“Ahh Twilight, you made it. Come in, come in,” Velvet Touch announced happily, opening the door for the young filly.
Twilight feigned a weak smile before trotting into the small room, noticing the now familiar couch that sat across the therapist’s tall chair, which had a small coffee table complete with a tiny candy dispenser sitting between them. With a resigned sigh the foal hopped up into the couch and sprawled out into her usual position, a frown on her lips.
Velvet raised an eyebrow at the filly’s downcast expression, but said nothing for now, merely closing and securing the door and then activated the privacy filter that would ensure complete confidentiality would be maintained. The mare quickly turned and sat at her chair, drawing forth a pad of paper, pen and a wide smile.
“And how are you this afternoon?” she began, clicking her pen and peering intently at the still frowning filly.
“I’m okay, I guess,” Twilight muttered.
The therapist raised an eyebrow but said nothing, adding a quick note to her page. “It's been awhile, hasn't it? I’m surprised how quick the weeks can pass us by.”
The filly shrugged. “I guess.”
“Is there something bothering you, Twilight?” she asked, smiling gently and leaned forward. “Are you having trouble with your studies?”
Twilight shook her head. “No, Celestia’s curriculum isn't difficult, though the physical tests are challenging.”
“Oh? Tell me about these tests of hers.” She smiled. “They must be tough if a smart pony like you is having trouble.”
Twilight smiled a little, before replacing the expression with a frown once more. “They aren't too hard, she's just trying to help my magic grow and my connections to become better.”
Velvet nodded, remembering the report she had received a few days ago. “It doesn't hurt when you two train like that, does it?”
Again Twilight shook her head. “No, not really, it's kind of exhausting but really not that bad.” She paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “It's like running for a really long time, but with magic.”
“Ahh, I think I understand now,” Velvet remarked. “Are you having trouble sleeping perhaps?”
“No, the beds here are really nice, and with Bull watching over me I always get to sleep when I’m supposed to.”
“Ahh yes, Miss Bull. How is she doing by the way?” Velvet offered.
The filly shrugged. “Fine, I guess. She hasn't been as talkative lately though…” Her frown returned and she suddenly extended a hoof towards the candy dispenser. “May I?”
“Of course, it's why it's there,” Velvet replied quickly.
The elder mare waited in silence as Twilight cranked out a hoofful of chocolates before tossing one into her mouth while levitating the rest in her magical aura. The therapist smiled faintly, grabbing a treat for herself and savoring the sweet milk chocolate that melted on her tongue. The filly’s frown lessened as she watched the older mare enjoy her chocolate, smiling slightly as she leaned forward suddenly. “Don't tell Silver, okay?”
Twilight giggled before making a zipping motion over her lips. “I promise.”
Velvet smiled before grabbing a second chocolate and tossing it back, an action that Twilight mimicked. With a smile now on her face, the therapist grabbed her paper and pen once more before leaning back in her chair. “Alright, now where were we?” She clicked her pen twice before her eyes suddenly lit up. “Oh right, we were figuring out why you got a case of the frownies.”
The filly narrowed her eyes, trying to hold back the urge to laugh. “I am not a baby, you know.”
The other unicorn held up her hooves defensively. “Everyone gets the frownies you know, even me.”
“Well, still,” the filly grouched, crossing her hooves over her chest while stifling a laugh.
“So, are you going to tell me what's bugging you or are we going to have to play twenty questions?”
The filly’s amusement fell away in an instant, a hoof going to her right foreleg, a limb that now appeared slightly thicker than the others, sporting a slight discoloration around the middle point between her knee and her hoof. The filly remained silent, looking down at the ground, absently popping another chocolate into her mouth.
The therapist frowned, tapping her pad of paper. “And how are your parents and brother, or is it brothers now?”
The filly bit her lip for a second, revealing her sharp canines and drawing an unconscious shudder from the mare. “My parents are fine, dad got a promotion and mom is starting a new book. Oh and Shining is doing well, so is Spike.”
“That's good, that's good. How is the little rascal? I heard he used to be quite a handful for his nurses before you two started spending more time together.”
Twilight smiled wistfully, staring out the window as her thoughts drifted to her ‘son’. “He was just scared and confused. It took a little while, but I don't think he is quite as much of a little rascal now.” She giggled. “Though I don't think I could talk him out of his habit of stealing treats, the little guy has as big a sweet tooth as me.”
