The alarm went off, and Precious Jewel sat up in bed. After yawning and stretching, she gave the first rays of dawn a smile.
“Today’s the day!” she said to herself, a bright smile on her face. “Today’s the day I’m going to meet the love of my life, I just know it!”
Turning on the light, she got ready for work: brushed her coat and mane, put on just a bit of Everlasting Love™ brand perfume and her favorite soft black lacy ribbon for her mane.
Whistling a soft tune (quietly, so she wouldn’t wake up her roommate), she left the apartment and headed off to work. Today her boss had told her to be prepared for an important challenge, and so if that was the case, Precious Jewel would meet that challenge head-on.
After all, her future special somepony was out there, just waiting for her!
Velvet and Night, already having adjusted to the unusual sights they’d seen since their arrival, now found themselves witness to one even weirder as they walked into the breakfast parlor: both Sunset and Octavia, seated at the table, eating breakfast, while a fox-like creature sat next to the latter, poring over a book with what Velvet presumed was a serious look on its face.
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” Night said, offering his hand. “I’m Night Light, and this is my wife, Twilight Velvet.”
The fox stood, bowed and told them, “I am no one. Please do not consider me of purpose. I am only here by Her Highness’ insistence.”
When Night looked at Sunset for an explanation, the flame-haired girl said, “It’s a kitsune thing. Just let it go for now and I’ll talk to her later.”
“Is this related to what you told us this morning?” Velvet asked her. Sunset nodded, and decided to turn to the other member of their family. “Tavi, are you okay? Sunny sent us a note this morning and told us about what happened last night.”
“I’m doing better than I was last night,” Octavia replied between bites of her pancakes. “Is it bad that I got proposed to by a prince and I just don’t care?”
“Trust me, things like that are normal around here,” Sunset said sardonically.
“I’ll take your word for it.” Octavia then turned back to her aunt. “Anyway, to make up for it, Sunny’s offered to take me shopping this afternoon before my appointment. I want to see if I can get a new, locally-made contrabass and guitar and see how they sound on human equipment.”
“Just don’t overdo the shopping. We still have to go home and even though it’s just bringing things through a portal, we don’t want to find out the hard way if significant conservation of mass is involved,” the matron advised.
“It’s not, Mom,” Sunset told her. “Besides, we should be okay.”
“I’ll be keeping it to a minimum anyway,” Octavia assured her. “As it is, I don’t have any money, so Sunny’s paying for it all.”
“All the more reason to be careful then – Sunny is quite literally tied to the national economy here, so let’s not leave a bad impression by bankrupting the realm, shall we?” Night joked.
“Oh, I’m sure that they’ll be doing that once they see the weapons that the triplets and Adm. Loam are bringing to the table,” Sunset drolled. “We can have cost overruns just like home.”
“I’m not sure I like the idea of an idyll like this turning into a military behemoth like back home,” Velvet mused.
“Times change, Vel.” Velvet turned and saw both Celestia and Luna – the ones she’d known virtually all her life, at least – walking into the room. “Cultures change. Neither Luna or I remained the same when we moved to the US, and you can’t expect them to remain the same because they’re exposed to us now.”
“Especially given that they just got over a war,” Luna pointed out. “Typically, societies that do that start bulking up soonest.”
“And yet they seem to lead such idyllic lives despite all that,” Velvet replied. “Is it wrong that I’d rather there be at least one species out there that doesn’t want to have anything to do with conflict?”
“It would be nice, Aunt Velvet, but it’s not realistic. There’s always a drive for people to protect themselves, and they do what they have to in order to do that.” The others turned to see Adagio, her sisters and Sable walk in. The quartet were dressed in identical uniforms: black double-breasted suit coats with golden buttons, white shirts with black ties and black trousers; at their sides, they carried combination cover hats. At first glance, the small group could have easily been presumed to be officers of the United States Navy, but a keen look at their rank insignia, as well as their award ribbons, said otherwise. The four had settled on the uniform style, as the organization in question really did not have a standardized dress attire, or at least as far as humans went.
“You know I don’t like this at all,” Velvet told the oldest triplet. “I only reluctantly agreed to let you three do this because of Sunset’s grandmother.”
“We know, and we love you for that, Aunt Velvet,” Aria chimed in. “But this is what we were born to do, and nothing’s going to change that.”
Night, deciding a change in topic was in order, looked at Sable. “Think you’re ready for today?”
“I certainly hope so,” Sable admitted. “Today’s going to be our first formal meeting with the Lord Admiral of the Royal Navy and as we’ll technically be under her command, we need to look our best. As I understand it, Adm. Tumblehome is a martinet if there ever was one.”
Aria grabbed a muffin from the plate in the center, then picked up the butter spreader. “I hope we’re not going to end up with another Cantata,” she groaned. “If that’s the case, she’ll be one we won’t be able to get rid of.”
