"Oh hey, the tall princess is here, now," Cimex said. Being busy hugging the sculpture goodbye made him the last to notice the new arrival. It also meant he was the last to notice something else. "Aged cocoon slime, her mane is gigantic! You could hide half a patrol squad in there, Thorax!"
The other drones snickered. Thorax sighed.
"You know, guys, I don't think my heart can take much more of your informalities."
Thorax put on a smile as Princess Celestia descended. Every one of her movements, from her wing beats to her hooves touching the ground, seemed to radiate a divine elegance, a finesse as absolute as the sun in the afternoon sky. She trotted, almost skipped, over to the group.
"Thorax, I'm so glad to see you've made it here safely," she said enthusiastically, offering a snowy hoof. "Today has been hectic, what between the museum's preparations and now all this. I've been half-expecting to find Discord around every corner. I'm relieved that you've all managed, regardless."
"Well, I am used to navigating with chaos around," Thorax chuckled, gently receiving the alicorn's hoof. "We have Princess Luna to thank for helping corral us so quickly. We couldn't find Twilight, and we didn't know where the museum was, so there's no telling how long we may have wandered without her."
"Oh please, I merely walked out a doorway," Luna dismissed. The pair of drones utilizing her back reverted to their regular forms and dropped onto the grass. Luna could make out a foalish despair coming off her sister's face as they did so. "You were wise to come to the castle, Thorax. If I had been absent, the palace guards would have known where to find us. Everything worked out in the end."
Suddenly, Thorax found his attention stolen. His posse had become excited, for they’d now realized that the fabled pony museum visit was at hoof. At that moment, Luna's stare targeted Celestia and grew stern.
"Everything worked out in the end...despite an unpleasant altercation with the nobility."
The changelings failed to notice the tautness of Celestia's brow, or that, for a moment, the sun's rays seemed to grow a tad hotter.
"How bad was it?"
"Bad enough to rile up the changelings in Thorax's defense," Luna murmured. "I thank the heavens they brushed off the encounter so readily. I hate to say I told you so, sister, but I will. Tradition and conceitedness still fester in this city, not to mention the grudge it has reason to harbor. I do not believe this will be as easy as you expect it to be."
"I never expect; only hope." Celestia salvaged her former smile. "And yes, before you ask, I still have hope for the museum visit."
"Do you?"
"Museums, like libraries, I find promote a certain neutrality." Celestia giggled. She looked at Thorax to find him forcefully pulling several struggling changelings into a hug. To her, the adorableness made up for the lack of context. "I believe it is an environment the changelings will thrive in."
"And you believe it will be enough?"
Pair by pair, every set of changeling eyes turned towards Celestia in expectation. Knowing this was her cue, she stepped forward.
"It doesn't have to be," Celestia whispered in passing. "The museum is merely a stage, Luna. A place for the changelings to show their true colors. Trust me. Setbacks aside, this visit will still be a resounding success."
Luna smirked knowingly as she watched her showpony of a sister scoop up the changelings with only her presence. They gathered before her like a flock to a shepherd.
"I regret to say that I'm not hiding Twilight under my wing. I, too, am unaware of her exact situation. However, I have dispatched some of our best scouts to Ponyville to check up on her. With any luck and a little bit of hope, Princess Twilight will be joining us before long."
As the sun princess spoke, she couldn’t help noticing the innocent wonder in each of their faces; how it shined in their eyes. Centuries of practice remaining calm and collected before manic crowds and cabinets of politicians could not shield the princess from changeling charm. She could feel her cheeks aching, her demeanor degrading to a foalish remnant of itself.
Praise to the ancient magics. Even now, they resemble giant, colorful plush toys.
"In the meantime, I'd be more than honored to be your guide for our museum trip. Through Princess Twilight, you've gifted Equestria a precious insight into your developing culture. As a bit of a history buff myself, allow me to return the favor today by showing you Equestria's many forms throughout the ages."
Luna watched as the changelings chittered, bounced, and buzzed their wings in glee. Ever so subtly, she began to retreat towards the castle, and her bed chambers. With the castle's decor finished, and the task of chaperoning now passed off to her sister, she'd become all too aware of a weight pulling her eyelids like curtains. They knew what was now within hoof's grasp, perhaps even better than her own conscience.
She yawned. These double shifts were starting to take their toll.
"Princess Nighttime, aren't you coming with us?"
The weights let up, and her unsightly yawn skittered back down her throat. Luna turned, rather jumpily, to find the group watching her from the garden's edge.
"Oh, no," she remarked. "You all...go have fun with my sister. I believe I'll, uh, briefly retire while you attend the museum opening. You see, I'm not used to being up this long during the daytime. Short spurts, usually, at most."
From beyond a few mildly disappointed faces, Celestia gave her a nod and smile. Luna returned them.
"I won't be long. By the time you return from your tour, I'll be up and alert. Besides sleep, there's one more item of business I need to attend to in the castle, anyway, so this is perfect timing."