The therapist raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Now that's saying something.”
The filly crossed her hooves over her chest and harrumphed, tossing the last chocolate into her mouth only to stop and chew slowly, her face burning with embarrassment. “Mmabe sho,” she muttered.
Rolling her eyes, Velvet picked her pen and paper back up and quickly scratched down a few thoughts before turning back to Twilight just as she swallowed the last of her treats. “So, Twilight, if it's not family or school that's bothering you, then would it happen to be your stomach still giving you issues?”
The filly frowned, a hoof rubbing her stomach absently. “I still get weird rumblies sometimes, but it's not so bad.” As if on cue her stomach rumbled audibly, making the filly wince.
“That doesn't sound very good, are you eating enough?” The filly nodded, drawing a frown to the therapist’s lips. “I assume you are following the chef’s meal plan and are not eating too many treats?” Again the filly nodded. “Hmm, I will have to let Celestia know.”
Twilight frowned. “Could you not?” She winced, noticing the therapist’s confused expression. “I just don't want her to worry too much, she already does so much.”
“If you really don't want me to, I won't, but I still have to write it down. Okay?”
The filly nodded weakly, while wincing and clutching her grumbling stomach once more.
Alert Celestia to possible dietary issues, stomach problems have persisted and have grown worse. Velvet Touch clicked her pen and looked back up. “Now then, if all that isn't what's bothering you, what is?”
The filly frowned once more, looking down at the floor and grumbling silently.
“If you really don't want to talk about this we don't have to, but I’m worried about you, Twilight.” Velvet Touch smiled, putting down the paper and pen for a moment. “Hurt that you don't let out sits inside you, slowly turning you sour like some sort of pickle.”
Twilight giggled. “A pickle? Really?”
Velvet shrugged. “Hey, you know I’m not very good at the whole metaphor thing, but you know what I mean.”
Twilight nodded, her face turning sour once more. “Promise you won't get me in trouble?”
The therapist placed a hoof over her heart and nodded. “I promise.”
“I tried to make some friends,” she whispered.
“That's wonderful, but something tells me it didn't go well, did it?”
“No,” the filly muttered.
“What happened, Twilight?” Velvet urged.
The filly’s face scrunched up in anger as she clutched the arm of the couch in a death grip. “They are all scared of me.” She ground her teeth together. “Or think I have some sort of disease or something.” She squeezed a little harder, the wood groaning beneath her hooves. “But I don't have some weird disease. I’m not a freak.”
She released the arm rest, barely noticing the way it now bent slightly. “I'm not a freak…” she whispered.
“What happened Twilight, what made them so scared of you?”
“I’m not scary.” The filly fell back into the couch, curling into a ball with her tail tucked between her legs. “They turned out to be a grumpy bunch of meanie heads, end of story.”
“Those were the Magisteel twins, right? They never struck me as the bullying type before,” quipped the therapist, scratching down a few notes in her book.
The filly leapt to her hooves, a snarl on her lips. “Not the bullying type? Not the bullying type?! They broke my leg and tried to kill me.”
Velvet quickly stood up, offering the filly a calming smile. “Whoa there, let's take it back a second alright. They both said it was the wind under a truth spell, I don't think they-”
The filly’s eyes burned an angry orange light, stopping Velvet Touch dead in her verbal tracks. “You want to know so bad? Fine, I’ll tell you, I’ll show you I’m not a liar.”
They had sent me a letter, telling me about how they wanted to hang out with me near the east wall, alone. I thought it was kind of weird that they would want me to ditch Bull, but some ponies are scared of her, so I asked her to give me some space for a bit. When I got there nopony was around as normally the area was off limits. This was in part due to the fact that it tended to get slick with dew, and there was a small section that were starting to heave, making it slightly slanted, but they said it was fine.
After meeting them near the wall in one of the towers closer to the castle, they challenged me to a race. I didn't feel like it, but then they said the winner got twenty bits and I could buy a whole bunch of books for twenty bits so I agreed, though I was confused as to why they even wanted to race as they were both scrawnier than Shining Armor when he was little.
They told me they wanted to race because they were trying out a new spell, one that would enable them to run faster and jump higher. I never heard of such a spell and they wouldn't show me, but I agreed anyway as it sounded like fun, and they really seemed to want to be friends, which I found out later was a total lie.