“That’s why I’m here, Cmdr. Blaze,” Sable told her. “Someone has to step into the line of fire.”
“And we appreciate that, sir,” she told him.
Night looked at Sable’s rank, seeing the single star. “So, rear admiral or commodore?”
“Going with rear admiral, lower half,” Sable told him. “I’ve seen the rank and rate structure of the REN, and it’s a mess, to say the least. The Army, the Guard and the Mage Guild have better systems. Since we’re going to be a special unit of the REN, I want actual structure, which means that we’re best going by established guidelines. And fortunately, the US Navy is a decent enough guide, given that the girls were prior Sailors.” A pony server asked if he wanted coffee; Sable nodded and a second later a mug was placed in front of him, filled with an aromatic black liquid. Continuing his conversation, Sable added, “I’m actually surprised you know about the ranks.”
“Not much,” Night admitted. “While my brother was a Navy fighter pilot, the ways of the Navy are still a mystery to me. As it is, we keep in touch with his widow, Seaspray; last time we talked, she was just promoted to a two-star and made commander of Carrier Strike Group Three or something like that.”
Luna looked at Celestia and asked, “Which makes me wonder: Do we have the funds to make a JROTC?”
“There’s available funding for it,” Celestia responded, “though usually the high schools don’t bother. Besides, I get the feeling that your new vice principal wouldn’t care for that sort of thing, as it takes away from scholastics.”
Adagio looked at the two educators. “If you’re doing it for our sakes, while we appreciate the gesture, we’ll have to decline. After everything we’ve been through, we don’t feel that we can risk the lives of any teenagers who can’t comprehend this lifestyle. No, if this new SIREN is going to work, it will have to be through established members of the Equestrian military.”
Aria nodded. “While we do have a few potential prospects amongst the people we know back at home, Dagi’s right – we’re best leaving the teens we know to be, well, teens. As it is, we’re going to have our hands full, especially when we start drafting up the full teams for deployment.”
“Full teams?” Sunset asked.
“Yes, Your Highness. Five teams of forty personnel each; two hundred in total,” Sable explained.
“Two hundred?” Sunset gasped.
“Wow, talk about mall invasions,” Octavia cracked.
Celestia looked at him. “Sable, we cannot take in two hundred extra students at CHS! It’ll be hard enough as is to hide them around the other high schools in the area.”
“Sunset did it for years without issue,” he noted.
“Yes, but she was able to get away with it because it was just her! Two hundred students are a demographic influx, and you know as well as I do that’s a much harder number to obscure.”
“I know, believe me. That’s why it’s probably going to be more like three teams – 120 personnel – spread around the area. Three active SIREN teams on Earth should be enough, while two units can remain behind in Equestria to assist the Crown with special duties and eventually train the other special forces that the other services will want once they see the effectiveness of SIREN.”
“Sable, have you considered the bigger factor?” Velvet asked him. “Even with seven billion people on Earth—”
“Your world has seven billion sapients?” the vixen said, astonished and looking at Sunset with eyes wider than dining plates.
“Probably closer to eight at this point,” Sonata mused.
“Yes,” Sunset told the shocked kitsune. “We’ll explain later. Anyway, go ahead, Mom.”
“As I was saying, Sable, there has to be at least one or two living near or that has ties to Canterlot and/or Equestria County, or even the general metro area. Even Shimmer, though she lives in France, has ties to Canterlot, for example.”
Sable looked at his future princess. “Do you mind if we discuss this?” he asked her.
“It’s not classified,” she told him.
“It should be,” he replied. “In any case, we’ve commissioned a highly-qualified computer specialist to build specialized software for us.”
Sunset turned to Aria, eyebrow raised. “Is this the thing you set up with Derpy a couple of weeks back?”
The middle triplet frowned; she didn’t think she had been that blatant. “That obvious?”
“Don’t worry, Sunny,” Adagio assured her. “We covered our tracks well and she thinks she designed this for the FBI.”
“You do know that Derpy’s not stupid, right? She’ll probably figure that out in an instant.”
“Probably, but that may be a good thing, as she’s probably one of the few that we could consider as SIREN material despite the prohibition,” Aria admitted. “In any case, she’s built us a program that will tie into all the publicly available information around the world. We’ll be recruiting only Equestrians that are the best of the best, who appear to be between the ages of eighteen to twenty-six, and have counterparts with no criminal records and have zero ties to anywhere within a five-hundred-mile radius of the Canterlot Metropolitan Area. The last thing we need is for a SIREN to walk down the street and run into her counterpart…or worse, the cops, who want to arrest her for something her counterpart did.”
“Yeah, I can see how that would be a slight problem,” Night said with a trace of bemusement.
“Anyway, once we meet with Adm. Tumblehome and formally turn over our flag, we will then start recruiting from within the Navy as well as the other services. In keeping with SIREN tradition, they’ll all be female, though if it’s successful enough, we may consider creating a male-based support unit in the future.”
