Sundays in Ponyville were, as Sundays went, peaceful. This particular one was little different, which suited the townsponies just fine given what had happened the previous evening. One particular corner of town found their late morning eased by the soft melodies of a saxophone, albeit from a player that hadn’t practiced it in years.
Quiver’s hooves went over the instrument as he went through his scales and reacquainted himself with his instrument. That his reeds were in playable shape was a pleasant surprise for him, the fact that he was taking back to it easier than he’d thought was another. He finished his scales, pulled the instrument from his lips and smiled, then noticed somepony watching him out of the corner of his eye. “Got something to say?”
Sour smirked. “Yeah. Thanks for waiting until around noon.” She watched as he disassembled his instrument. “What brought this on?”
“Just felt like taking a stab at it. For all I knew, if I tried it, it might be fun again.” He smiled as he finished packing his sax away and closed up the case. “It was.”
“Well I hope this doesn’t spoil it, but I think your wild leaps are rubbing off on me.” She motioned for him to follow her and asked, “You remember how Grandmare made a big deal out of calling Regal her ‘blessing’?” She led him to the living room, where the family record awaited them on a coffee table. “Well, I was looking at your copy of the family record, and I saw something.”
Quiver looked to where Sour was pointing and noticed a name beside those of his father and aunt, the lines indicating a third sibling. “Sweet Blessing. We had an aunt we never knew about.”
“If these dates are right, her death lined up with when Regal was conceived.” Sour frowned as she looked to her cousin. “Maybe I’m leaping to conclusions, but…”
“But maybe there were reasons why she wasn’t brought up very often.” Quiver frowned himself. “I get the odd feeling we might never know.” A knock sounded at the door, and glad for the distraction, he went and answered it. “Sweetie Belle!”
The little unicorn filly smiled. “Hi Mister Quiver. May I come in?”
“Sure.” Sweetie Belle trotted inside as Sour put away the record. Quiver closed the door behind her and asked, “What brings you our way?”
“I was hoping I could get your help with something. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and me are putting on a play, and I think the script could use a once-over.” She pulled a copy from her saddlebags and laid it out on the table. “Maybe you can do something with it?”
Quiver took up the script with his hoof, and upon a couple seconds reading frowned. “Well, this first line is definitely troublesome. ‘Forsooth and anon, I cometh forthwith and posthaste’. Aside from being a mouthful, it also doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
The filly looked up at him in surprise. “Really?”
“Really. You’re using a lot of words in ways they really weren’t meant to be used. Put in modern terms, the line reads ‘In my honest opinion, very shortly now, I comes immediately and quickly’.” He noticed her wince and gave her a half-smile. “I think you were trying a little too hard to sound old-timey and impressive.”
“I guess.” The filly looked crestfallen as she looked up at him. “Can we fix it?”
Quiver grinned. “We can try.” He turned to the raven perched upon his desk. “Edgar, get me a pencil.”
-
A quiet Sunday was something that Solar Flare was very much looking forward to as she settled down onto her sofa to enjoy a good book. Her husband was off running errands, the odd bits of daily maintenance that she had to worry about were complete, and she now had the house to herself with nothing to disturb her.
And then there was a knock at her door. She rolled her eyes, climbed off her sofa, and went to answer the door, hoping that it wasn’t some door-to-door salespony or…
“Runnie!”
“Hi Mom!” Mother and daughter embraced as Sunrunner smiled. “I hope I didn’t get you at a bad time.”
“No, of course not, come in!” She led her daughter inside and encouraged her to sit. “So, I guess you decided not to attend that reunion?”
“More like I had my own. Long story, and part of why I’m here.” She turned hesitant, then quietly asked, “Mom, why haven’t you and Dad ever told me about that talk you had with Princess Celestia? When Shims disappeared?”
That caused Solar Flare cause, and she frowned bitterly. “Runnie, I had a lot of reasons. Partly it was because I didn’t think you’d believe a word of it, but mostly because I was so angry over what happened that day, and I still am. With myself, and with the princess.” The older mare bowed her head. “Sunset probably felt like she’d been abandoned by her parents, and I never did anything about it. Worse, I just left her in the care of a pony who already had responsibilities stacked on her plate, and never bothered to visit. I kept on telling myself that Sunset wasn’t ready to reach out, but…” The anger faded as she sorrowfully admitted, “It’s no wonder she ran off. I just wish that Celestia hadn’t lied about how she did it.”
“You mean about going through a magic mirror that’s only open for a couple days every thirty moons?”
“Exact…” Solar Flare paused at her daughter’s summation, then turned to her in shock. “How did you…?”
“I didn’t just have one reunion, Mom.” Sunrunner smiled and explained, “I found out from a couple ponies back in Indianapoloosa that Quiver moved to Ponyville. I went there yesterday, and found him. And I met so many ponies there, including Princess Twilight. And thanks to her, I found out about what happened to Shims.”
Solar Flare deflated at that. “Honey, I’m so sorry. I should’ve told you everything before now.”
“Yeah, but I’m not mad that you didn’t.” She then grinned and added, “I’m mad at whatever red tape’s been stopping her from getting in touch with us before now. Princess Twilight’s been trying to find us for months on Shims’ behalf.” At her mother’s shock, Sunrunner exclaimed, “She’s okay, Mom! She’s stuck in that other world for now and she’s had a rough time of it, but she’s alright! And she misses us. And probably has as many regrets about us as we do about her.”
Solar Flare looked at her daughter in disbelief. “And you’re saying all this because Princess Twilight told you?”
“I’m saying all this because Shims told me so herself.” Sunrunner grinned at her mother’s surprised expression. “I’m gonna ask about getting some leave in around the time of the Equestria Games. Would you and Dad be up for a trip to Ponyville around that time?”