So those jerks convinced me to race them along the wall, and though I had my reservations about running on the wall it did sound like fun, so I did it. We lined up in a row, with those two jerks to my left, leaving me right next to the side of the wall with no railing on it. Again, they told me it was fine as there was some room left for us and it didn't look too dangerous.
Then we started running, and those two jerk faces were surprised to see me run out in front of them so quickly, and started whining about cheating, even though they said they were testing that spell. I didn't want to seem like a meanie pants though so I slowed down, pretending to get tired quickly, which they bought. After that they started really getting into it, running as hard as possible along the wall.
Most ponies don't know this, but that section of the wall is actually the longest unbroken part of the Canter Castle wall. It also has a really nice view of the city and the gardens, making it a nice place to watch the sunset. So anyways, we are running on the wall and they start to get tired, like really tired, and though I’m pretending to be tired too they seem to be catching on, so they look at each other like two thieves would before they mug somepony.
Up ahead I can see a slight bend before the next tower, and with my victory in sight they push me right off the wall! I nearly died! But I was too powerful, catching myself in my telekinesis with the help of Bull who was nearby. We only just managed to stop me before I broke my neck, but I still messed up my leg which hurt a whole lot!
Oh and those two stupid jerks didn't even try to help me! They seemed sad to see that I survived.
“That's quite the story, Twilight,” Velvet Touch remarked, jotting down a few notes before folding her hooves over her lap. “But have you ever considered that you may have slipped? You did say that the wall was heaving and that it did get slick.”
The filly wilted slightly, some of her anger blowing away. “B-but then why did they say they didn't want Bull there?”
“Silver Bulwark is rather intimidating, perhaps they were scared of her, again, you did say as much yourself,” Velvet pointed out.
Twilight wilted even more, her anger blowing away completely as she crumpled back into a heap. “Well, they still shoulda helped.”
“Twilight, you are a very powerful and talented unicorn, not everypony can match your skill and power.” The unicorn lit her horn for emphasis, picking up the pen that had been resting on the table. “Plus, I’m sure you know that telekinesis is harder the heavier and the faster something is moving.” She zipped the pen in the air before picking up the candy dispenser and doing the same with much more difficulty.
With her point made, she set the candy down and smiled. “They might not even have mastered their telekinesis by now, you never know.”
“B-but they are my age! They have to know telekinesis by now, that spell is for babies,” the filly whined, crossing her hooves over her chest and pouting.
“That may be, but do you know if they have fully developed magic and don't suffer from learning or magical disabilities?”
“No…” the filly muttered, unable to meet the therapist’s gaze.
Velvet smiled faintly. “Don't be discouraged, you might be right and I’m sure Silver Bulwark or whomever is in charge of investigating this matter will get to the bottom of this.”
“I guess so…”
“Hey, why don't you say we go and find some better treats and blow this popsicle stand,” Velvet whispered, leaning in conspiratorially towards the filly.
“Really? But what about the rest of the interview thing? Celestia said I have to be here for at least an hour,” Twilight remarked, her enthusiasm barely held back.
The therapist shrugged. “That's just a suggestion, I can cut it short if I want. So, what do you say we go find out what the royal baker has been up to?”
Twilight hopped out of the couch and bounded over to the door. “Well, what are we waiting for?”
Velvet Touch laughed, hopping down from her chair and following close behind the filly. “I have to put my notes in my office first, why don't you see if Miss Fine Tooth has a minute to chat while I file this away?”
The filly seemed about to agree before she suddenly stopped and turned, nervously shuffling her hooves. “Hey, Miss Touch...”
The therapist lifted an eyebrow. “Yes, Twilight?”
“I was wondering if you…” She gulped. “Would be my friend?”
“Of course, I’m your friend, Twilight.” The mare leaned down and pulled the filly into a short hug before gathering up her things. “Now then, why don't you see if Fine Tooth has any more cool stories left to tell you?”
The filly nodded, beaming up at the mare. “I hope so!” With that, the filly turned and bounded away, running across the busy office space and disappearing around a corner.
The elder mare’s smile fell away instantly, and the unicorn wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. “I better hurry before she gets bored,” she muttered, before turning to her own office and trotting away at a brisk pace.
Slipping inside her office, the mare turned the rod for the blinds and trotted behind her desk, flicking on the small lamp and made her way over to the filing cabinet in the corner. It was devoid of labeling save for a six pointed orange star that had five other yellow stars surrounding it and small white points poking out behind the largest one. With the ease of someone that had done this dozens of times before, the therapist opened a drawer, ripped out the sheet containing today’s notes and slipped it into the file with today’s date written on it.