“That would be good to know; even if Equestria is a matriarchal society I value all my subjects.” Everyone paused to see the solar alicorn standing at the door, a smile on her face.
Sable stood up and barked, “Attention on deck!” At once, the three junior SIRENs stood as one, all four becoming ramrod straight poster children.
Sunset groaned. “Not right now, okay?”
“This is military protocol, Sunset; even I know that,” Princess Celestia told her. “And Admiral, you may relax that protocol while you are here. We have a semi-casual standard around the palace, as it allows things to be more efficient. I will have my office forward you a copy of the joint agreement, if you’d like.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” he told her. “That would be appreciated.”
“Still, it is interesting to note that my daughter is raiding my best troops for her own private army,” Princess Celestia said with a grin. “And here you are all talking about it calmly at breakfast.”
Adagio, however looked at the regent. “Your Majesty, with all due respect, I take umbrage to that statement.”
“Oh, how so, my little pony?” she asked. A second later, she amended with, “In a manner of speaking, of course.”
“Understood, ma’am. In any case, SIREN is a naval force, not military, per se. Therefore, your daughter would be raiding your best troops for her own private naval corps, not an army.” Adagio continued to fix her glance on the solar alicorn even as the princess looked back.
The solar alicorn’s eyes narrowed briefly…before she started to giggle. “Oh, I think you’ll give Tumblehome absolute trauma!” she said with a smile. “I wholeheartedly approve.”
“Thank you, Princess,” Adagio said, briefly bowing before returning to her meal.
Princess Celestia then turned to Sunset. “Oh, Sunset, you have such a charming family! Any chance there are others out there that I could adopt from the human world?” Sunset merely rolled her eyes and groaned at that and the princess giggled.
“I’ve been told it’s the right of parents to completely embarrass their foals,” the princess continued, giving Velvet and Night a knowing wink before turning back to Sable. “In any case, Admiral, if you would indulge me, I would like to have a conversation with you prior to your meeting with the Naval staff. Perhaps I can give you some additional advice.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. My subordinates and I would be honored to join you. Would you like us to meet you in the throne room, or is there another location you have planned?”
“The throne room would be fine. Also, if you would, bring your lovely lady with you,” the princess said, turning her head slightly to look at her counterpart. “I don’t believe we’ve had time to chat yet.”
A chill suddenly settled in the room as everyone realized what was going on.
“I’m doomed,” Celestia suddenly murmured. Luna, seated next to her, reached down and squeezed her sister’s hand in sympathy.
However, she wasn’t the only one thinking ahead. “On second thought…. Capt. Dazzle, I want you and your subordinates to meet with Capt. Arrowswift and to make sure we have everything ready for our demonstration with Adm. Tumblehome. We need everything to flow as smoothly as possible and while we have the Guard on our side, the better the planning, the better the result.”
Adagio got the message. “Understood, sir. We’ll switch to Type II OUs and meet you at the parade grounds.”
Meanwhile, Sunset looked at the nearly paranoid gaze on her former principal’s face and the worried cast on her current one, then the unreadable-except-to-her face of her biological mother. She knew she had to do something for Ms. Celestia’s sake, and it was best to do it now. “Mother, may we talk outside for a moment?”
Clearly the solar alicorn had been expecting this. “Of course, dear,” she said, nodding. “Please, everypony, enjoy your breakfast. I’ll see you in a bit, Admiral?”
“Aye, ma’am,” he told her.
Meanwhile, Velvet looked at her daughter. “Sunny, I know what you’re going to do. I suggest you leave it alone,” she advised.
Sunset looked at her human mother, then to the counterpart of her pony one. Celestia looked as though she was seconds away from being fed to the sharks, and Sunset didn’t like that one bit.
“Take care of Ms. Celestia, Mom,” Sunset told her. “I’m going to defuse this.”
“Sweetheart, it’s not that bad, trust me.”
“Maybe or maybe not, but I can’t let it just go without looking out for Ms. Celestia. She did it for me all those years…I wouldn’t be the girl you want me to be if I didn’t do the same.” Sunset took a final swig of her coffee and bite of a scone before getting up and heading out the door.
Princess Celestia waited outside. “Oh, sweetheart, I wanted to remind you that I’ll need you to take the meeting with the delegation from Yakyakistan. They’ve sent a delegation, who seem to be very interested to meet with you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sunset told her. “Now will you please stop scaring Ms. Celestia?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, dear,” the older alicorn replied.
“Yes, you do. Look, if this is about all the times she yelled at me….”
The smile fell from the older alicorn’s face, replaced with a parental look. “It’s not; plus, as I understand it, they were all well-deserved admonishments coming from your educator. I would be remiss as a parent and regent if I were so petty. Plus, as having been an educator myself, I quite understand in any case. So I can assure you, it’s not that.”
