//------------------------------// // 74. 30 Days Later (Mothballed) // Story: Fuzzy Fluffy Fables // by Fuzzyfurvert //------------------------------// “Sunset Shimmer, report to the Principal's Office, now!” Sunset cringed at the combined surprise of the loud PA announcement and her name being called.  The Principal’s voice carried a sense of urgency to it that seemed highly out of place for the normally unflappable Celestia.  It sounded...almost angry. Pinkie Pie whistled into the straw of her juice box, causing it to overflow with bubbles and stray bits of orange flavored spray.  “Wowwie! I’ve never heard her use that tone before! What did you do?” She squeezed her inflated drink, shooting the rest of it into her mouth and swallowed.  “Also, are you going to eat your bologna?” Sunset gagged and nudged the included sandwhich towards the other girl.  “No, it’s yours.” “Now, Sunset!”  The PA blared again, the various conversations around Canterlot High’s cafeteria falling silent as the students turned and looked at Sunset curiously. “I...think I should go see what she wants.”  The redhead stood and pushed all the remains of her meal towards Pinkie.  The other girl grinned and dumped the salad on top of her ice cream. Sunset left her to it and headed for the administration section of the building.  She walked past the spot where her pictures as Queen of the Fall Formal used to hang and took a left into a narrow hallway that terminated at the main offices. She stopped in front of the secretary and cleared her throat.  “Um...Sunset Shimmer...er, reporting?” The secretary, a reserved woman with red glasses buzzed her in, the door to Principal Celestia’s office opening a moment later.  Sunset showed herself in, moving cautiously into the surprisingly dim room. “Principal Celestia?” The tall human counterpart to Equestria’s primary Sun Princess, turned in her chair and waved Sunset in.  “Close the door. Take a seat, Sunset.” “Ok...am I in trouble for something?” “No.”  Celestia sat there for a long moment, the silent pause causing Sunset to start fidgeting.   When she could bring herself too, Celestia pinned the girl into her chair with a stare. “I need you to get a message to those ponies.” “What?”  Sunset blinked, fighting to keep the surprise off her face.  “What makes you think I can do that?” “Don’t play coy with me, Ms. Shimmer.  Twice this school has been ground zero for those ponies and who knows what else to have their little rainbow light shows, and you have been in the center of it both times.  I’m not sure how that portal of theirs works, but somehow I doubt they have email.” Celestia nodded her head slightly toward the front of the school where the portal to Equestria sat as part of the mascot statue.  “I need to get a message to them, and if anyone can do it, it’s one of their own.” Sunset swallowed nervously.  “So...you know about that, huh?” “I don’t rule this school from some ivory tower, Ms. Shimmer.  I like to think of myself as a hands-on administrator. There is little that happens here I am not somewhat aware of.”  Celestia shrugged and made an effort to smile. “I don’t want to come off as pushy, but I am afraid I have something of a schedule to get this done by.  Now, can you do this, or not?” Sunset sat there, turning her options over in her mind.  She didn’t have much choice. If she lied, she’d just be putting herself back on the Principal’s list of ‘problem students’ as soon as Celestia found out.  Knowing the Principal and her pony counterpart as she did, Celestia would find out eventually. But, then again, what harm would there be showing the journal to her?  Surely, if the school Principal needed Princess Twilight’s help with something, it would be a good idea to let her know. “Ok.  There is a way, but I’ll have to go to my locker to get it.” “Get it and come back here.  I’ll see to it that you have a pass for next period.”  Celestia’s shoulders slumped as her body was flooded with relief. A Few Minutes Later… Celestia raised an eyebrow, looking at the battered old book Sunset Shimmer had returned to the office with.  She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but a book was not it. “It works by writing a message, which is then copied in a book on the Equestrian side.  With it, we can talk to Princess Twilight.” “What about the other Princesses?”  Celestia took the book in hands, testing its weight.  It seemed to be a normal book, if a bit archaic looking, with no title or author name on the spine or cover.  “Can Princess Twilight...I don’t know, forward a message? Do they know english?” “Uh...I guess?”  