//------------------------------// // Chapter eight: Day four part 2: Celestia's daybreak // Story: The Princess of Chaos // by Foal Star //------------------------------// Celestia groaned as she slowly woke up later that day, rubbing her head as she slowly got up and saw her sister standing over her with a glare. The Princess of the Night looked equally as disheveled, trying as she could to rub away a possible headache as she glared down at her sister. “Sister, what is wrong with you?!” Celestia got up with bags under her eyes and felt quite irritated as she tried to lift herself up. “I don’t suppose you could be a little more specific?” “What were you thinking, using your magic so flippantly and on a noble no less!” Luna snapped, slamming a hoof down with her eyes glaring down at her sister, looking quite furious. “What!?” Celestia snapped as she got up from her bed, still visibly drained but atleast looking more awake than before. Luna however, didn’t offer any clarification too busy staring her sister down so furiously you’d swear she’d turned back into Nightmare Moon for a moment. “Enough is enough, Celestia this ridiculous contest ends now! In the last few days, not only have you managed to seriously damage your reputation, as well as my own, but you’ve also caused chaos amongst the masses, potentially blinded numerous other ponies and gave a currently incalculable sum of money to a group of foals!? You’ll destroy our economy if you keep doing that!” Celestia, now aware of what she was being chewed out for, lost her recently regained drive and returned attention to her still burning headache from the night before. While she would’ve loved to simply curl up in her bed and sleep until the ponding in her skull faded, she knew Luna would never give her that satisfaction. Kind of difficult to sleep in when your sister can still nag you in your dreams. “Alright then Luna, what exactly would you have me do!?” This somewhat flippant answer only made the Princess of the Moon more enraged, having to actually fight the urge to return to the royal canterlot voice. “Oh no sister, we’re well past you simply doing something. That bridge has well and truly burned along with heaven only knows how many trees from that stunt you pulled last morning.” While the verbal lashing was more than warranted and the catharsis was enjoyable, Luna knew that simply yelling at her sister wasn’t going to accomplish much in the long run. Thus quickly calming herself, she did her best to act as the responsible ruler she was. “The fact of the matter is sister, you’ve been completely irresponsible and dependent on your new found power. So many of the recent disasters you’ve caused could’ve easily been avoided if you’d simply handled them diplomatically instead of falling back on your magic like a crutch.” Despite her sister’s attempts to be civil, Celestia, visibly annoyed, got right into her sister’s face before slamming a hoof on the ground. “Stop acting so patronizing! I’m fine, and I don’t need you to tell me what to do!” Seeing her sister was going to be difficult, Luna immediately shifted back to her prior anger and met her sister, literally face to face. “Oh really!? Will you turn me into a foal again, or maybe something else this time! After all, that’s your solution for everything now isn’t it?” Now fully awake and her eyes actually starting to ignite with flames, Celestia slammed her claw on the ground, shouting loudly as she did. “I have dealt with running this kingdom for a thousand years by myself, a choice I was forced to bear because of your choices. So don’t try to talk to me about being irresponsible.”” Luna sighed, knowing full well arguing would go nowhere and her sister had raised a valid point. Even so, she couldn’t just back down on this. “It is true...my poor decisions forced you to bear a burden we were meant to share for so many moons and I have to live with that mistake. Yet, can’t you see it’s because of that I understand what’s happening now? I only want to help you.” To Luna’s relief it seemed like that had managed to calm her sister down somewhat, the fire faded from her eyes and she seemed to regain her senses. “Forgive me, Luna,” Celestia said, taking a seat at her bed whilst looking at her claws. “After a thousand years ruling alone, I guess I’d forgotten what it was like to have my authority truly challenged. And I can’t think of a wiser pony to listen to on our current situation.” Happy to have her sister finally being civil, Luna took a seat next to her. “Indeed, I too often need to be reminded how long it has been since I walked upon Equestrian soil, and how long you needed to carry the weight of my responsibilities as well as your own. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like.” Celestia said nothing as she simply stared at the walls of the castle, giving Luna a glimpse of her eyes and the greater age behind them. Containing untold amounts of memories and experiences she couldn’t even begin to consider. And it was at that moment Luna had a revelation. “This wager, it was never about proving Discord wrong was it? You just wanted a chance to have a little fun didn’t you?” Celestia blinked before sweat started to form on her brow. Her mind immediately tried to formulate a lie, only for a knowing look from her sister to kill that idea. “At first, I did atleast somewhat want to prove Discord wrong, but once I had the power and realized what it meant, what I could do with it. It was too much to resist.” Celestia’s voice dripped with weakness and shame, distraught to be seen so vulnerable and having to admit to such a thing. “For so many years, I’ve had to be the face of Equestria, the people’s perfect ruler. The one who shines like and is as flawless as the sun. Never allowed to step out of line for even a second.” “And you thought with that magic, it’d be the perfect excuse to let yourself loosen up, if only for a little while?” Luna asked, trying to be as delicate as possible, with Celestia returning a nod. “It’s hardly an excuse for what I’ve done, but I just had to do something.” The last words she practically spat out, disgusted she needed to admit to such a thing. “I felt as though if I didn’t use that power just a little bit, I’d lose my mind...when did I become so weak?” And in that moment, Celestia looked more exposed and vulnerable than Luna had ever seen her. Despite her literally being able to command reality with a single snap, you’d swear she’d collapse from a single light breeze. This was something Luna couldn’t allow and knew what she needed to do. “You’re not weak sister,” Luna said, offering her sister a wing. “You simply need a break, both from your duties and magic. I'll handle your duties for the day, while you finally relax for a change.” Celestia looked absolutely stunned by the idea, though more from shock than anticipation. “Luna, while I appreciate the gesture, you don’t need to do that.” The Princess of the Sun immediately found her face magically pulled down to Luna’s, her sister giving her quite the forceful look. “You’re taking the day off and that’s final. Are we clear sister?” Celestia only offered a weak nod, feeling more than a little off put by her sister’s harsh face, which immediately shifted into a smile after her agreement. “Excellent, well then I suppose I should take care of raising the sun first. Enjoy your day off Celestia, and remember, no magic.” With one final look, Luna left her sister’s chambers, prompting Celestia to fall back on her bed and stare up at the ceiling. “My first true day off in over a thousand years....what should I do for the day?” As if the universe sought to answer this question, Celestia heard the door to her room open and was greeted by a familiar and visibly nervous familiar face. “Feather Duster, it's good to see you.” To no surprise, the maid seemed somewhat uncomfortable being in the princess’s presence. Though it was a more awkward kind of discomfort, which Celestia could understand given their recent adventures. “Good morning...princess. I...um...well.”” The poor mares shaking voice practically broke Celestia’s heart as she quickly bowed her head, startling the mare even more. “Feather Duster, you have my most sincere and utmost apologies for what I put you through these last few days. As a monarch especially my actions were beyond inexcusable and I hope you will forgive me for taking advantage of you in such a way.” The maid was left completely shell shocked at the sight of the most powerful pony in the kingdom bowing her head in shame before her. Certainly wasn’t how she expected this encounter to go. “It’s...alright Princess Celestia. Being your mother was different, but I didn’t mind and I know you didn’t mean to do it originally.” The princess gave a long deep sigh, despite her apology being received it didn’t quite seem to put her mind at ease “Are you sure you’re alright? I wouldn’t blame you for being angry at me for what I did. Heaven knows there are probably more than a few who are.” Shaking off some of her discomfort, Feather Duster sat down across from Celestia. “Your highness, I've been working here for some time, I've seen you have your ups and downs, but this is possibly the strangest I’ve ever seen you. And I’m not simply referring to you being a draconequus.” The princess rolled her eyes and grumbled, “Now you’re starting to sound like Luna.” Though in spite of her tone, she truly did appreciate the second opinion, which did confirm without a doubt taking some time off