“Are you sure?”
“What, don’t you trust me, Little Sun?”
The mention of Sunset’s foalhood nickname made her relent. “I do, Mother. It’s well…she’s family to me, in a sense. Pretty much literally once Shiny and Cady get married.”
“I understand your point and frankly, I’m very proud of you standing up to protect somepony…er, someone you care about. But this is something that I have to do for myself. Honestly, I suspect both of us do.”
“Just…be gentle,” Sunset asked. “She’s afraid of you, and I don’t know why.”
“I do.” Princess Celestia nuzzled her daughter. “And honestly? I’m afraid for the same reason. Now I need to get going. I’ll see you tonight at dinner?”
Sunset nodded. “Of course.”
As Sunset watched her mother depart, she didn’t have time to think about the words she’d said, as Kibbitz suddenly approached her, with another pony in tow. “Princess Sunset?”
“Yes?”
The elderly stallion shuffled some papers in his magical field. “Apologies for the interruption, but the delegation from Yakyakistan arrived early and they’re insistent upon meeting with you now. Additionally, the Ambassador from Inari said he would like to meet with you this afternoon regarding a certain…faux pas…that apparently occurred last night. Lastly, the delegation from Saddle Arabia arrived this morning instead of tomorrow and they would like to perform the traditional Jasmine ceremony for you at your earliest convenience.”
Sunset immediately summoned her phone and looked at her schedule; it was going to completely trash the free time she had this afternoon with Octavia. “Damn, there goes my free time. I’d promised I’d take Tavi shopping today. Is there any way the Saddle Arabians can wait until tomorrow?”
“While I’m sure they could, Your Highness, it would be a grave insult to them,” Kibbitz informed her. “The Jasmine ceremony involves a ritual purification that will take the participants hours, and will vastly inconvenience them. Besides, I am sure Lady Octavia will quite understand that you have other duties and cannot always be available.”
“I know, but….” Sunset sighed and changed into her alicorn form. “I guess I’d best give her the bad news.”
“I know this is a difficulty for you, Princess, but your mother has had the same issues throughout the years. You are not alone in your struggle.”
“Yeah, but I don’t have to like it. As it is, I’m going to hate doing all that extra paperwork that’s involved.”
The stallion nodded. “About that…as you are currently without a seneschal of your own, I’ve taken the liberty of assigning one of my secretaries to you until we complete the search for your seneschal.” Gesturing with his left hoof, he stated, “May I present Miss Precious Jewel.”
The two mares looked at one another. “It’s…it’s an honor to work with you, Princess Sunset!” Jewel said, blushing. “I hope that I can do my very best to make sure your office is running smoothly!”
“I’m sure you will,” Sunset assured her. She then looked back at Kibbitz. “Now, are there any other issues that need to be attended to, as my mother’s busy at the moment and I suspect she’ll pass the paperwork on to me?”
Kibbitz chuckled. “So very astute of you, Your Highness. I have them at my office. If you’ll follow me.” He then turned to Jewel. “And as for you, Miss Jewel, I will need you to head off to Nobility House and to check with my associates there to ensure that everything is ready for Friday’s session.”
The mare bowed. “I will endeavor to do so, my lord,” she said softly.
“There’s a good lass. Now then, if you’ll follow me, Your Highness, we shall get this over and done with. I’m quite sure you do not wish to keep the yaks waiting.” With that the two walked off towards his office and Sunset’s first challenge of the day.
Jewel managed to make it down the hall before she ducked into a closet and collapsed. That…oh, my…. She felt a warm feeling wash over her like she never had before, and every inch of her body seemed to vibrate with excitement. It was like that feeling she got whenever she read one of Silver’s romance novels, but even more so.
Princess Sunset Shimmer…. she thought, running the words around in her mind. They fit perfectly. They were nothing less than sheer perfection.
She giggled softly as she stepped out of the broom closet, an unnaturally wide grin on her muzzle. At long last, she had found love.
Now to win her heart and let her know that I will be the best wife for her that I can! Jewel thought. I will be the one to make her happy!
After all, the princess had been living in an alien world all these years, probably with beings that didn’t understand her and certainly wouldn’t love her the way Jewel would.
Meanwhile, at the table, the kitsune closed the book, a satisfied smile having come to her face. “I have chosen a name, one that I feel will serve me well.”
Adagio looked at her. “Do tell.”
“Henceforth, I shall be known as…Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.” Seeing the sudden looks of confusion on the faces of the humans, she asked, “Did I commit a social taboo? I was trying to pick a name that was acceptable for humans, and it was my understanding that this book would assist in my efforts.” She held up a copy of a dictionary.
“Did someone not tell her what that means?” Velvet asked the girls present.
“I think the bigger question is, is she aware that human names aren’t that much different from pony ones, weird as that is?” Luna added.