Sunset put her hands on her hips.  Something seemed off. “And yeah, Twi knows human english pretty well at this point.  Why do you ask?” “Then I don’t need you to translate.”  Celestia pushed herself to her feet, stepping around her desk to Sunset’s side.  “You’ll have to forgive me, but this is a private matter, Ms. Shimmer. See Raven on your way out and she’ll provide you with your pass for the missed time.  I will return the book to you as soon as I am finished with it.” “But!”  Sunset’s jaw dropped.  “Why do you even need it?  What’s going on, Principal?” Celestia put her hand on Sunset’s shoulder and turned her toward the door.  “I told you, it is private. I thank you for the aid, Sunset. Truly, I am grateful, but right now I have something that I must do alone.  I will return the book to you as soon as I have my answer.” “But!” “No ‘buts’ about it, I’m afraid.”  Celestia opened the door for her student and gently, but firmly pushed her out, closing the door again as soon as Sunset was out of the way.  She turned the lock, which made a loud clicking noise, and returned to her seat, journal in tow. Celestia lifted a pen off her desk and opened the book to a suitably blank page.  She was about to start writing when she realized that doing so in ink would easily leave behind whatever she wrote, assuming the magical device worked like a normal book.  She grabbed a pencil instead, checking the eraser and pressed the tip to the paper. Dear Princess Twilight, Please forward this message to Princess Luna, ASAP… Sometime Later… Raven was shuffling the papers she had been assigned to reorganize in the school’s massive filing cabinet when she heard the rustle and swish of cloth coming down the hall to the main offices.  She turned around—expecting to find a student or parent standing at the desk—and was confronted instead with the sight of Vice Principal Luna in a full Victorian-style dress complete with ruffled lace and corset.  The VP was even wearing elbow length gloves and had some sort of dark colored tiara on her head. “Miss Luna?”  Raven adjusted her glasses.  “Why are you dressed like a dark colored Disney Princess?  And why are you here in that outfit?” “I have been summoned by my sister to your world.”  Luna looked down at herself, wondering how she could explain away the creation of clothing by a magic she only barely understood.  “Er...it’s...custom?” “I bet that cost you and arm and a leg!  But you know, I never would have pegged you for one of those people that get into character whenever the RenFaire comes to town.”  The secretary snorted, walking over to the desk to sit down. “Next thing you know, you’ll be addressing me in Ye Olde English.” “Y-yes?  I shall.”  Luna looked around awkwardly, not sure how she was supposed to respond to her majordomo’s human counterpart.  “Is my sister available?” “I believe so.  Let me buzz you in.”  Raven hit the buzzer for the Principal’s inner office, the lock on the door clicking free.  She gestured at the door in her best Vanna White impression, giggling when the VP lifted her long, ribbed skirt slightly, and honest-to-god curtsied. She couldn’t stifle the sudden giggle fit until Luna disappeared into Celestia’s office, the door locking behind the woman.  Raven smirked and stretched, rotating her chair to roll back over to the filing cabinet when she heard the click of one of the office doors opening.  That was fast. The secretary looked back over her shoulder, her jaw dropping open as Luna stepped out of her own office from across the main lobby area, dressed in her traditional work outfit of a dark collared shirt and comfortable slacks.  The VP closed her door behind her and smiled in Raven’s direction. “I’m heading out for lunch, Raven.  I going to try and run some errands while I’m at it, so send any calls to my voicemail, ok?” Raven nodded slowly, her eyes flicking back to the door to the Principal’s office.  “Um...sure thing. What about...your sister?” “Celestia is a big girl,” Luna shrugged, turning towards the hallway, “she can handle her own lunch.  I’ll be back in a little while.” Raven blinked and nodded again, unsure of what was going on.  Man, things just keep getting weirder and weirder at this school. Meanwhile, in the Principal’s office... Celestia sighed, reclining in her desk chair while she scrolled through search results.  The light from her laptop’s screen was the only illumination in the room, her window blinds closed and everything else shut down.  