Next she turned back to her desk and dug out a simple manilla folder, and extracted the x-rays and notes inside of it. The x-rays seemed normal at first glance, showing a healthy leg bone which was perfect save for the fact that it was a little thicker than most. This single strange aspect was compounded when one looked closer and realized there were many other odd things being captured in that picture.
Thin tendrils seemed to snake from the bone, and the bone itself was far denser than what should be possible. It also had a weird secondary structure around it that was vaguely reminiscent of scaffolding one might see on the side of a building, though it was for the most part already disintegrated. Along with the x-rays were also several normal pictures displaying a purple furred limb, that again seemed normal at first glance, with only slight discoloration making it seem anything less than average.
And though the limb itself seemed perfectly healthy save for a few strange lines of deep purple discoloration around where the break had occurred, it was also not the limb of a child, or at least it didn't look that way. The notes attached to the picture indicated that the subject had been administered a light shock an instant before the picture was taken, making her muscles bulge and making the limb itself seem like one that belonged to a body builder rather than a filly.
The picture after that seemed completely normal, with the filly’s muscles no longer bulging obscenely. Velvet Touch shook her head and filled it all away before making a note to review what she had discovered and write a full report, one that would indicate just how strange this all truly was.
Though she wasn't a scientist by any stretch of the imagination, she knew something was wrong. The parasite had finally acted, except it didn't seem to be negatively impacting the filly’s life, rather it seemed to be doing the exact opposite. It both strengthened and repaired the break she had experienced, pulling the bone back through her skin and knitting it perfectly before going even further and strengthening the bone itself, allowing the filly to stand after mere hours of the devastating incident.
That limb would need to be hit by quite a large amount of force to be broken again, and Velvet Touch was certain that Twilight would only bounce back and become even stronger if such a thing did manage to occur. The therapist shook her head and purged her thoughts of such worries, it wasn't her place to consider such things, only what it meant for Twilight’s mind and nothing indicated that she had acted out of the ordinary. Yet anyway.
Celestia set the report that she had just received down on her desk, tapping her chin thoughtfully as she mused on the news she had received.
It wasn't readily apparent that she had an attempted murder on her hooves, and though she was confident Silver Bulwark would ensure such a thing wouldn't happen again, the monarch was less sure that the guard could get to the bottom of things. Bull was very emotionally invested in Twilight, which made her unfortunately rather biased, add to that the fact that she just wasn't the greatest investigator and Celestia was almost certain she wouldn't get to the bottom of things without a set of keen eyes to help her out.
Something she could probably supply, all she needed to do was clear a little time, set up some interviews and- Her train of thought was derailed by a mental alarm sounding in her mind. “Not now,” she mumbled angrily.
The alicorn lit her horn and stood up from her desk, her mind going out along the familiar lines of magic, seeking out the source of the alarm bells sounding in her head. With a sigh, the bells stopped and she was forced to drop the response she had been writing, setting it aside into a now perilously large pile that sat in her ‘to do’ box.
Celestia spared the pile a sidelong glance before frowning at the way it tipped one way and then the next, barely able to keep standing anymore. “Maybe one day I will have time for you,” she muttered, making a quick note to check the loyalty of her officers in hope of delegating more of her duties only to realize she had already made such a note, and that it was somewhere in the perilous pile.
A long, shuddering sigh broke the silence of the alicorn’s private office, before she stood a little straighter, reminding herself that this was, after all, both necessary and vital. Shaking her head, the mare lit her horn once more, and after ensuring her teleportation spell would be unable to be tracked, disappeared in a flash of light.
The alicorn reappeared in another flash of light which illuminated the small room she appeared within briefly. Four perfectly flat stone walls surrounded her, featureless save for a glowing circle on the ground and an iron door across from her.
Lighting her horn, the mare waited as the circle below her lit up, along with several other glyphs and writing that sparked to life a complex weave of spells that washed over her. She had done this hundreds if not thousands of times, yet the spells were still as irritating as ever, making her skin crawl as they washed over her. Thankfully it didn't take long and after the glyphs discovered she was indeed the pony that had cast the spells in the first place, allowed her to move, the door across from her opening automatically as the spells dulled and the room lit up.