“I saw the ‘Fox’ part and felt it was apt,” the vixen said with a satisfied smile, but then that grin fell as she suspected it wasn’t approved. “I have no excuse for any pertinence on my part,” she said apologetically. “I did not ask my mistress and unfortunately, I have taken it as my True Name, so I cannot change it.”
“You can’t?”
“A kitsune can only change his or her name when we are reclanned,” she said. “We can only tell our clan our True Name and it is ours forevermore, unless you expel me from the clan.”
“Not that we would,” Octavia stated, “but you said you would have to take your life if you were to be expelled again?”
“Yes. The shame would be too great,” she said, worriedly. She then took Octavia’s hands in her paws. “Please, milady, please! I will be a gracious and humble servant! Please forgive my unknowing foolishness!”
Octavia looked at her aunt. “Help?” she pled.
“I have no idea what’s going on,” Velvet sighed, “but clearly part of my duties as a parent around here is explaining humanity to non-human sapients.”
There were days, Han’nya-no-Midorino’oka, Ambassador of Inari to the Court of Canterlot, wondered if this was all worth it. When he first took over the position from his older brother, Dōkaku, he thought it would be a walk in the park, relatively speaking. But then came the Winter of Aftermath, which had affected the whole world. The seclusion of Princess Celestia had just recently ended, but it had made many kitsune in the Court of Nine Tails uneasy at the prospect of a potentially more powerful Nightmare Moon crisis befalling the alicorn that controlled the very daystar that every being depended upon. Thus, it had fallen to Han’nya to ensure the continued prosperity of the Inari-Equestria alliance, lest their nation become worse off than that Tartarus-forsaken collection of squabbling lands that had once been the great griffin kingdom of Griffonstone.
And now, his idiot of a brother may have sent all of Han’nya’s efforts tumbling straight down the nearest pit, all because he couldn’t keep his yukata folded, as the saying went.
“Prince Fujitsu, you have brought dishonor upon the nation with your antics,” Han’nya said to the recalcitrant prince. “May I remind you that you are merely a minor prince of the realm and not one of the ruling tails! In fact, the only reason you are a prince and not a mere daimyo is because you are the illegitimate child of—”
“Enough, enough,” Fujitsu said, waving a paw absently. “I get your point, brother. And may I remind you that tradition dictates that when a tod is on the search for a mate, none may interfere?”
“For one, you know that is not true – a ruling tail, if he feels it is in the best interest of the Empire, may prevent it. And in this case, I am sorely tempted to do so. These aren’t some lovelorn mares ready to lift their tails at a moment’s notice, you fool – you are entreating with humans!” Han’nya railed in the young kitsune’s face, his hazel eyes flaring as he snarled, “Do you not recall the stories of those monsters? It is bad enough that the alicorns are entreating with these beasts, and now you want to rut with one like you’re some Ōinari-forsaken hydra?”
“Do you not recall the stories of the Megan and her many kitsune lovers?” Fujitsu commented with a bored tone, looking over his recently-polished claws. “A true tod knows how to take care of a human vixen. They practically beg for us to bring the clouds and rain with them.”
“You and those salacious iroke stories of yours will get you in trouble.” The ambassador walked over to a bookcase, withdrew one from the shelf, then threw it at Fujitsu. “Read the true history of our encounters with the Hōrō-sha, such as the one where she slaughtered Emperor Tsuzurao for his predations on other lands despite Queen Faust’s warnings. When he didn’t listen, the alicorn queen unleashed her warlord and our nation paid a terrible price. A price at the paws of a human!
“Humans like that are something we scarcely need more of on this world, and yet the alicorns are playing as dangerous a game as their mother. And now you want to make it worse? Are you that stupid?” He pointed a digit at the prince. “Mark my words: if you continue this foolishness, I will have you sent back. You are here merely because our father seems to think you might be able to handle more responsibility, but I have my doubts – and you are surely proving them true! Remember this: when push comes to shove, I make the final decisions as to your presence here, do I make myself clear?”
Fujitsu growled. “Fine, brother. Fine.”
“Good. I’m glad we’ve had this talk,” Han’nya seethed. “Now leave my office; I have to speak to Baroness Sunset and come up with a suitable apology for your behavior.”
A stoic look on his face, Fujitsu went back to the office he had been assigned to while here at the embassy. Once there, he let the rage he truly felt come to the forefront as he picked up a priceless vase from the nearby table and threw it against the far wall, watching it shatter into a thousand pieces and far beyond the skill of even the finest kintsukuroi artisans to fix.
How dare he treat me like I’m some kit! Fujitsu hissed in his head. Just because he’s a seven-tailed kitsune, born of the actual Empress, doesn’t mean he’s so damn special! Fujitsu grabbed the end of his desk, clawing it hard enough to scratch the priceless wood of the desk. It wasn’t Fujitsu’s fault that he was born of one of the royal concubines! He had served the realm dutifully as a diplomat and bureaucrat, and he did not deserve to be dressed down as if he were some low-ranking one-tail!