The results she scrolled past were the same ones as last time, and the time before that. Most of them were the off color of a followed link and with each successive page, her heart sank a little further.  Absolutely none of these pages had the info she was looking for, even if they were filled with information she had used before when speaking to students. None of the pages had anything to do with magic or extraterrestrial equines.  Well, none of the credible ones. Maybe I’m over reacting.  Maybe it’s a false positive.  She frowned and looked at her purse where it sat out of the way under her large desk.  It held the little plastic, over the counter test that had heralded her foul mood with it’s simple solid line.  It’s statistically possible. Logic, as far as I’ve known it my entire life, would say that it’s impossible. Missed menstrual cycle or not.  Maybe I should schedule an appointment with a doctor...do a more sensitive test. Celestia shook her head.  How would she explain herself if that test came back positive?  She wasn’t married, she’d never had a steady boyfriend. Some woman might not see that as a big deal, in the long run, even if they did get pregnant.  But she was a school administrator that had made a name for herself in her early career by tackling the huge issue of teen pregnancy. It was a big problem for Canterlot High, back when she’d first took over as Principal.  The PTA had regular fits over it at the monthly meetings. Celestia had brought in specialists, held rallies with the students, run campaign after campaign against the systemic issue. Unlike her predecessors, she’d prevailed eventually.  It had been almost a full turnover of freshmen to seniors since the last one. Now, she might be pregnant after a one night stand.  Regardless of how unbelievable the situation might be, what message did that send the students? Celestia was just about to run another search when her door opened and her sister entered, her cool coloration blending in with the dim shadows.  She raised her eyebrows at the frilly dress, looking Luna up and down for a moment before realizing which Luna was paying her a visit. “It’s about time you got here!” Luna closed the door behind her, leaning back against it.  The human version of her sister was looking at her and the way her eyes twinkled in the light from the box these humans called a ‘computer’ sent a shiver down her spine.  The similarities between the Celestias was amazing, even with the difference in body, it was hard to think that the woman sitting at the desk in front of her wasn’t her actual sister.  But it was, oddly, their differences that intrigued her. “I came as soon as I could.”  Luna kept her voice soft. It seemed like a bad idea for this conversation to go beyond the two of them.  From what she had gathered from Princess Twilight Sparkle, this world seemed to still be mostly unaware of the connection to Equestria.  “Twilight passed your vague message to me, but I felt that you required urgency on my part.” “You could say that.”  Celestia sighed again, leaning down to pick up her purse.  She fished through it for a moment and then pulled out the slim piece of plastic.  “I need to talk to you, Princess.” Luna swallowed.  She liked the way this Celestia used her title.  Almost like a name, formal, but personal. It was another of the small differences between this Celestia and the one in Equestria that stuck out when paid attention to.  Her actual sister, in Equestria, would call her Lulu in private. What small bit of decorum Celestia maintained in front of her subjects, she dropped entirely in private.  Her sister had become so lacks in her command that it sometimes struck Luna what a wonder it was that the lands had not turned to barbarism. But here, in this world?  Celestia was firm, sure, in control, and poised.  She ruled the school with a caring fist. She was a stickler for rules and regulation, yet she knew when to appropriately let loose.  She was everything her Equestrian counterpart was not, and Luna loved her all the more for it. “May I sit?”  Luna inclined her head toward one of the chairs on her side of the desk.  “What can I help you with? It’s...been awhile since we last spoke.” Celestia nodded and waited until Luna was seated before continuing.  “Actually, Princess, it’s about that last time we were with each other that I need to talk to you about.”  She lifted the pregnancy test and looked at it again in the dim lighting. “Do you know what this is?” Luna shook her head.  “It’s a tester that can detect subtle changes in body chemistry. Specifically, the changes that come with having a child. And...it says I’m pregnant.” “Er...are congratulations in order?”  