was the smarter decision. “Then perhaps you should start listening to her a bit,” Feather Duster said, her face and tone being eerily similar to her motherly appearance. “You know she’s only doing it because she cares.” With a sigh, Celestia arose from her bed and offered a nod. “I do. She believes I need to relax for a bit and I’m going to do exactly that.” An idea immediately formed in her head as she spoke, which also sent a light chill down Feather’s spine, which only grew when her ruler’s eyes turned to her. “Feather Duster, would you be opposed to taking the day off to accompany me somewhere?” The princess and Feather Duster were now in front of a steaming hot bath, slowly settling down into the hot steaming suds bubbling around them. “Luna was right, I did need this,” Celestia mumbled out, letting her serpent-like body slide further under the surface of the water. “And I hope this isn’t an inconvenience for your Feather. I just wanted a way to properly apologize for all I put you through these last few days.” The maid in question was currently seated amidst several small mountains of suds, a look of pure contentment on her face. “And as I said, I never held a grudge against you for what happened...though I’m certainly not against a day of pampering at the spa.” Once Celestia had been more clear of her intentions, she’d teleported the pair to the Ponyville Day Spa. Naturally, the owners were all too happy to pencil the princess and her guest in for their highest quality treatments and specials, to which the pair decided to simply relax in the bath for a time and wash away the morning fatigue. Feeling a bit refreshed and more awake, Celestia, raised herself out of the way a bit so she could lean against the edge and eyed Feather curiously. “You know, I just realized that for how much we’ve seen of each other, I sadly don’t know much about you.” The sudden spotlight cast on her woke the maid from her state of bliss, causing her to shift back to her usual nervous demeanor. “Well, there’s not much to really say about me, I’m just another maid in the castle after all.” “Nonsense,” Celestia said firmly, while making sure not to shout to avoid ruining the atmosphere. “When I see my subjects, I never look upon them as simply another face in the crowd, but as unique individuals who if I had the time I would hope to get to know each and everyone of them. And I was hoping, especially given past events, I could learn a bit more about you if possible.” “Well…,” Feather paused, being moved by Celestia’s genuine desire to know more about her. As I said, there isn’t much to say. I'm single, became a maid because I like being around..around helping ponies.” Feather Duster stammered as she continued to soak in the hot tub, trying to stem the shaking in her voice. . Despite the answer, Celestia didn’t look satisfied. “Oh, come now Feather. We both know there’s more to you to that and I’m keenly aware why some ponies take up positions by the castle. So please, just be honest with me.” Still on the spot and knowing she couldn’t lie her way out of this, Feather took a breath and spoke how she felt. “Have you ever...you know...taken interest in any of your staff romantically?” Celestia’s eyes instantly shot up, not expecting such a question and tried her best to offer a coherent response. “I...well...to be honest I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t happened. I mean over the past thousand years it’d be odd if I hadn’t taken an interest in some of my staff, but I can’t just say names…” Seeing the princess caught off guard actually made the maid mare chuckle, managing to break a fair amount of tension that had been holding her back. “No, it’s fine. It was just something I was curious about...plus I couldn’t exactly think of something else to ask.” Mildly annoyed, Celestia offered a half hearted glare, but it only lasted a moment before she chuckled with equal mirth. Now able to better relax, Feather Duster moaned loudly as she soaked into the spa with bubbling suds relaxing her body and stiff muscles. “Can I ask something private again?” The alicorn mare's cheeks turned red, still a bit weary about what other things she’d request but obliged. Feather Duster squeaked and asked, “why did you turn me into your mother substitute?” Celestia’s prior embarrassment fizzled out, and her face became stiffer as she laid back, relaxing in the piles of suds as a way to ease out her response. “Well, it was at least in part a complete accident, though I suppose if you’re asking why I didn’t simply reverse it right away...it’s because I don’t remember my mother. I suppose a part of me just wanted to have that feeling, especially given recent events. Sorry again for that.” “Stop apologizing; I told you it’s