"A splendid idea," Celestia said with pep. She unfurled one milky wing to prompt the group into following her lead. Thorax stuck to the rear, ensuring no stragglers were left behind. "We'll give my sister time to do what she needs to while we get to the museum. I’m quite looking forward to my turn to spend some time with you all. In fact, I was starting to get jealous of my niece and former student."
Every drone chuckled.
"So, being a princess, have you gotten to see the inside of the museum already?" Apidae inquired. She hovered a hoove's length off the ground to meet her host's eye. Celestia acknowledged her with an odd look.
"Now, what makes you think I could’ve seen the museum already? They haven't even opened their doors yet."
"Well, from what we know about pony politics from the Crystal Empire and past infiltrations of Canterlot, all major events tend to have a princess involved." Apidae shot a glance at Thorax and stuck her tongue out. "Plus, that's how the hive often works, too. Thorax and Pharynx have a role in almost everything major that goes on, from assemblies to feelings forums, training practices to evacuation procedures."
"Now hang on," Thorax interjected. "I'm getting better at delegating, Apidae, you know that. Just look at Calor. He helps run a lot of our routine social activities in my stead, now."
Calor excitedly waved his hoof in acknowledgment.
"I'm just teasing, Papa Thorax," Apidae assured. "Calor runs social activities. I'm a liaison for the Crystal Empire. Calor says you also want to start finding volunteers for hive tour guides. Everyling knows you're getting better at letting us help. Don't worry."
Thorax opened his mouth, but settled for shaking his head.
Celestia giggled and yielded with a nod. "Apidae, was it? You're very clever. Yes, I admit I have been on a brief tour of the museum in both its unfinished and finished states. These tours were not for my leisure, however. They were to understand room layouts, themes, topics, and other preemptive information. I didn't have the opportunity to read any of the exhibits beforehoof, which in retrospect, I'm thankful for. It’ll be much more enjoyable to experience them for the first time with you all."
"Um, Your Highness," said Cimex. “If you haven't read any of the exhibits, and you’re learning things along with us, then how are you a history buff?"
Being little more than a forgotten caboose, noling was there to console Thorax from his ugly grimace.
"Good question," Celestia cooed. "Allow me to clarify: I am unfamiliar with how the museum's exhibits will demonstrate Equestrian history, not the topic of Equestrian history itself. I may not look like it, but I'm a teacher as well as a princess."
"You teach pony history to little ponies?" asked Xenica, buzzing along to get closer to the alicorn.
"Not directly. I run a small magic school here in Canterlot, where I teach magic to truly gifted young unicorns. Of course, history is an important part of learning magic, so I do cover many history topics in my classes."
Before further questions could launch, Celestia made her budding smirk known.
"Of course, there's a more obvious reason why I'm already familiar with Equestria's history." She paused. And then she winked.
"Having lived through much of Equestria's history, I have a first-hoof knowledge of the subject."
There was a painfully long silence. When gasps pierced the air, at last, Celestia struggled to contain her giggling.
"Wait, how old is Equestria?" Calor blurted. His eyes shook, and he grasped the sides of his head. "Cocoon slime, how old are you!?"
Thorax winced.
"That's got to be thousands of years!" Apidae rasped, staring up at the sun monarch with a newfound fascination. "Princess Cadance taught us about the Crystal Empire's history and how the last time they were around was over a thousand years ago, before a curse. Equestria existed even then, according to her."
"Chrysalis had an extended lifespan compared to most changelings, but even she doesn't come anywhere close to whole millennia," Xenica said. "Were you around for Equestria's founding, Your Highness?"
Shrouded in mystique, Celestia wore a cryptic smile. Again she winked, and with a nod, motioned to a decorated sign crowning a fork in the path before them. Below the sign sat an arrow, pointing right.
Equestrian History & Foreign Exchange Museum - Grand Opening! 5 bits for adults, foals free with adult supervision.
Eyes scanned the text, then rebounded to Celestia. She addressed them with a thoughtful raise of her brow.
"Equestria, as an identified nation, is approximately two and a half millennia old. My sister and I do pop up throughout that timeline, though certainly not as a focus, for the most part." A ghostly smirk haunted her lip. "All the same, I'd imagine at least one of the exhibits will mention my full birthday. Hmm, I wonder which of you can find it for me first."
There was another chorus of gasps, and the drones sprang to life, trotting and flying ahead of their host and king with gusto. By the time Thorax could so much as release a breath, the drones had vanished in a cloud of dust.
"You hear that? Scavenger hunt, everyling!" shouted Calor. He emerged before the pack and morphed himself a detective hat in a localized burst of flame. "Find the princess's hatchday-"
"Birthday," Xenica interjected blandly.
"-birthday, on one of the museum exhibits! The first changeling to find it gets to show it to her!"