Luna leaned back microscopically in the chair, her heart rate quickening.  She could hear in her sister’s voice that congratulations where probably not what she wanted.  Their worlds were so similar that at times, Luna thought she could forget for a moment that they were not ponies, but then some little, minor thing would prove itself different.  Tiny cultural or biological differences that were truly inconsequential in and of themselves, but carried consequences and connotations that affected so many other details in surprising ways. If they had been in Equestria, there would be bells ringing, pennants flying from the castle spires to proclaim the good news.  Here, in the human world, the news of a pregnancy carried some sort of melancholy. At least that was what she could see in Celestia’s eyes and the set of her powerful shoulders. “I don’t think so, Princess.”  Celestia sighed and dropped the test on to her desk.  Luna’s eyes tracked it. “I’m...it’s complicated. Perhaps if it were not a surprise, then it might be a happier occasion.  As it is...well...I’m still hoping the test is wrong.” “It might be incorrect?”  Luna raised an eyebrow. Human technology was impressive, almost equally in what it could and could not do.  “Fascinating. Um...if it is alright, might I inquire why you hope it is wrong?” Celestia frowned and turned her chair so she could rest her elbows on her desk.  She sagged slightly and let her breath escape slowly through her nose. “It would be very inconvenient for me if I am pregnant.  And...it will reflect badly on me and my position here as the principal of this school if I don’t even know who the father is. Let alone that the child might not even be human.”  She looked up apologetically at Luna. “No offense, but for the most part, I don’t think many people here would accept the fact that the child is half pony. Even if your kind isn’t the animals we’re more familiar with here.” Luna shook her head.  She’d seen images of the ponies and horses that were native to this world.  “No offense taken. I realize that if the tables were turned, my ponies may not take a foal that was half semian very well either.  But...I’m curious what you mean about not knowing who the father of the foal...er...child is? I would have thought that obvious.” Luna eased herself forward, putting her hands on Celestia’s desk and reached across to take Celestia’s fingers in her own.  “Unless you’ve got some stable of paramours I’m unaware of?” “Oh god, no!”  Celestia’s eyes widened, but she smiled and chuckled lightly at Luna’s jab.  “Just you, I assure you. But last time we were together is kind of a blur. I blame the alcohol, really.”  She tightened her grip on Luna’s fingers, her smile fading to a more serious look. “Luna...please tell me, were there any males there when we…?”  Celestia looked down at the desk. “I mean, I would understand. Life as a pony princess is different than here.” “Celestia.”  Luna set her jaw, returning the squeeze when her sister looked back up.  “I swear to you, we were the only ones there. I love my subjects, but not like I love you.  I am a one mare filly.” Celestia nodded, a hint of her earlier smile returning to her lips.  “That still sounds a bit silly to me.” “I can break into Formal High Equish if it would please you.”  Luna smiled brighter. “I rather like it when you are happy, dear sister.  This unsure feeling you are experiencing is vexing to me too. I adore your command, your control over yourself and the realm here.  I want you to return to that. To be the leader my true sister refuses to be.” “I’m a principal, not a Princess like you.”  Celestia let her smile grow. “I’m just a normal person, Princess.  I’m not a leader of a whole country. I just direct a high school. There are leagues of difference between the two.”  She sighed, pulling Luna’s hands closer to her. “But if there wasn’t any...stallions...there, then what’s going on? I’ve missed my period and the test came back positive…” “Celestia, I—”  Luna started, freezing when a faint voice spoke from behind her sister.   “—ow!  You’re stepping on my foot!” “Well stop getting in my way.  It’s hard enough to hear without you trampling me!” Both Celestia and Luna turned and looked toward the office window where the muffled voices were coming from. “Be quiet, or they’ll hear us!” Celestia let go of Luna’s hands, standing up and stepping over to the window.  