fine.” Feather Duster responded with a blush on her face, feeling awkward with the princess as she kept apologizing. Not wanting to argue and seemingly finally burying the hatchet on that little issue, Celestia opted to simply continue to enjoy the soothing waters of the bath. After soaking in the hot tub for some time, along with a bit more playful back and forth between the two mares, the duo eventually moved on to their next bit of pampering. Celestia opted to have her wings preened and cleaned, which proved slightly taxing due to the spa ponies having some trouble with her dragon wing. Feather Duster meanwhile opted for a simple hooficure, along with a moisturizing mask, and was currently laying contently in her chair. The two had stopped speaking for a brief period to properly enjoy themselves, yet as she was sitting and letting her mind wander, a question formed in Feather’s mind that she felt compelled to ask. “Princess Celestia. Forgive me for being so bold in asking but...you by chance like Discord?” Her question was loud enough to where the spa ponies immediately halted their work, looking stunned by the question, while Celestia, surprisingly, looked rather composed with just a minor pink dusting on her face. Feather feared for a moment she’d crossed some kind of line, but Celestia quickly put her fears at ease when she finally spoke. “There was once a time when I looked upon him with a small amount of respect. We even shared a few moments together, when he was willing to be civil. Sadly, he let his own chaotic nature get the better of him, eventually forcing my sister and I to act. I’d lost much of what respect I had for him and inspite of how much he has changed, I don’t think I'll ever truly be able to forgive him.” Having not expected to get any kind of response from such a serious question, the maid opted to try and end the matter before it became too awkward.“I see, that’s perfectly understandable.” Things remained relatively quiet for a time, the pair continued to enjoy themselves for another two hours, occasionally talking back and forth, but not quite with the same vigor as before. Feather Duster was now feeling less relaxed, now convinced she’d made things awkward between the pair. Yet, she tried to play dumb regarding the matter, fearing what would happen next. When the pair were finally done with their last session and preparing to leave, did something significant take place. “So Feather Duster do you want to do something fun?” The maid turned around with a surprised look, looking at Celestia with a mixture of confusion, fear and a curiosity as to what exactly fun could mean, especially given her last few antics. “Um...what exactly did you have in mind?” Quickly growing a Discord like smirk as they finally walked out the door, she snapped a claw as pink tendrils of magic twirled around her body. The formerly draconequus slowly shrank to an average, cute pegasus pony, a Prench maid outfit suddenly appearing on her body with a frilly white cap and a frilly white apron tied around her waist. All the while this occured, her maid squeaked as she turned into a perfect copy of Celestia in her normal form, down to the wings, horn and the long flowing, light-colored mane complete with her regalia. The former maid was stunned at her new body, unintentionally extending her wings repeatedly while trying to stay upright as Celestia came forward and bowed. “For today, I'll be the maid, and you can be the princess.” Feather Duster didn’t immediately respond to this idea, still looking over her new body with shock and awe. “Wow, I can’t believe you turned me into you!” “And I am now you.” The princess squeaked, positively beaming about her new pony body. “Alright! Let's get going...maid.” Feather Duster snickered as she led Celestia out of the spa and towards the chariot, deciding to go with the flow on this new little escapade. The now transformed Princess Celestia happily skipped over to the chariot and opened the door with a bow. “Alright, my dear, where do you wish to go?” Feather Duster or Princess Feather Duster in a sense,held out her hoof, and allowed Celestia to lead her into the chariot and placed her down, and then Celestia sat across from her as the chariot set off down the road. The newly transformed princess alicorn was quite confused as she asked, “so do you wish for some tea?” “Of course...Celestia...” The former princess said, before realizing the minor problem they would run into with names. Feather Duster seemed to realize this as well amidst admiring her new form.d, “I think you should have your own maid name...since I’ll be Celestia.” The mare tapped a hoof to her chin, pondering. “This is quite interesting; what should my maid name be…” Celestia gasped as a name