do, I panicked. I just threw my magic in with yours, so it is possible I cast a teleportation spell while doing so.” She paused with her ears folded back. “Please don't ever mention this to Twilight. I spent innumerable lessons lecturing her to not do what I apparently just did.”
“Do you know why I was trying to raise the sun?”
“Yes, and don’t ever try that again,” Celestia chided. “You scared me. I thought you were going to be a baked Bean for real.”
“I couldn’t risk you becoming infected with Chrysalis’ poison. I just couldn't. No matter what.”
“And I greatly appreciate that, but there were other ways to remove her influence without resorting to such drastic measures. Doctor Horsenpfeffer had researched what we had learned about changeling magic when Chrysalis brainwashed Shining Armor and attacked Canterlot, and we had just finished discussing the treatment to cure you. Had you not tried to incinerate yourself, Luna and I would have assisted the Doctor in purging the corruption.”
“Oh.” Bean paused, and he frowned deeply. “I guess this jerk needs to quit making knee-jerk decisions.”
“Do not concern yourself with that, my love. You made the best decision you could, under the circumstances.”
“Really?” Bean gave her a skeptical look. “You qualified your statement, so forgive me if I don't believe you. I can't help but feel like just about every decision I made was wrong.”
“You did wonderfully, my love. I do not think any pony could have done any better than you did, all things considered.”
“You're just saying that to butter me up. If you saw what I really did, you'd be so ashamed.”
Celestia gave her husband a knowing smile. “I doubt that, but shall we find out? Since we're away from Luna's curious ears here.”
“It's going to take me a long time to tell the tale.”
“Not as long as you may expect.” Celestia stood, and her magic tenderly lifted him up as well, taking great care not to aggravate the injuries on his hind leg. “Do you think you can take a short walk with me?”
“Where are we going?”
“Further up and further in,” she replied with a warm smile. “The truth of what you have endured will be made manifest to us both, and then I shall know if the celebration for your victory should last for two weeks or for three.”
Bean was slightly confused, but he kept his question to himself and slowly limped his way down the path with assistance from his wife.
He gasped a bit when several glowing windows slid into view along the sides of the path, but his joy grew with his smile when each window showed a scene from his own life.
“This is so cool,” Bean whispered in amazement and awe. “Our trip to Fillydelphia, and the Flim Flam brothers, and there's the visit to Ponyville. Hah! I remember that.”
His head swiveled, and then he frowned. “Ah. There's when you first met my parents, and there. The trial for Swift Hoof's death. See that one, just right there? That's just one of the hundreds of times I had to apologize to a customer for messing up their order. So many mistakes.”
Celestia pointed to another portal. “But then, there is your forgiveness of your parents, and that one is when we visited the Crystal Empire and you endeared yourself to the crystal ponies.”
“Hey, I'd forgotten about that little incident.” Bean chuckled and pointed to another. “My parents and I were visiting Grams and Granpa in Las Pegasus for Nightmare Night, but I got separated and lost on the way to the Carnival. Thankfully, there was a nice mare who had dressed up like you, and…”
Bean had to stop when Celestia began to giggle furiously. It took him a moment to understand why she was laughing, but once it came to him, he rolled his eyes and let out a small laugh. “That was you, wasn't it?”
The official reply from the Princess of the Sun was to smile impishly and to point to another portal. “This one, however, is one of my favorites.”
Bean smiled deeply and felt his joy grow outward from his heart as he watched Celestia stick her nose into a well known patch of sunflowers, his own scream and panicked retreat, and his capture within her magic.
“Where are you going, my little pony? Usually ponies run to me, not away from me.”
Bean tilted his head, and he had to ask. “Did I really look that scraggly when you found me in the sunflower patch?”
"You could say so," said Celestia. "For a moment, I thought you were one of the gardeners. Now, let us review what has happened since we parted. I want to know everything.”
* * ✹ * *
“They've been gone for a long time,” Discord muttered, getting out a fishing pole and digging in a bag full of eclairs marked 'Bait.’ “Should we go after them?”
“Relax, Discord,” Cadence offered. “If Fluttershy had been foalnapped and injured, then lost for two weeks, I think you'd want some time alone, too.”
“If that had happened, I would hunt down whoever would dare to do such a thing and inflict Pinkie Pie on them,” Discord growled.
“I don't think that's much of a punishment, in the end,” Bean called out while he floated down to the balcony in Celestia's magic. “But I don't think you'd really do that either.”
“Bean-o!” Discord cheered while the Prince and his wife touched down side by side. “You're back!” He then grabbed Bean and twisted him around to look him over. “And you’re front! You’re both here!”
“We weren’t gone that long, were we?” Bean asked, but then he yelped and stammered as Luna’s magic snagged his left ear and dragged him closer.
“Thou shalt never frighten us like that again, Bean!” she admonished while she vigorously searched his ragged mane about where a horn would be located on a Beanacorn. “Thou didst cause us great consternation.”
“I’m sorry?” he offered, before Luna pried his mouth open and intensely studied his teeth.
“Thou wilt be sorry if thou dost attempt another foolhardy act such as that,” Luna threatened. “But thou seemest to be in no worse condition than when we found you. How is your leg?”
“It hurts a little, but I think the sling is helping,” he replied with a backward glance.
“How is the rest of you feeling?” Doctor Horsenpfeffer asked.
“Reasonably well, I suppose. I feel a lot better now that I’m home again, and free from Chrysalis’ poison.”