He knew what he wanted – that human vixen with the black mane and the wicked purple eyes. She would be a pawful in bed, he knew. He could practically feel her claws against his back, raking them in ecstasy. He’d had many females before, but none caught his attention like that Octavia vixen. None sank into his dreams and made him wish to reach the clouds and rain like she did.
He would have her…but he would have to be careful. Even he knew angering the alicorns was not wise, so he would have to be subtle about the way he obtained Octavia. He wanted her to know that he would spend no little cost to ensure that she was to be his, and that he would make her the finest bride in all of Inari.
He snapped his digits. “Kashintsu, Keraigo, a moment, please.”
Immediately, a pair of three-tailed kitsunes similar to the former Kashingo appeared before him.
“Your will be done, my prince,” Kashintsu, the tod said.
“I am yours to serve,” the vixen, Keraigo, told him.
He first addressed Kashintsu: “I understand that there are…specialists in town, attending to other matters, matters that the Crown of Equestria would not approve of.” One thing about his duties; working for the Kakureta Ashi, the Empire’s espionage agency, had its benefits; even if he was not versed in spycraft and served as an accountancy official, he still had access to information. “Find them and bring their leader to me.”
“As you wish, so shall it be.” Kashintsu departed immediately.
Keraigo then looked at him. “And what are my orders, my lord?”
“I wish you to send a report to the Kakureta Ashi. With humans now becoming a part of the society of Equus, the Court of Nine Tails will need more data on them.” Fujitsu did not mention his ulterior motive: that more data, in turn, meant he would have more ways of understanding his bride.
“I shall depart immediately, my lord,” she told him.
“Not so fast, Keraigo. I have…other needs for you first.” He walked over to the small potted tree in the room and removed a leaf. Magic flowed through it and it became a photograph. “I wish you to change into this.”
Keraigo looked at the picture. The creature in it looked hideous. “Sire, I would happily remove—”
“Those are my orders, Keraigo. Would you care to end up like the Forbidden One?”
“No, my lord.” A small storm of leaves encircled the vixen, and a second later, they vanished, as did the kitsune. In her place stood Octavia, wearing the clothing Keraigo wore a second before.
“Attend me,” he told her. In return, she responded, removing her yukata and presenting herself before him for his pleasure.
He smiled as he disrobed himself. He could almost taste her lips against his muzzle now and they would reach the clouds and rain together.
Someday soon, he would do that with the real Octavia.
As the pair walked down the hallway, Celestia could hear the rhythmic footfalls of Sable’s dress shoes combined with the clopping of their escort’s hooves and the sharp, snapping sound both made as they collided against the floor. They reminded her of the echoing hallways of the school she briefly attended in Italy before her family moved to America. The Scuola Primaria di Castello Cavalcanti had been built in a former monastery, and it showed. Despite (or maybe due to) Armonia’s teasing her about the noise, Celestia had developed a healthy fear of the sound. Decades had worn down that terror to a mere feeling of nerves, but it had never really gone away. And now, on the verge of facing a fear greater than her childhood phobia, she found it ironic that she finally had overcome the fear of echoing taps.
She gripped her boyfriend’s arm tighter. She knew he would try to protect her as always, and she loved him for that. But as powerful as Sunset was, she knew that Sunset’s mother might be even more powerful. And even if Sable would stick up for her…how do you seek protection against a literal god?
But her fears had to be faced, she knew. And so the four continued on, the raps on the floor steady as they moved.
God, I hate that sound, was the only thing on her mind.
Finally, they arrived at the location: a pair of massive double doors made of burnished gold, flanked by two guards in ceremonial barding. “Her majesty is waiting inside for you,” the lead guard, a rather severe-looking pegasus, stated.
“Thank you, Guardsman,” Sable intoned. The guardspony, assuming Sable’s phrasing was a human version, saluted and moved on. Sable returned the salute, then turned back to the doors.
“You ready?” he asked her.
Celestia shook her head. “I don’t think I ever will be,” she admitted.
“We’ll be fine,” he told her as he nodded to the door sentries. Their horns lit up, and the two walked in.
As they walked in, the first thing Celestia noticed was that the throne room was massive: a huge auditorium with raised seating around the perimeter, set so that people – or rather, ponies – would face the far end of the room. On either side of the room were stained glass windows, each one unique and imparting the tale of a major event that took place. At that end was a huge raised dais, upon which were two thrones. The first was made from the purest gold in existence, while the other appeared to be carved from a strange black metal. Behind them both was an even more massive throne that appeared to be made of the finest platinum around.
And in the golden one sat Princess Celestia, ruler of the realm and ageless goddess of the sun. She looked at them both, a friendly smile on her face that to her human counterpart was in truth the bared fangs of the wolf moving in for the kill.