Several torches sprung to life, illuminating the room in the gentle glow of spell light, allowing the mare to trot through the room and into the area beyond. Much like the first room, this one was also relatively featureless, merely turning into a long hallway that had the the same featureless gray stone walls, floor and roof as the last room. Along the walls were more blue flame torches, illuminating a long carpet that led from one end of the hall to the other, wherein another, much larger iron door stood.
As she walked the hall, Celestia felt the various protective measures come to life and scan her before falling silent. Her hooves passed over a pitfall trap that did not open, while several magically aimed crossbows emerged from the ceiling, only to recede back into their hiding places. Traps and spells the likes of which nopony had ever seen before having been employed to defend this lone, narrow stretch of hallway.
Confident that her defences were still up to snuff, the alicorn walked a little faster, eager to find out what exactly had changed. Making her way to the end of the hall, the mare stood quietly before the final door, barely able to push down the urge to tap her hoof in annoyance. A second later the floor next to her bulged, a quadruped shape emerging from the stone and quickly taking a more distinct form of an earth pony
“Otium superat,” Celestia stated clearly.
The stone pony bowed once before reaching forward and pushing open the door, allowing a rush of wind to rush out from within. The stone pony didn't seem to notice, but Celestia could instantly feel the difference compared to the stale air of the hall, and she breathed deep of the crisp, cool breeze, instantly refreshed. She shook her head and slipped inside, pushing the door closed firmly behind her, only allowing herself to turn around after she heard the familiar click, whir that meant the room was sealed and her work could begin.
Celestia smiled faintly as she gazed out over the singular object that took up nearly the entire room, a hint of pride welling in her chest.
The room itself was much, much larger than the last, roughly the size of the training arena wherein she had begun to test Twilight’s unique magic. Except this room was nearly completely filled with strange and glowing streams, most of which were teal, while a few were black, which were, in turn, intermingled with thousands upon thousands of gears. The entire thing shifted and moved nearly completely soundlessly, with the only noise being the soft clink of the occasional gear sliding into place. Between this seemingly endless array of parts were the thousands upon thousands of thin streams of teal and black that seemed to emanate from deeper within the room, growing out from some unseen central point.
With a smile on her lips, the alicorn pumped her wings and lifted off the ground, flying into the great machine. The gears and lines seemed to ebb and flow around her, allowing the alicorn to make her way deeper through its many twists and turns before eventually emerging into the centre-most chamber. From here there were several thicker, seemingly more important lines of flowing teal light that caught her eye and made her smile fall away.
She looked down, towards where all the strands emerged from, noting that the egg-like centre point was now marred by more of the strange black-tinted streams. Now that she saw just how many of those streams were corrupted, her heart sank, and though she felt sorry for those poor fools that have strayed too far from harmony, she didn't have time for them.
She turned her attention deeper into the machine, gently gliding between the opening until she was able to behold the centre-most point and the six, powerful streams of the purest teal that surrounded it. The alicorn sighed, noticing that some of the black had begun to seep into three of the six streams, though she noticed that Twilight’s remained as pure as ever, even though it was marred by a little red that indicated she had experienced a considerable amount of rage in her recent past.
The alicorn sighed, making another mental note to check up on the afflicted unicorn in order to ensure she was indeed alright after meeting with Velvet Touch. Putting those thoughts out of her mind for now, the alicorn lit her horn and focused entirely upon reaching deep into herself, drawing forth power from the very depths of her soul.
Then, when she felt as though her body was filled with all the magic it could possibly hold, she began to sing. The song itself was wordless, and uttered in a tongue beyond the comprehension of mortals. It wasn't even wholly right to say that she was singing at all, rather she was giving voice to emotion itself, allowing the most primal part of her being to resonate through her magically enhanced vocal cords.
At the sound of the alicorn’s soul, the egg shook, the many streams of purest teal vibrating along with it. As she sang, the egg-shaped orb became still once more, though occasionally a thin tremor could be seen emanating from the countless streams that grew forth from its bulk. Those streams that echoed with the alicorn’s empathy lost a shred of the darkness pressing down upon them, the darkness flaking off and vanishing amidst the aetherial wind that gently shifted through the cavern.
As her song continued, Celestia looked down, noticing that it seemed to have the desired effect, as the three streams she focused on began to lose a hint of the darkness that clung to them. She peered intently at the thinnest most stream, peering into the river that was this being’s life. She could see pain, and sorrow the likes of which would make any other being quake with fear and grovel for relief, yet this pony seemed to bear it with a stoicism bordering on madness. Celestia could feel her heart break all over again as she stared deep into the pony’s life, reliving how she had nearly lost it all, only to be cast out by the only thing that she truly cared about, her family.
