//------------------------------// // Cerulean Blue's All Meetings and No Cake... (Georg's "The Substitute Librarian") // Story: Never the Final Word (Vol. 2) // by FanOfMostEverything //------------------------------// Celestia turned the corner and then strode into the dining room, smelling sweet ambrosia. It had been a long and taxing day both metaphorically and literally; it was budget week, and everypony and their friend wanted to dip their hooves in for a taste. She'd made sure that there was something special at the end of every day to make it all worthwhile, and a series of mistakes had thwarted her for two days running. The first day, she'd raised the serving dish cover anticipating some much needed red velvet cake and found instead a fruit medley, which, while tasty and healthy, was not what she'd been after. She'd considered it mildly puzzling, and some polite questioning of her staff had revealed nothing. The second day consisted of some particularly mind-numbing noble caterwauling centered around century-old tax incentives for blimps in Trottingham, with only the prospect of some double layer carrot cake keeping her sane and responsive. She'd lifted the cover to find a large pineapple that, while tasty and chewy in parts, had not been what she'd been after at all. Today, she first sniffed, and found the heady sweet scent of cheesecake. Finally, all was well with the world. She lifted the cover to find a pile of tomatoes, ringed by just enough cheesecake to cover their scent. She stiffened and looked around the room, seeing only the serving mare, who seemed to be trembling in fear. "Is everything alright, Your Highness?" Full Platter tentatively asked, obviously aware of the previous mistakes. "Everything is fine, my little pony. Would you mind leaving me to eat in peace? It's been a trying day," she answered. Full Platter curtsied, relieved that she wasn't going to be blamed for whatever was going on. "Of course, Your Majesty." She left, closing the door. Celestia growled and returned the cover to it's place. She hated tomatoes, and only ate them out of courtesy to the staff. First the medley, then the pineapple, and now the blasted tomatoes. The only mare who knew how much she hated tomatoes was... Celestia narrowed her eyes. The first time she could write off as a mistake, the second as happenstance. The third meant War. But how to strike back? This had not been the first time something like this had occurred, and the both of them were well protected. Hmm. Luna had a weakness for old paintings, studies of noble stallions and the like. Celestia summoned parchment and quill and started writing a request for anything from the Canterlot library on art history, and then just as suddenly took the request and burned it. Luna was a stickler for the rules, and was also now the titular head of the Department of Literacy, which included public libraries. And a certain young filly had once borrowed a book on art and never returned it, having been indisposed for a millennium some time thereafter. Somewhere, moldering in a long forgotten pile in a long forgotten warehouse, there would be a record of a book failing to be returned. There'd have to be a calculation of fines, and interest, and interest on the fines, because if there was one thing about the Equestrian public service that Celestia had learned, it was that it never forgot. Perhaps an anonymous letter to the Department of Literacy was in order, a reminder of the lost book and where to find the truant filly that had it. That would get passed like a hot potato from one bureaucrat's hooves to another before it was bought before either Luna, who would have to follow the rules, or Celestia herself, in which case she would have no choice but to sadly inform her fellow ruler of this most perplexing matter. Celestia grinned ferally. There had been no cheesecake, but this was substitute enough to make everything so much better.