Luna stared for a solid two seconds, an eternity for a diplomat. Taking a deep breath, she nodded curtly and bowed her head in thanks.
“We are currently verifying that those vials and the ones you gave for testing are indeed, the cure to the disease plaguing our nation and others. I do not know how much information you have available but you must forgive any measures that may seem intrusive as we ensure you are not a hostile force. We are essentially at war.”
Brass Link nodded, gesturing to the baker’s-dozen creatures; felines from the eastern lands, a few minotaur’s, ponies of all three races, and quite a few gryphons.
“We will of course comply. Anything we can do to show that we are here to help we will gladly submit to.”
Luna nodded in approval, then gestured with a hoof towards the unicorn.
“You hail from a nation state to the north? We were not aware of such a place. And may I ask, what of this village that relayed the message?”
As guards began to scan each creature and cart Brass link sat down, apparently not bothered by the cold at all, but his heated suit likely was the cause of that.
“You wouldn’t know of us. Until the last decade or two, our nation has been…I am ashamed to say, somewhat fearful of outsiders and thoroughly concealed. That view was born from centuries of caretaking and ensuring the Windigo’s didn’t escape, or at least containing them. With our failure, our ideals had to change as well.”
“But the Windigos are born of hate and distrust; you say your nation contains them?” Luna asked, receiving a nod in return.
“There is always hate and distrust in the world, Empress. Some Windigos exist naturally off of those emotions in the north, and until recently we made sure they never ventured south. A breach years ago, however, forced us to prepare for this eventuality.”
“The Emissary,” Shifting interjected calmly, causing Luna to nod.
“As my Commander said, I think we know who that is. A pony many centuries old made some sort of deal with the creatures. Perhaps she is the cause of their escape.”
“Perhaps. We knew of another involved party, but have not ventured out to pursue such leads other than passive surveillance,” Brass mused. His demeanor then shifted to an almost thoughtful one, hoof tapping his chin. “To answer your other question, the village is beyond our borders or at least almost is. Apparently, there is some ageless creature they trust, for he or she saved one of their founders ages ago. Whoever it was asked us for aid and since many of our citizens emigrated from that town many, many generations ago, we thought it prompt to respond. We also bear the responsibility for letting these creature escape, so we must right that wrong.”
The gears churning on the pony’s vest were an apt visual to what was going on in Luna’s mind, the Alicorn mentally thanking Shifting for reminding her to activate some recording crystals prior to this meeting.
“Your assistance is greatly appreciated, Ambassador. I’ll need to relay this information to my advisors and get back to you shortly. An additional contingent of guards is on their way; they’ll help expedite the screening process. Assuming the cure is validated we can begin dispersal to the nearest city immediately,” she paused, smiling at the oddly-clad unicorn. “It’s nice to find friends in a blizzard rather than enemies, Ambassador. I look forward to our next meeting.”
“I await your summons, Empress of the Night.”
As soon as the portal closed, Luna began to take a few deep breaths, head shaking back and forth.
“The political dance and such have always been Celly’s game, not mine. I have experience with it, but never running everything on my own. The few advisors usually available for this are under quarantine due to exposure to the new strain possibly hitting Canterlot…”
As Luna’s tone turned to a slight ramble Shifting calmly trotted over and touched her nose with his hoof, causing her to pause. As Luna’s breathing slowed the Commander leaned in to give her a loving kiss, not able to resist a grin as the tension leaked from the Alicorn’s shoulders. Before Luna could say anything, Shifting deepened the kiss, making the alicorn hum happily as he wrapped a hoof around her waist briefly. Pressing his forehead against hers, Shifting’s ministrations clearly proved to be effective as the Princess continued to relax, simply enjoying his touch.
“Feel better?”
“Much. Thank you, Shifting,” the Alicorn’s eyes then narrowed playfully, poking a hoof at her coltfriend. “Hmm. Was that just an excuse to kiss me?”
“Do I need a reason?”
Luna grinned, seeing a blush starting to form on Shifting’s tan cheeks.
“Oooooor was somestallion just missing the attention of his special somepony?”
To Shifting’s credit, he really did try to pout, emphasis on try.
“Maybe.”