suddenly appeared in her head, and raised a hoof. “I should be Clean N’ Shine.” “That’s a lovely name!” Feather Duster/Celestia cheered and clapped her hooves, earning a mock bow from the newly dubbed Clean N’ Shine. . “Now then,” Clean N’ Shine said with a smirk. “I believe there was some mention of tea.” In a flash a tray of tea, cups and even little bonbons appeared in the middle of the chariot. Feather Duster/Celestia stared at the tray of treats for a moment, prompting Clean N’ Shine to explain. “You forget, I'm still a draquennous, this is just a disguise after all.” Satisfied with the answer the former maid squealed as she picked up the cup with her hooves, not wanting to try her luck using her wings. “Well, I guess that means I get to boss you around now.” “That's right.” Clean N Shine meeped, feeling quite excited to be a maid and live the life of an average pony for a change as she hooked herself to the chariot and took off into the skies. The pair remained airborne for only a short time before parking in the town square, with the imposter Celestia being carefully guided out of the chariot. As expected, they drew quite a few stares with ponies all around bowing (some scooting away) as they walked over to a luncheon as the waiter bowed. “Princess Celestia, forgive me, we weren’t prepared for your arrival.” “Um...th..that’s all right; we simply need two seats, please.” Feather Duster stammered as she felt awkward impersonating the Princess. The waiter nodded as the stallion slowly escorted the two mares to their seats, and the waiter turned to the real Celestia. “Are you the princess’s maid, correct?” Celestia was quite surprised at being called a maid, but quickly shook it off and got into character. “Yes, I’m Clean N’ Shine and I was recently appointed Princess Celestia’s personal attendant. I’m simply here should the Princess require any attention.” The waiter didn’t bother to ask further, quickly leaving to bring the pair some water while they simply enjoyed succeeding for the moment in their little deception and moving on to small talk. “My goodness, these uniforms are so comfortable,” Clean N’ Shine said, as she smoothed out the uniform, admiring the rather soft fabrics. “Yes, they are! To be honest, I liked wearing my uniform even after work.” Feather Duster whispered with the mare being quite embarrassed sharing a secret kink she had with another pony, much less her leader. Celestia in her maid disguise threw a hoof as she reassured her maid. “Oh, don’t be so embarrassed, I'm starting to love the feel of the uniform myself and it’s hardly something to be ashamed of.” As the two conversed, The waiter came by and lit his horn, lifted a pen and a notebook. “I apologize princess, but did you and your maid get a chance to look at the menus.” The imposter Celestia smiled as she lifted the menu and read through it. “Yes, give me the biggest, most delicious cake you have and a cappuccino.” As the waiter jotted the order down, Clean N Shine followed suit. “And, I'll have this delicious cake with a cup of wine….if that’s ok princess?” “Oh, that's fine, eat what you want, my loyal Clean N Shine.” Princess Celestia cooed in a joking manner, leaving the waiter mildly confused by their behavior, but opted not to pry as he walked off to get their orders. Alone again, the pair tried to think of some other thing to do to properly enjoy their new situation. The false Celestia eventually decided on something relatively small. “Clean N Shine, would you mind preening my wings just a bit, I want to make sure the spa ponies did a good jobs.” Staying in character Clean N Shine performed a courtesy and nodded. “I would be delighted to.” Quickly getting to work as the Princess fully extended her wings for all to see. This rather odd sight was what welcomed the waiter as he returned, leaving him somewhat perplexed. , “Um...did I come at a bad time?” Clean N Shine squeaked as she plopped down onto her seat with her dress ruffling around her and adjusting her top. “No, we're fine please br-” “Ah, ah ah ah.” Celestia lectured as she turned to the waiter. “Yes, please you can just place our food down and we’ll be fine on our own.” Seeing this situation was well beyond his pay grade, the waiter complied and immediately fled to the nearest table. The princess in disguise looked down at her drink and chuckled, seeing the latte art with the cutie mark of the sun made of foam on top whileClean N Shine sipped her wine and enjoyed her cake, happily munching away. The imposter Celestia smirked watching her “maid” enjoying her meal as she did the same. However, after only taking a single bite, the princess had another idea. “Clean N Shine, I wish for you to feed me.” While the sudden request did surprise the