Shifting gears, Celestia chose to dedicate more of herself to that unfortunate pony, knowing well the signs of sorrow and loneliness that came with ostracization. Within minutes she could see the pony within the stream begin to still, her nightmare slowly dissipating and leaving her in a dreamless slumber. It wasn't much, but Celestia hoped desperately that the small kindness would help the poor thing as she struggled onwards on her uncertain path.
Her mood slowly lifting, the alicorn continued to sing, the minutes flying by as she continued to pour herself into the sound, hoping desperately that it would be enough to help push back the tide of darkness she knew to be coming.
The alicorn stumbled back into the small room she had first appeared in those many hours ago, her hooves having become dull, useless things that seemed to catch on every surface. The weight that had settled over her body having grown oppressive, weighing her down physically, mentally and spiritually. Though she had accomplished her goal and had staved off the alarm bells for now, she knew it wouldn't be long before the weave required more attention.
The thought of spending another sleepless night in those chambers was not a pleasant one, and it was with a heavy heart and even heavier limbs that she stepped back into the chamber and lit her horn. In a flash of light she was back in her office, only for her eyes to go wide when she realized exactly what time it was, her internal clock alerting her to just how close she had cut it.
Sprinting over to the window, the alicorn threw open the curtains, revealing the moon hanging low in the sky. Serendipity may have been on her side and allowed her to return mere moments before she had to lower the moon and raise the sun, but Celestia wasn't ready to count her lucky stars quite yet, as she had one last struggle left before the day could truly begin.
Lighting her horn once more, the alicorn reached out to the moon, her magic passing through the aether and beyond, until finally it touched upon the stark white orb hanging in the sky. The alicorn gritted her teeth, refusing to recoil from the ensuing hatred that poured through the connection. For a moment her hooves shook, and her mind trembled as the rage and fury of the moon’s mistress poured into her. Then her jaw clenched and the powerful alicorn stood once more, brushing aside the dark mistress’ influence and forcing her will upon the moon, lowering it from the sky completely.
With her sister’s prison now hidden from sight, she reached out and with only the gentlest of prodding, encouraged the sun to rise above the horizon. An action the sun eagerly complied with, moving into position and even giving the alicorn a piece of itself, temporarily pushing the pain and weariness that clung to the alicorn’s mind.
“Thank you, old friend,” she whispered, before standing proudly once more.
The alicorn turned back to her desk and noticed a new addition to her inbox, a small hoofwritten note from her secretary that told of complications with the most recent trade deal with Griphonia. With a deep sigh she crumpled up the piece of paper and tossed it into the trash, and reluctantly glanced over the pile of paper she wanted to get to.
She brushed a hoof over the top of the pile, desperately wishing that she had the time or the extra mare power to truly get to her many, slightly less pressing concerns. Turning away, the alicorn sighed once more, reluctantly putting off her those many problems in order to focus on the most recent trouble to plague her.
“I’m sorry Twilight, hopefully Silver Bulwark will be able to get to the bottom of this on her own,” the alicorn muttered. “And hopefully those foolish unicorns can wait to be investigated another day.”
A sudden knock on the door alerted the alicorn that she was no longer alone, and after pulling herself up into her more regal posture, opened the door with her magic. “Ahh, Raven, what is it?”
The demure mare on the other side of the door opened her mouth to speak, only to squint into the relative gloom of Celestia’s office. “Are you- are you alright, Your Highness? The guards said you didn't return to your chambers last night.”
“It's nothing, I was just doing some last minute work that needed some extra attention,” Celestia remarked.
The mare frowned, her gaze lingering on the alicorn’s eyes. “Alright… but you should really get some sleep, Your Majesty.”
“I will,” Celestia stated evenly. “Now, what do you have for me today?”
“Err, well it's about the griffon ambassador, Ma’am, she's been causing trouble again and demanding to speak to you about the negotiations.”
Celestia sighed, rolling her eyes and stepped around her desk. “We better see what old Storm Beak wants this time.”
“Are you sure you don't want to get-” The mare winced. “Sorry.”
“Put it out of your mind, Raven.” The alicorn smiled. “Just tell me what she is raising a ruckus over this time.”
“Right, it all started when a group of nobles showed up and-”