Luna glanced at the clock, hating that they only had a minute or two before it was time for some scheduled security checks…
Wrapping her hooves around Shifting, she yanked her stallion close to give him a long, proper kiss, pressing her chest against his in the brief intimate gesture. It was a good few long moments before she broke off the loving embrace, Shifting now sporting a much more furious blush on his widely-grinning features.
“Umm….”
“I’m ashamed to have forgotten how adorable you are when affectionately intoxicated. I know we haven’t had much time to spend with each other without business being the topic,” Luna admitted, tracing her head along Shifting’s neck to rest across his shoulders.
“Thank you for helping me not get too scattered amongst all this; but I have no intention of forgetting about making sure your needs aren’t met too.”
Shifting returned the hug, then breaking apart as they began to meander to the main meeting area to check in with the guards; which also served as the location to try and check in on Celestia. The new threat inside the dream realm was also something worth discussing.
“Needs, huh? I suppose affection qualifies as needs.”
The rather smug and cheeky expression that then began to slide onto Shifting’s face had Luna grumbling, smacking a hoof to her face.
“Don’t. You. Dare.”
“I’m not saying anything. I didn’t know we were at the point of our relationship…”
“Shifting….”
“…where we needed to discuss each other’s needs; I assumed we’d need to have a longer courtship before that discussion.”
“I suppose, but needs are needs, are they not? Perhaps you are right; we should skip ahead,” Luna leaned close to whisper into Shifting’s ear, “I’m sure we could clear an hour or two of meetings…”
“I-wha-bwa?!”
It only took one look at Shifting’s completely shocked face to send Luna into hysterics, the Alicorn laughing as the stallion was the one to start grumbling as his face lit up with a blush, the pair continuing onwards as the Commander now did pout in defeat.
“…well played.”
Nacreous wasn’t sure how long they relaxed in each other’s arms, but the hippogriff finally let out a soft huff, swiping moisture from his eyes.
“Thank you, Celly. I don’t think I’ve had a proper ugly cry in ages,” he whispered, words prompting a soft nudge against his neck in response.
“I’d say anyone who doesn’t have one of those every now and again isn’t healthy, especially for what we’ve been through.”
To Celestia’s joy, Nacreous pressed against her slightly, sighing gently.
“How in the world did I snag somecreature like you?”
Celestia promptly snorted, trying her hardest to cover a laugh that still escaped despite her best efforts.
“Says the hippogriff whom I think the same thing about more often than not!” Her words were rewarded with a blush and fluffing of the Paladin’s feathers, Nacreous perking up as they began to walk again. “Hmm. I think more of those phrases are needed. You are absolutely adorable when puffy.”
Celestia’s comment clearly didn’t help the matter, but Nacreous seemed to be definitely yanked out of his depressive state of mind as they walked, even if he did appear about a fourth larger than before.
They walked in silence for a time before Nacreous spoke, but when he did Celestia’s ears locked onto the Hippogriff in genuine interest.
“So, that title? Paladin of the Wayward Gods?” he began as they traversed a bit of fallen ice. “That’s Fori, Gaudi, Arbo, and Iust. They were, or maybe still are, seen as Gods by some tribes.”
“Oh? How did you meet them, I am curious about those individuals,” Celestia admitted.
“Right place and the right time, essentially,” Nacreous admitted, knowing full well how vague the answer was. Celestia noticed as well, but she didn’t press. “In short, I convinced their followers to work together rather than against each other. As for my friends, their names are rough translations a few times over from an old language, namely for the attributes they embody and have shown over the millennium. Fori would be the ‘God’ of fortune, knowledge, and wisdom. Obviously, she has no qualms showing herself, always been the bolder of the four. Gaudi is that of love, joy, and general positive feeling. I think Pinkie Pie would get along with her quite well. Arbo is that of nature in all its forms. He’s a bit shyer than the others. Iust is, well, he’s complicated. Just ‘war’ is not a good description of it. I’d say passion, confrontation, loyalty, and yes, war. I still am not sure how Gaudi goes about dating him, but….”
“She what?”
Nacreous nodded with a grin, then shrugged his wings. “I don’t know when they made it official, but it certainly stunned the other two. But then again, being friends for that long and knowing each other for so long, it makes sense. She seems to be able to calm him down significantly; it’s actually rather adorable in a scary sense.”