“I thought we should talk a bit in private,” the alicorn said. “I would normally do this in my personal chambers or my tearoom, but my maidstaff are cleaning both right now and I do not wish to disturb them. Plus, I believe we have a few things to get off our respective barrels, as it were.”
This was it, Celestia knew. She tried not to wince, though she flinched slightly. She felt the slight grip of Sable’s hands in hers tighten, trying to send a message to her, but still, she was afraid.
The solar alicorn looked at Sable. “Admiral…no, Sable Loam…your name is part of a dark chapter in our world’s history. The Sable Loam I knew was a monster and one of my greatest enemies. He would have killed me without hesitation and it took me a long time to put him down like the beast he was. His mate, Fair Vista, was no different, and she was just as difficult to stop.” She paused as if for dramatic effect. “So it is a surprise, to say the least, to find out that his counterpart is the paramour of my own. If the cosmos had a sense of humor, it has shown it to great effect.
“Still, my daughter seems to trust you implicitly, as does Raspberry Beryl. Needless to say, so do your fellow humans, and finally, Celestia there as well.” The look on the face of the regal mare was one of guarded interest. “I realize that it is none of my business, but I find that my personal curiosity has been piqued: What are you, really and truly? Who are you?”
“Sable,” Celestia – the human one this time – began.
“It’s okay,” he told her, love in his eyes. He then turned to face the regent. “I would say that I am your loyal and true servant, Your Majesty, but that wouldn’t be entirely true, because before that – before any of that…” He put his arm around his lover’s waist, finishing with, “…I am hers. We only met months ago, but from the moment I saw her, I was completely enchanted. It only took a couple of dates before I knew that she was The One. To be honest, we’re only waiting for a year to get engaged, because whirlwind relationships like ours work so rarely that too many people would be worried if we got tied together now.
“But, Princess, if you really must know, for you and your daughter, I would defend this realm and everything in it.” He pulled his Celestia closer to him and added, “But for her, though…I would conquer it.”
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence as one Celestia blushed and the other gave an awkward smile. “I see,” the alicorn said after a few minutes. The tone she used almost seemed to be tinged with a sad emotion – melancholy, or regret? But the moment passed as quickly as it had come, and the ruler was once again herself, complete with impenetrable and unreadable emotive armor.
“Well, Admiral,” she told him in the manner one would speak to a treasured confidante, “the best way to convince Adm. Tumblehome of your value would be to show her a demonstration so spectacular that she cannot refuse, then to show her that it would be of best value to the Navy. To her, the Navy is her whole reason for being, and hitting that particular note is the key to winning her support.”
Sable nodded. “Well, then I guess we have our work cut out for us.” His phone then chirped, letting him know that he only had thirty minutes remaining until the demonstration. “I need to go prepare,” he told his Celestia. “Will you be okay while I tend to this?”
Before she could respond, the princess stated, “We’ll be fine. Go ahead, Admiral, and I hope to hear from you about your success later.” He nodded in response and departed, leaving the two Celestias alone in the empty throne room.
The two looked at each other in silence. The human Celestia wrapped her arms around herself, trying to overcome the rising panic she felt. This was it, she knew: all of the facets of her life placed up against an ideal, perfect mirror and leaving her lacking against the reflection. It didn’t even matter that the image wasn’t human; it was perfection, and that was all that mattered in the end.
So it came as a surprise when the divine ruler of a vast and powerful nation said in sad tones, “You have no idea how envious of you I am.”
The words almost short-circuited Celestia’s brain. She stood there for a second, completely slack-jawed. But that only lasted briefly as the educator cried, “You’re jealous of me? Me? Why? I’m just a middle-aged woman with a small bank account, a condo that probably needs a new roof and a car that I need to take in for an emissions check next month! You’re an immortal goddess that rules a kingdom and moves the sun around like you’re redecorating! I can’t even find my car keys half the time and I’d be completely lost if I didn’t have my cell phone on me! What in God’s green Earth are you envious of me for? You have everything!”
“Except love,” Princess Celestia admitted. She looked at her counterpart, and there was a huge, soul-crushing sorrow in her eyes. “I’ve never truly loved. My mother is distant and left me unprepared for rule; I had to learn it on my own. My sister fell to jealousy and I had no choice but to exile her for centuries and now that she’s back, there’s still a large gulf between us. My extended family members treat me at arms’ length, because after generations of their families under my wings, they fear they’re not truly independent. My apprentice is a goddess and princess in her own right now, and no longer needs me. And my daughter….” Tears began to shed from the alicorn’s eyes as she finished with, “My daughter I treated as everything but, and when I finally did, it was too late. And now she has your friend – who I do not blame at all – to turn to when she needs a mother.