“Glad to hear it. Now, if I can pry you away from your wife for a few minutes ... well, hours, I'd like to do another evaluation.” The Doctor conjured two rather large jars, and smiled while she held them up in front of the Prince. “I want to make sure all of Chrysalis’ poison was removed, and I want to make sure I didn't miss any other injuries.”
“Sure,” Bean replied. “But after that, I think I need to sit down with all of you and explain what happened.” He hesitated for a moment, but then continued. “What, exactly, do you want me to fill those jars up with?”
* * ✹ * *
Shining Armor marched down the hallway that lead to Chrysalis’ chambers, accompanied by his treasured wife and two dozen of his finest guards. He had just sat through Bean’s retelling of his time under the changeling queen’s ‘care,’ and the circumstances were far too similar for the captain's liking. Chrysalis was going to pay for this latest attack against Equestria, and she was not going to enjoy it.
That thought alone brought a smile to Shining's face.
A smile that vanished when he saw the empty chamber with a single fluttering note pinned to the carpet where the bed had been.
Until we meet again.
Chrysalis
P.S. Where do you find fitted sheets for this thing?
“Clever girl,” Shining muttered under his breath.
~*~
“She escaped?” Bean's eye twitched slightly, and he shifted nervously on the double-padded cushion that had just been installed on the throne.
“I have the guard on full alert,” Shining answered, “and we're doing a sweep of the palace now. If she's here, we'll find her. If she's not here, we'll still find her.”
“I'll keep you safe, my love,” Celestia whispered into Bean's ear.
Bean chuckled with that. “Given the damage estimates that I saw for the Hall of Suggestive Pillars alone, I don't doubt that for a second.”
“Captain, please continue and inform us at once if you locate her.” Celestia paused. "And if you do, see if you can get her to go into the third floor gallery where—”
"Celly," hissed Luna.
"Oh, I suppose." Celestia gave a brief wave of dismissal. "Carry on, Captain Armor."
“This turn of events is most disturbing,” Luna remarked while Shining strode out of the room. “And I fear that Chrysalis may have already returned to her hive. It may prove to be most difficult to bring her to justice.”
“I wish I could remember more about the hive,” Bean muttered. “Or even if I had seen a few. I could guess how many changelings there were, and it'd make going in a lot easier.”
“We will bring her to justice, my love,” Celestia replied firmly.
“Oh, I'm sure we will, but I don't want anypony else to get hurt if we can help it.” Bean hesitated while thinking, then forged ahead regardless. “In fact, have you considered not attacking their home when you find it?”
"Actually..." Now it was Celestia's turn to pause for a long time while Luna looked back and forth between them, her scowl growing until she could no longer hold back her words.
"Sister!" she chided. "Do not tell me that after wrecking half of our home, you are considering—"
"Not burning down the changeling's home, killing them all, and leaving nothing but a smoking ruin? Yes, Luna. That's exactly what I'm thinking. And so is my husband, who is alive because of them, even if he was mistreated by their queen in a manner most foul."
Luna looked back and forth a few times before sitting down. "It would have been a lovely fire," she said after a time. "But, I can see your point."
“I just hope Thorax is okay,” Bean offered in a quiet and thoughtful voice. “I hate to think he's still at the hive.”
“I'm sure he managed to escape,” Celestia offered with a quick kiss to his cheek. “And I hope we meet him soon. I would like to properly reward him for the assistance he gave.”
* * ✹ * *
“Next!”
Thorax shuffled forward in the line of waiting ponies, and he glanced around nervously. There were a dozen or so ponies on the platform of Appleoosa's train station, and it felt good to snack on the wide variety of joyful feelings that hung in the air. Working in the local apple orchard for the past two days had been tiring and had left him oddly not as hungry as he’d expected, but he felt a bit of pride at having done the work and having the bits to prove it.
He took care not to steal much of the emotion around him, though. He was a fugitive at the moment, a wanted bug who would not be shown any mercy if his Queen managed to figure out where he'd disappeared to. He was trying to leave no trail to trace, no indication of where he had gotten to. All it would take is one pony's complaint of feeling a bit drained to tip Chrysalis off, and then he'd be in such a world of hurt that being pinned up and put on display would be a relief.
“Next!”
Thorax slowly shuffled his way up to the ticket counter. He had tried to find Prince Bean, but his efforts had been severely hampered when he had been held up in the hive for several hours. By the time he was able to sneak away, it had been dark and impossible to follow Bean's tracks. Eventually, he had been forced to give up and to make his own run from Chrysalis’ wrath.
“Where to, sonny?” the elderly ticketmaster asked.
Thorax began to answer, but then the headline of the newspaper in the rack next to the window caught his eye. He smiled as he picked up the paper, read a couple of lines, then placed it on the counter.
“A one way ticket to Vanhoover, and this paper, please.”
Payment was made, a ticket was provided, and Thorax smiled all the more when he sat on the lone bench on the platform and began to read about Prince Baked Bean's triumphant return to his wife and to Canterlot. Thorax was pleased to no end that his first friend had gotten back to where he belonged, and perhaps they could visit again, once things had settled down.
But for now, Thorax needed to lay low. He felt an inexplicable urge to travel north, but he still wasn't sure why, other than to put distance between himself and his Queen.
Whatever the reason, Thorax somehow knew it would all be for the best. He would again meet with his friend, Baked Bean, and when he did, he would have lots of stories to share.
And now that he had one friend, Thorax hoped that, maybe, it would be easier for him to make more.