Celestia nodded, musing over his words. “I’m glad I finally get to know your friends a bit more, Nacreous. I can tell it’s an issue you play close to your heart, but just know I’m more than happy to listen whenever you’re ready.”
His smile changed slightly, becoming a bit more reserved. “That obvious, huh?”
“We’ve spent enough time together that I can tell when not to press things. But I trust you, so I don’t worry about it.”
The alicorn was once again surprised as Nacreous paused to rest his neck the alicorn’s, tracing his way up to repeat the gesture with his cheek.
“Somebody’s cuddly,” Celestia giggled, the increasingly common sound accompanying the flutter in her heart.
“I had serious qualms about moving this morning,” Nacreous grumbled as they began to walk again, Celestia nudging his shoulder with hers.
“Well, I’d certainly not object to that, when appropriate of course.”
The grin on Nacreous’s face refused to leave for the next few hours, the pair quickly becoming enthralled in a discussion about the tastiest types of seaweed dishes.
And apparently Nacreous was still thinking about a nickname for his favorite alicorn- but he was still stuck. The fact he was putting forth some clear thought into it was rather endearing though. Celestia did have to shoot down a few ideas; such as ‘Sundial’ or ‘radiant flanks.’
The last of course was in jest, but it got a blush, of which the alicorn suspected was Nacreous’s goal.
As they continued to walk in the early afternoon, Nacreous voiced a simple question, the pair navigating some rather spiky ice formations.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, what is it like? Drawing power from the sun? I can’t imagine you’ve used it all before.”
Letting out a hum, Celestia tapped a hoof in thought.
“You’d be right. How can I explain it? It’s like a faucet,” she began. “Usually, the faucet is set to a trickle- I honestly imagine it like that in my mind, a mental representation of how much power I draw. For the Ice King, I had opened the faucet all the way but still only used a portion of it. I honestly can’t recall a time I’ve needed to use it all, but certainly a few times it has been open all the way at least for my use.”
“Huh. A faucet? That’s interesting…”
“I think Luna imagines it like a floodgate for herself at least. A mental representation is more helpful than a spell at times.”
As a soft chime rang out, Celestia floated out a small crystal device from her pack, eyes widening in surprise.
“Is it charged?”
Nacreous took a brief glance at the crystal capacitor and nodded, not able to resist a snicker on seeing Celestia’s face become rather downcast.
“Was somebody enjoying being stuck under a glacier?” The pout refused to leave until Nacreous walked over and gently held Celestia’s hoof in his own, tapping the device with a claw. “We do need to get back, but I would most certainly love to go on some more trips with you, be it under a glacier or otherwise, Celestia. Don’t think you’re the only one who enjoyed some one on one time away from all the chaos.”
Affection swam in Celestia’s gaze as the device activated, spitting out a portal in front of the pair. Walking through into a fairly standard-looking clearing, the two stretched in the afternoon sun, shaking bits of ice off their coats before it melted.
“To Canterlot?” Celestia asked, Nacreous shaking his head.
“Not yet, let’s just enjoy the warmth for a minute. I enjoy the cold, but not that much.”
Nodding in agreement, Celestia leaned her head on the hippogriff’s shoulder with a happy shiver. “Just a minute then.”
Nacreous reached a set of claws over to re-grasp Celestia’s hoof, the alicorn eagerly returning the gesture. The simple comfort of leaning against a special somecreature seemed to make every muscle in the rule relax, a similar effect dawning over the hippogriff.
Unfortunately, their minute of peace was interrupted by a communications spell that began to crackle to life in front of them, Celestia sitting up straight.
“Luna?”
“Sister! You’re safe!” the Night Princess exclaimed happily, bags under her eyes as she hopped up and down before settling on a plush-looking beanbag visible at the bottom of the portal screen. “I was so worried…”
“I’m fine Lulu, we both are. We were about to go to Canterlot and contact you for an update. I imagine quite a bit has changed in the days we have been gone.”
Luna grinned, levitating a parchment over.
“More than you know.”
That evening, Nacreous trotted along the halls with a rather stubborn smile affixed to his beak. So many gaps had been bridged in but a few days with Celestia, it was rather overwhelming but in a very good way.
To say he’d like nothing more than many more mornings like the previous one was an understatement.
The hippogriff was caught off guard as a familiar lunar princess *popped* into existence to trot at his side, a slightly suspicious expression on her features.