Thorax released his breath, and his window for reaching earshot slipped away. Futile as his continued efforts were, he leaped forward.
"Guys! Guys, please wait for us!" he pleaded hopelessly, gallops evolving into flight. "You can't just leave the princess and run off to-oh, forget it."
The pack had disappeared around a corner, along with what little remained of Thorax's reins.
There was nothing now that could drown out Celestia's giggling.
"I apologize, Thorax," she managed, placing a hoof to her chest as the dejected changeling sank back down to the street. "I had hoped to pique an interest in the museum, but it appears I may have riled them up beyond that."
"Don't worry about it," Thorax sighed, taking a deep breath. Upon collecting himself, he offered Celestia a more hopeful attitude. "Honestly, I'm to blame. I've been trying to keep them calm and respectful this whole trip, but this is a huge deal for them, and I need to respect that, too. I need to get better at directing their energy, rather than trying to contain it."
The two monarchs walked, navigating a modest side street nearly void of other ponies. Side by side, they nearly matched in height, towering over typical ponies, with Thorax losing by only a few notches thanks to the alicorn's horn.
"I was just about to compliment how well you handled them, actually," Thorax continued. "I've never seen anyling handle them so flawlessly like that. I mean, I can on a good day, but never when they're hyperactive. You made it look easy, like you've done this a million times."
Celestia looked skyward. The sun had enveloped her, a stellar marionette held aloft by her magic. Her ears twitched, as did her smile, to the chirps of passing birds and the distant city sounds she had grown so accustomed to. In pausing, a familiar calm overcame her, and she gave the world a smile to outdo all others.
"This smile is my pleasure," Celestia said, turning to sample it for him. "It's a pleasure because, unlike many smiles I put on throughout my day, it comes from someplace genuine. I feel no happier than when I’m guiding others, especially those with so much to see and learn. You and I both tend to gravitate towards mingling with our subjects, not out of obligation, but because leading is more rewarding when done personally. We may share a fair bit in common."
Such words put Thorax into a space of deep thought. He remained quiet as he and Celestia made their way. He barely took note of his surroundings, which seemed to mesh and morph in his distracted mind into something different yet familiar. Into something that was almost alive itself; alive due to forces from those like Princess Celestia. Was he just as capable of this level of creation with his own home, his own subjects? Did he harbor this talent from the very beginning?
Voices hijacked Thorax’s train of thought. The small crowd of changelings he'd been hunting for was finally in sight.
"Hurry up, Papa Thorax! You have to get your hoof stamped if you want to go inside."
There was an odd shoving sensation just below his wing case, as if an impatient lilac drone were nudging him along. Which there was.
"Cimex puppy-dog-eyed some poor ponies into letting him be first in line," Xenica informed. "He thought he was cute, but I think they're just afraid he's gonna stuff them in cocoons or something."
Thorax leaned forward. Sure enough, crowning the line was Cimex, inadvertently horrifying surrounding ponies by way of bouncing in place.
"You guys sure are serious about this whole scavenger hunt thing," Thorax mused. He stepped forward to a cowering earth pony working the stamp station. A trembling hoof emerged from behind the table and lightly pressed a stamp on his foreleg.
When Thorax turned, Celestia awaited him. He offered his imprinted hoof and an awkward smile.
"I guess we're ready now, princess. We better get going. I don't want Cimex to lose track of us in this crowd."
"Everything will be just fine, Thorax," Celestia soothed, seemingly commanding the museum doors to open with a turn of her head. Before a wave of brisk voices and pushing hooves, she remained calm and fixated, a life raft in the ocean of Thorax's anxiety. "I am confident that there is nothing within these walls that the changelings cannot handle."
"Your Majesty. You've returned," said a castle guard. His nose twitched. "Ah, and you've been to the royal greenhouse, I see. It must be time for your afternoon retreat."
Luna trotted up the steps, with bits of lavender affixed around her head. With half-lidded eyes, she peered from one guard to the next, a sharp eyebrow awaiting the slightest snicker.
"Sure Point."
"Yes, mam."
"Crisp Plackart."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"I require a favor. Please inform any passerby that my sister and I will be henceforth unavailable for further guidance to the populace today. She now attends the museum opening with the changelings, and I must check in with Chef Sedani regarding preparations for tonight's dinner. Following this, I will be taking a brief nap before our guest's visit resumes in the castle."
The guards nodded in unison. Luna moved forward and between them.
"Should I not wake by the time my sister returns, you have permission to open my chamber door and wake me." The castle doors yawned open, gripped in her deep blue magic. "The same goes if the units sent to Ponyville return and report that Twilight requires assistance. For now, I bid a pleasant afternoon to you both."
A heavy-set thud of oak beset uncertain glances. Sure Point snorted.
"Not it," he disclaimed quickly. "Her tapestries have already assaulted me today. I'm not playing alarm clock either. It's unsettling how fast she can peg a pony with pillows through that door crack."