disguised pegasus for a moment, she was still the maid for the moment and was willing to comply with the request. She then took a fork, scooped the cheesecake and began feeding herself, who in turn chomped down on her cake. The action left Clean N Shine feeling slightly awkward given the looks from the other patrons, but complied nonetheless. “I must say, you're quite good at this.” “Hmm, I suppose so, The real princess of the sun said as she forked over another piece of cake. “Then again, after so many years of eating cake myself, I should hope I’d be good at it.” The pair shared a smile and a laugh as Celestia continued to feed her temporary ruler for several minutes, followed by what seemed like an hour’s worth of rather pleasant conversation, before the bill finally arrived and they left. After leaving the restaurant, the pair opted to keep things relatively simple and casual. A quick teleport back to Canterlot had the twosome wandering around the garment district. While the still temporary royal Feather Duster had contemplated simply returning to the castle, Celestia had insisted she get the chance to “live like a royal” if only for a short time. And naturally this led into the pair going from shop to shop, thoroughly enjoying themselves with Feather slowly embraces the indulgences she’d likely only dreamed of. This shopping escapade continued well into the afternoon with the pair finally deciding to head back to the castle, both looking positively gleeful after all that had transpired. It was certainly an improvement over how tense and stiff they’d been earlier in the morning. By now Celestia and Feather Duster had since returned to their normal states, the pair laughing happily with countless bags being carried by Celestia’s magic as they entered the throne room. To greet them was a visibly drained Luna, with far more prominent bags under her eyes then usual, yet she was still able to muster up a smile at the sight of the two. “Well, I’d dare say your day was far more enjoyable than mine?” Celestia’s laughter quickly ceased, though her smile was still present as she greeted her sister. “Oh indeed. You were right Luna, today was some of the most fun I’ve had in awhile. And you’ll be happy to know I didn’t misuse my magic this time around.” That last remark seemed to ease the Princess of the Night more than one would’ve expected, her shoulders dropping as if she could finally relax herself. “That is wonderful to hear, sister. Truth be told, I honestly don’t have the strength to deal with another chaotic catastrophe today.” Luna let out a loud and long yawn, her body struggling somewhat to stay stable. “After a full day of performing both my duties and yours, the only thing I wish to see in the next few hours is my bed.” “Well, you don’t have to worry,” Celestia said reassuringly. “I think I’ve finally got a handle on things and I’m at least confident enough that I can handle raising the sun again.” A rather loud snicker echoed throughout the chamber, directly all eyes to an all too familiar stained glass window, with a familiar face eying them with amusement. “I wouldn’t get too comfortable if I were you Lulu, dear Celestia still doesn’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to using her magic and I highly doubt a day of spas and shopping will change that.” Luna prepared to offer a retort, but Celestia dissuaded her with a gesture and a smile. Without a word, she raised her fingers to snap, prompting the Princess of the Night to debate running for cover. Yet to her surprise when the snap echoed across the room, seemingly nothing happened. There were no explosions, nothing in the room suddenly changed in size and no ponies inside the castle or out were screaming. Luna’s eyes and neck were darting in every direction just to make sure there wasn’t something she’d missed. And it was in this frantic search she finally saw what Celestia had done, and it actually caused a grin to break out on her face. “Okay...maybe I spoke too soon.” Discord’s annoyed voice finally broke the silence, as his still stained glass body was currently hovering in front of them as if it’d been pulled straight off the window. Celestia merely looked on her handiwork with a twinge of smug pride, having gotten one over on Discord for a change, with her internally cheering over the small victory. Feather Duster looked equally impressed, and a bit relieved nothing went array. Naturally, the Spirit of Chaos didn’t remain glass for long, his form literally melting to the ground before reshaping itself like clay into his normal state. His face lightly glaring at Celestia. “I wouldn’t get too smug little Sunbutt, the bet is still on after all, plenty of time for you to make another little boo boo like yesterday.” “What