“Princess Luna? How can I help you?” Nacreous asked after bowing his head in greeting.
“My sister is over my proverbial moon, the happiest I’ve seen her in ages, suspiciously so,” Luna mused, Nacreous’s ears twitching in curiosity.
“And that is a problem?”
“What exactly happened while you two were gone?”
Nacreous snorted, waving a set of claws dismissively. “Oh. Well, if I can be politely blunt, it’s none of your business. That said, what I imagine you suspect might have happened most certainly did not. Celestia already told you that we’re officially special somecreatures, but I suspect your question is a bit more intimate?”
The deadpan expression on Luna’s face made Nacreous sigh, the hippogriff smacking a set of claws across his beak.
“Goodness, Princess, we did nothing more than hug. Does that sate your curiosity?”
At this Luna’s brow furrowed, a hoof tapping the ground in thought. “I suspected that was a possibility. Celly did tell me you’re officially her special somegriff, so I was a bit curious. And yet…”
“Why is she so incredibly happy? Obviously, it’s not a bad thing, but you’re curious?”
A simple nod was Luna’s reply, Nacreous taking a deep breath. “Maybe this will help, and I certainly owe you a bit of explanation, you being Celly’s family. Perhaps it is in my error to not have spoken with you first. Do you mind if I tell you a story?”
“I carry no hard feelings about the matter, Nacreous, so don’t worry about it. I am intrigued though; go on.”
“The story’s name is that of a Prince; Jug Parlance.’” Luna’s eyebrow raised at that, Nacreous waving a claw. “Let me continue. This was centuries ago when dowries were a thing, an archaic concept of course, they being compensation paid to a family on having a daughter who was to be married off. It was a price for the marriage but also a courtesy, a payment to offset the loss of labor as well as a status symbol. In this village a one or two seasons of harvest was the cheapest trade for a wife, if you could barter with her father that is, still follow?”
“I remember such a practice in various areas ages ago, so yes, continue.”
“Three or four harvests was worthy of being bragged to among others. Five was that of nobility. Six was rare indeed. Now in this village the Elder had a few daughters; one of whom was seen as wild and untamable. The mare, her name being Milly Sprout, spent her days in the wilderness and the like, never attending the social circles or usual activities. When Milly did spend time in the village, her mane was as unkempt and wild as the look in her teal eyes, and she rarely spoke. Some said her looks could crack glass, as cruel as that is.”
Luna sat down, thoroughly curious as to where this tale was leading.
“Now a well-known Prince, Jug Parlance, came to the village for a few months to set up various trades and agreements. Each time he was seen talking to the wild mare, even for a few brief moments. Imagine the gossip the day he asked Milly to be his wife. The Elder agreed of course- for he thought his daughter would never be married. The Prince said he would bring a payment of ten harvests within the moon, to which the Elder happily agreed, playing it off as though it was a low price indeed.
Nacreous paused, a genuine smile on his face as though a happy memory was on the forefront of his mind.
“Imagine the grapevine chatter that spread through the village! Surely it was a joke! That many for such a wild and dirty mare who spent her time in the woods and mud. As Jug returned with not one, two, three, five or even eight harvests, but the full ten, the naysayers were speechless. The mare, now all smiles eagerly embraced the Prince. A week later when a well-known Trader visited the couple, the Trader beheld a mare of astonishing beauty. He knew it was Milly, for the wild and free look in her eyes was still ever present but her mane and coat shone like the sun and she conducted herself like the most experienced noble he had ever seen, and a genuine smile never left her face.”
“And?” Luna asked eagerly, Nacreous grinning.
“On asking the Prince of what in the world came over the mare, the trader was floored by the answer. Jug simply held his wife’s hoof tenderly and said this.
‘Think what it must mean to a mare: Her future husband and her father meeting to discuss the lowest price for which she can be bought. And later, when the mares of the village gather, they boast of what their husbands paid for them - three harvests, or five. How does she feel, the woman who was sold for one or two? Or perhaps the one who was never thought to be worth even a single harvest? This could not happen to my Milly.”
Luna actually found herself holding back tears as Nacreous spoke, his claws working their way to clasp together.
“The trader had then nodded solemnly, proclaiming he had misjudged Jug, for he thought the Prince’s deed was to garner reputation, not to make his wife happy. He understood then that in her father’s house, Milly felt as though she was not worth a single harvest, and her actions portrayed her own self-doubt.”