She grabbed the cord for the blinds and pulled it violently, snapping them up to reveal a startled Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle huddled in the neatly trimmed bushes.  She put her fist on her hips, the mantle of her office descending upon her. “My office. Now. Both of you!” A Few Minutes Later… Luna waved awkwardly at Raven, who stared at her from the desk in the main office area with mute, open-mouthed confusion.  The secretary twitched in an eerily similar fashion as her pony counterpart when confronted with a stack of papers taller than herself.  The door to the main office closed a moment later and Luna took a seat on the edge of the desk now that all the other seats were filled. Celestia was in her customary place, facing across her desk at  a sheepish looking Sunset and Twilight. Celestia cleared her throat quietly, steepling her fingers in front of her and her features softened.  “I’m disappointed in you two. Eavesdropping is…” She paused and looked at Luna. “It is frowned upon in your world, correct?”  The Princess nodded curtly and Celestia turned her attention back on the girls. “Eavesdropping is frowned upon in both of our worlds, and yet you did just that.  Technically, Miss Sparkle, you are not a student here at Canterlot High, so I cannot give you detention, though I am sorely tempted to do so.” “Princess Celestia can see to that back home.”  Luna interjected, crossing her arms in her lap. “However, Miss Shimmer, I believe you are well versed in the rules here.” “Yes ma’am.”  Sunset sunk in her seat, her jacket riding up to bunch under her arms.  “Look...this was all my fault. Don’t punish Twilight. I talked her into...listening in.” Celestia sighed, she eyes flicking over toward Luna for a moment.  “How much...did you hear?” “We heard enough.”  Twilight Sparkle sat up and patted Sunset on the shoulder.  “I could have stopped this...but I didn’t. When I heard you might be...well, you know—I just couldn’t stop!  It’s amazing! I mean, first of all you’re the human equivalent of Princess Celestia and she’s an ageless alicorn of near god-like power!  I’m not sure what that means for a potential offspring, given the cross-dimensional transfer, but the fact that you might have one is immensely important to my continuing studies of alicorns in general!” Twilight leaned forward, as Sunset tried to escape further into the seat of her chair.  “There has never been an alicorn pregnancy on record. This is a special case, but it could have a serious impact on how we perceive alicorn manufacture!  No more might we have to wait for thousands of years for somepony special to come along, we could breed...like normal ponies! I mean the cultural impact will be massive, but on a more personal note for myself and my sister-in-law Cadance, it will be life changing!  I’m sooooo excited for you!” Celestia blinked, eyes widening at Twilight’s unexpected outburst of scientific interest and personal support.  “And the fact that this potential child is the product of myself and some pony from your world?” Twilight’s happy grin faltered and she slumped back into her seat.  “Well...about that...uh, that is…” She tapped her fingers together, glancing at Sunset while she fumbled for words.  “I uh...I’m not sure...how I feel about that part?” “It is not a bad thing.”  Luna turned, reaching over to touch Celestia’s arm with her fingertips.  “Just...different.” She smiled reassuringly. “New.” Celestia looked back at Luna, her uncertainty plain on her face, but she nodded softly, hugging herself.  “Yes...new. I suppose the...ramifications will become clear soon enough. There is no precedent for this.  It’s still early yet in development. My body may not be able to carry it to term, anyway. I don’t know what that’s like for ponies...but it’s common enough for humans.” Luna straightened, her eyes going wide, and she sucked in a deep breath.  “No! That cannot be! I thought human technology was advanced beyond measure?  Surely no child should be lost to the whims of fate? Especially not this child!”   Luna jumped her feet and whirled on the desk, slamming her hands down on it with force that belied her feminine frame.  She fixed Sunset with a intense stare. “You! You know this place well, tell me that this is not the case!” Sunset gulped air and squeaked, pushing her chair back away from the Princess.  “Um...it’s not like that! I mean, it is...but it’s different that Equestrian magic!  Pregnancy and birth here is still a messy process...survivability is way, way above nature’s!  But they can’t intervene without potentially harming the mother in some cases...it’s complicated!”