helps keeps you feeling secure, Discord,” Celestia said, looking confident for a change. “And while verbally sparring with you is always enjoyable, I do believe my sister is in desperate need of some rest. Meaning, I have an appointment with the sun.” By now completely ignoring Discord much to his annoyance, Celestia turned her attention back to Feather Duster. “I truly had an enjoyable time today with you Feather, and perhaps when everything is back to normal, perhaps we could do it again.” Rather than the normal bow, Feather offered a simple friendly smile and a nod. “I would be honored Princess. Today was more fun than I’ve had in awhile, and I look forward to our next little adventure.” With a quick bow to Luna, Feather retreated from the throne room, leaving the three most powerful beings in Equestria alone. Luna, having finally relaxed after Celestia’s magic display, was barely keeping herself awake now, the weight of the past twenty four hours now weighing firmly down upon her. “Well dear sister, it is wonderful to hear you had an enjoyable day. And I can’t wait to hear about it….tomorrow of course. Honestly, I’m not even sure I can make it to my bedroom at this point.” Her wording caused Celestia’s smile to grow mischievous. “I can help you with that if you’d like?” Her right claw raised to eliminate any ambiguity as to what she was implying. Luna’s body immediately turned slightly green at the idea. “On second thought, the walk could make for some nice light exercise before bed. Anyway, have a good night sister, we can discuss matters tomorrow.” The nightly mare offered her sister a nuzzle, which she returned and made her way to the doors, stopping midway and turning her gaze back to her sister. “And sister, I trust I’ll see the moon as it should be tomorrow?” Celestia actually looked as though she’d been insulted by the accusation. “Sister, you wound me. After yesterday, do you honestly think I would try something like that?” Luna tried to glare at her sister, but the bags and a loud yawn ruined any menace she might’ve invoked, prompting the pony princess to leave. Confident her sister wouldn’t cause any further harm. That just left Discord and Celestia alone once again, the Spirit of Chaos looking at his fellow draconequus perplexed. Unable to process this sudden change. “So, what, a little day of baths, hooficures and a little clothes shopping and suddenly you’re an expert on Chaos Magic,” Discord asked critically, dressed like a detective from an old school noir, grilling a suspect for information. Celestia in turn only offered a simple smile and a shrug. “I just needed some time to relax and clear my head. I won’t lie and say I’m an expert, but I think I have a better grasp on it then before.” To prove her point, with a simple wave of her hand, a large cake suddenly appeared, resting delicately in her palm. In an instant candles suddenly popped up from the top and lite themselves, before the fire itself rose up higher, condensing into a ball resembling a miniature sun. The sun however didn’t last, as the cake suddenly opened like a pair of jaws and engulfed the fire, swallowing it whole. In an instant, the cake shrank down to a small blue cupcake, with a yellow sun made of icing in the center, not unlike the real one that had been in the room not moments ago. Discord looked at the display with such shock, his eyes grew to the size of full length mirrors as Celestia casually removed the cake wrapping before happily devouring the pastry, licking the last bits of icing from her fingertips before looking at Discord with a sense of satisfaction. “Impressed?” Her age old opponent offered no reply, utterly speechless at the display he’d just witnessed. And that was all Celestia needed to see. “Well, I’ve love to stay and chat Discord, but I have a sun to lower and a moon to raise, not to mention I need to prepare for my daily meetings tomorrow. So have a nice night until then.” And with a simple flash she was gone, leaving Discord completely alone, finally regaining his senses and finally coming to grips with what he’d just witnessed. “I can’t believe it, she’s actually pulling it off.” Even as he said those words his mind tried desperately to find some kind answer to this change, knowing full well things were veering very close to him losing the bet. However, before his mind could descend into its own unique form of chaos, something Celestia said suddenly appeared in his mind like a billboard and it caused his smile to grow to Grinch like sizes. “Well, she’s got a handle on her magic, I’ll give her that, but…” By now his grin had grown well beyond the boards of his face and was now the length of a full sized mural. “Let’s see how well she handles it when dealing with the nobles.”