Nacreous then stood a bit taller, looking at Luna with a flurry of emotions in his eyes.
“Jug then said to the Trader, ‘and now Milly knows she is worth more than any mare in this land, and even moreso to me,’” he then paused, looking at Luna with a surprisingly tender smile.
“You ask what happened in those caves, Luna? I got to know your sister as Celestia. Not as a Princess, or Solar Empress, but just her. To use the story’s aspects, I treated her as much as I feel she is worth; even if I don’t have nearly enough harvests to offer. I got to see her underneath the regalia and the pressures of this castle. And with learning about her fears, flaws, passions and dreams, how could I not fall even further in...” his words trailed off, head shaking briefly.
“I hope that suffices. It’s really not my place to say more, but I’m sure she’d tell you. Just know that she’s worth more to me than any mountain of gold, and I treated her as such. Too long has it been since either of us have had a friend, let alone the possibility of more than such.”
“That most certainly does clarify things, Nacreous. Thank you,” Luna stated, her expression softening to a genuinely sincere and tender one as the surprising display of care. “Thank you for treating my sister as I hoped somecreature would. Words cannot express the joy it brings me to see her so happy. I was simply…”
“Playing the role of the big brother?”
“In a manner of speaking. I have to go, Nacreous. But again, thank you,” she then paused. “By the way, how did you come by this story?”
Nacreous grinned at that, casually shrugging.
“That trader also happened to be a large, hippogriff doctor. And I’ll just leave it at that.”
“Lulu!”
“Good to see you too, Sister,” Luna remarked, embracing Celestia as they relaxed in the common area between their quarters.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Luna looked over to her sister, once again not able to remember the last time she had seen Celestia so happy. Her mane was hung slightly different, and perhaps it was a trick of the light, but the alicorn appeared younger, a youthful bounce permeating her fur, gaze, and gait.
“If I am to be honest, I just came from having a few questions for Nacreous. And, as usual, I was worried about nothing. You should ask him about the tale of Jug Parlance, when you get a chance,” Luna explained with a sigh, gesturing to her sister. “You returned happier than I’ve ever seen you, and I suspected, erm, I thought…you saying he was your special somegriff now…”
Celestia let out a soft ‘snrk,’ waggling a hoof at her younger sister. “Did somepony get a bit over-eager to play the protective sibling part? I don’t blame you for being curious, but no, I didn’t sleep with him, goodness Lulu,” she paused, then letting out a hum. “Well, technically we did….”
“What?!”
Letting out a soft laugh, Celestia settled onto a plush cushion, thoroughly enjoying making her little sister short-circuit.
“It was freezing down there, and Nacreous has his own demons to fight. That’s all I’m going to say. But no, it wasn’t that.”
Luna nodded, letting out a sigh. “Fair enough. I would have been rather surprised if the answer was different.”
Seeing a glint in Celestia’s eye, Luna decided to press her luck. “But I suppose it was a thought at least, or a few thoughts?”
“Lulu!”
“That’s not a no!” Luna grinned triumphantly.
“Oh, so you’ve never had the thought of dragging Shifting into a side room in that underground love nest? Delay some meetings by an hour or four?”
A furious blush burned across Luna’s face, the alicorn grumbling as Celestia cackled in triumph. “Don’t tease the master, dear sister!” she crowed, the dark blue alicorn muttering under her breath as Celestia walked over to give her a hug.
“I do appreciate the concern though, Lulu. I’m glad that you’re doing alright.”
“Same here, Celly. I’m just relieved you are unharmed. Not knowing where you were for a few days, in enemy territory; I’m just glad it’s back to somewhat-smooth sailing. I should be getting back to the safehouse.”
“Well, with a few waves here and there to make things interesting,” Celestia added with a smile. “And take care, Luna. I’ll check in before you retire. You need the sleep, pulling partial daytime duty and all that.”
Luna waved with a hoof, vanishing with a *pop* of magic. Celestia trotted over to relax on her bed, a very surprising but not unwelcome feeling worming into her heart. It only eased slightly when the alicorn reached over to hug a large pillow. The memory of two strong arms wrapped around her barrel nearly brought her to tears, Celestia shaking her head in surprise.
How much I already miss that.