-
Canterlot Castle, despite being a daily hub for government activity of one sort or another, was often quieter than ponies would think. Most of the actual work of government was handled elsewhere in Canterlot, leaving the castle itself as the private domain of Equestria’s heads of state and their immediate staff.
That wasn’t to say that the princesses didn’t have a great deal on their plates, however. Celestia herself was often bogged down in meetings of one sort or another, or otherwise occupied with engagements in and around the city. That she managed to maintain good cheer throughout all of it served as a testament to her willpower, and a testament to her staff – Kibitz and Raven especially – and their ability to keep her on a schedule that didn’t exhaust her. Neither were particularly thrilled when their schedules were disrupted, of course, and only hoped that the number of disruptions didn’t continue to increase, or at least remained minor or brief.
This Monday noon, alas, would find them dealing with a minor disruption as Celestia sat down to her lunch. A knock sounded at the door to her personal chambers and prompted a frown from the old stallion. “Confound it, I’ve left notes specifying that you were not be disturbed…”
Celestia gave her old advisor an accommodating smile. “Kibitz, we can’t plan for everything. I can put off my lunch for a little bit to deal with whatever this matter is.”
Kibitz nodded, then answered the door. Celestia took a moment to make herself slightly more presentable before he returned with a familiar elder mare at his side. “Congressmare Amaranth Thorn to see you, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Kibitz.” Her gaze fell upon the unicorn mare before her. “Congressmare Thorn.”
“Your Highness.” Amaranth Thorn was very much the image of her great-granddaughter, though with a much shorter and more professional cut to her mane and an ever-present, calm smile upon her face. The clearest difference was with her eyes, an icy blue compared to Primrose’s pale green. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I assure you, I won’t take up too much of your time.”
“Of course not. Please.” As her guest sat down opposite her, the princess considered exactly what would prompt this visit, and none of the possibilities were pleasant.
“First, allow me to offer my sincerest apologies for the actions of my great-granddaughter. I fear that my grandson Crimson has a tendency to spoil the poor dear. She is his only child, after all, and one does tend to dote.”
“Such is a risk that all parents run.”
“Indeed. But now to business. Congress has been at work on a bill that will fund an expansion to the Equestrian military. The construction of new airships, training new troops and so forth. It’s a bill that you’ve been asking about for months now, in light of the recent attack upon Canterlot.”
“I have. It’s my hope that we can build upon the moderate changes I’ve already implemented and hopefully prevent a repeat of what happened when the changelings invaded.” Celestia had remained cagey about the source of said improvements, even if her senior military officials had expressed some approval of them. She doubted that the public would accept the notion of alternate worlds, and suspected that if they did, panic would be stirred up in one way or another.
“Well, I’m more than prepared to back this bill, assuming particular conditions are met.”
Celestia kept her best poker face as she considered this revelation, and the reasons for this visit suddenly narrowed. “And what sort of conditions are those?”
“Nothing that’s outside of your capacities. I’d like either a full pardon for my great-granddaughter, or a complete dismissal of charges against her.”
And thus were her concerns confirmed. “Congressmare, you’re aware of what Primrose has done.”
“I’m aware that her actions are rather insubstantial compared to some.”
“She led fifteen other ponies in committing acts of assault against several others, and she herself attacked a member of the Equestrian royalty. I personally witnessed her strike at Princess Twilight Sparkle with a bolt of magic. The only reason we aren’t trying her for treason is because there’s no evidence that it was anything beyond an attack in the heat of the moment.”
“As I said, insubstantial. Your sister committed an act of rebellion against you. Discord usurped your control over the sun. Both, however, have been allowed to roam free.”
“You’re vastly oversimplifying, Congressmare. Luna was corrupted and possessed by an outside force, and spent a thousand years imprisoned and banished. Discord, meanwhile, was locked away in stone for over a millennium, and is currently acting on parole. They’ve served their sentences and are better for it. Primrose is another matter entirely.”
Amaranth gave a thoughtful hmm. “Princess, can I take it that you’d forsake national security for the sake of punishing a single pony? Because I imagine that quite a few reporters would interpret things that way.”
“And just as many would counter that a powerful member of Congress using the freedom of her great-granddaughter as a bargaining chip to ensure our nation’s security might have skewed priorities.” Celestia’s voice was firm as she remarked, “Ours is a nation built upon the principles of harmony, but harmony cannot exist without justice. Your great-granddaughter will see her day in court, and I will not interfere with that.”
The congressmare remained silent for several seconds, as if weighing her options, before she rose to her hooves. “Very well then. Please excuse me.” She then departed, and the door was closed behind her.
Celestia sighed, then turned her attention back to her meal. An ill feeling settled over her as Kibitz returned to her side. “I doubt very much that she’ll continue with this, your Highness. The Congressmare hasn’t maintained the career she has without being pragmatic.”
“She’s also more than aware of the fact that there’s more than one way to skin a cat, Kibitz.” Her meal was presented to her, and the princess frowned. “If I could be alone, please.”
Kibitz did as he was told, and Celestia found herself alone with her meal and her thoughts. The meal looked delicious, but the conversation she’d just had with Amaranth Thorn had weakened her appetite. She doubted even cake would entice her right now.
She’d long been aware of forces operating in Equestria in ways that went against its principles, claiming to be acting for the sake of a greater good. She was hardly in a position to fight them, given she’d often done things of morally dubious value for the sake of expediency. Those choices still haunted her, especially as they were the result of other terrible mistakes that had been made on her part. She doubted that the congressmare was one of those forces, but it wouldn’t surprise her if Amaranth Thorn could act in a similar way, or worse, be connected to them. And putting them down was going to be a very difficult proposition indeed.