“You have the unconditional love of a male you will spend the rest of your life with – I can see that. Meanwhile, I sit on a throne that feels like a prison and my life is so empty. Perhaps someday I will have the afterlife and psychopompery to look forward to, that is countless centuries from now, with nothing but this throne and this palace to look forward to.” The alicorn seemed so fragile and seemed as she would shatter at any moment. “You fear me, and I understand why. But the way I see it…you have a happier life than I could ever have, and the one to be in fear should be me.”
The two Celestias looked at one another for the longest time before the woman spoke again. “I see you, and I see all the failures in my life,” she said. “Every mistake I’ve made writ large, every opportunity I’ve squandered. All the times Sunset cried out to me for help and I didn’t listen, because I had other concerns and duties.” At that moment, she felt once again like the lonely girl she’d been on her first day in third grade, new to the school and the nation itself, wondering what the future would hold for her. Nearly fifty years later, she could still feel that moment.
“Celestia,” Princess Celestia intoned, “how I would very much wish to walk in your hoofsteps. You have more than you realize, and you will have more still. And all I have done, since the day I first learned of your existence, is to sit here like a jealous filly, envious for the fact that you have spent more time with my daughter than I have in the past five years, time I can never get back. All I can be is envious for what I can never have back.”
“I cannot fathom why you would. You have something I’ve always wanted: a child.” Celestia looked at Celestia earnestly. “I’m sure Sable and I will consider parenthood, but at my age I’m reaching the point where that won’t be possible much longer. And while seeing Velvet adopt Sunset and raise her four nieces as well has given me hope, there’s no guarantee that I will have the same kind of luck or success.” She shook her head, smiling in bitter irony as she said, “How I wish I had my younger sister’s lack of maturity. If I had Luna’s lackadaisical attitude towards life, things would probably be much easier then.”
The princess laughed. “That sounds very much like my own sister. I have to honestly wonder sometimes if she’s Cadance’s sister or mine, since they act so alike at times.” She gave her counterpart a smile. “It’s nice to be able to confide that in somepony.”
Celestia was caught off-guard by that; she’d heard Armonia complain about their kid sister plenty of times, so for her counterpart to feel that way…it was both familiar and disquieting. “Well, Lu has her own positive qualities and I’m sure your sister does as well. They may be young at heart, but I know I can always depend on her when I need her.”
“Same with me. When I thought Sunset had died…I had a mental breakdown. Lulu ran everything during that time, even though she hasn’t the breadth of expertise that I do. I’m incredibly proud of her and I love her for that,” the solar alicorn admitted. “Thank you for reminding me of that.”
“Glad I could be of help, Your Majesty,” the educator said, bowing.
“No,” the princess insisted, waving her forehooves. “You need never do that. Not between us, certainly. I am you and you are me, after a fashion, and it’s rather pointless to do so. Please, just call me Celly.”
“Only if you’ll call me Tia,” the human replied.
The vixen bowed deeply before Octavia. “Please allow me to accompany you on your appointments, milady,” she insisted. “I wish to make up for my grievous injury upon your honor.”
Octavia looked at Velvet, who said, “I tried to explain it to her, but it’s probably going to take a while for it to sink in.”
“Did you want to come with us?”
“No, I have a meeting with my own counterpart later today and I want to make sure that I’m prepared for that,” Velvet assured her. “You should be fine in your escort’s care, though. Besides, Sunset gave us these things—” Velvet held up a patent rosa, “—which basically act as credit cards. I’m still not comfortable about it, but as long as you don’t spend the gamut of the nation’s budget, we should be fine.”
“I’m still not comfortable about going by ourselves, especially since I don’t know if Whiskey here is familiar with Canterlot—”
“I memorized a map, milady,” Whiskey told her, “and anywhere you desire to go I shall endeavor to get us there.”
“Still, I would feel more comfortable with a Guard escort, just in case,” Octavia said, “though nothing too obvious.”
One of the maids nearby asked, “What about a Hoof? We have already been assigned to tend to your rooms and see to your needs, Lady Octavia, and so we can provide an escort as well. Plus, we will be as unobtrusive as maidstaff assigned to guests usually are.”
“I guess? Well, I do need to do some shopping and I do have my afternoon appointment coming up, so…I guess…what could go wrong?”
Ambassador Yakatar shouted, “IN HONOR OF NEW WINGED PONY YAKS SING ANCIENT YAK BALLAD WITH YOVIDAPHONE MUSIC TO SHOW OUR RESPECT!” Thus began an extended and painful period of a chorus of off-key yaks caterwauling their finest, accompanied by a cacophonous instrument that looked like a set of bagpipes with clinical depression. All of it in honor of the soon-to-be-crowned Princess Sunset.
Said princess shuffled her wings slightly, gave an awkward but polite smile to the assembly of yaks destroying the very ions in the air with their torturous song, and hoped it would be all over soon. At least the Jasmine ceremony couldn’t be any worse than this, right?