//------------------------------// // Spilling the Tea // Story: Two Nymphs, One Pony // by CitreneSkys //------------------------------// “Princess,” Twilight dipped her head in a bow. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, momentarily forget where she was and who she was seeing, staring blankly at the white alicorn. Her mane was frazzled, just barely containing her near panic attack. Celestia chuckled, flapping her wings. “Oh Twilight, you know you don’t have to greet me like that,” she smiled as the lavender unicorn met her gaze. “You are princess, it’s proper and formal, especially in a public setting,” Twilight recited, as if having this line ingrained into her memory. Both winged mares chuckled, Fluttershy’s giggle was much quieter than the loud laughter emitting from the Princess herself. “Well, I suppose if you are going to be like that, “ Celestia gracefully turned towards the door on the far right, her mane swishing behind her with its invisible magic. Twilight was the first to follow her, Fluttershy’s hooves being more hesitant and nervous. From a couple of hoofsteps away, the yellow pegasus watched yellow magic light from the Princess’s horn, throwing open the golden gates dramatically. The loud bang sound made Fluttershy flinch, rubbing her ears. It didn’t help that the sound echoed for quite a while, even as they stepped down a new corridor. “The Round Table?” Fluttershy flicked her ears, listening to Twilight’s conversation as she tried to get rid of the rigging in her ears. “The Round Table,” Celestia gave a curt nod, which made her even more confused. “...the...the round table?” She whispered, shaking her head. They turned left, which made the pegasus internally groan as they continued down the unending path. Seriously, aside from the foyer and the first corridor, everything looked the same. How can anyone navigate this? She breathed a sigh of relief as they exited into a large dining area...or at least she assumed it was a dining area. The large, rounded table sat in the middle of the spacious room, a collection of cushioned seats seated around the wooden table. Celestia beckoned them with one wing, gesturing to said table, giving a comforting smile on her face. It did little to calm the nervous pegasus down, but Fluttershy sighed. Twilight climbed into the seat across from the Princess, Fluttershy choosing the seat right next to the lavender unicorn. The alicorn hummed. “Would you like some tea? I also have some cookies I baked earlier if you are hungry.” Her horn lit as she levitated the kettle and a couple of teacups to decorate the table. The smell of sugar and ginger filled the air as Celestia filled her cup, looking at the two mares expectantly. “Um...just tea is fine,” Fluttershy smiled, twirling her mane with her hooves. She nodded thanks as a cup of herbal tea floated into her hooves. Looking over towards her friend, she watched as Twilight poured her own cup, smiling at her teacher. “I can see you are very eager,” she chuckled, her gaze casting over towards Twilight. “I take it you learned quite a bit from your changeling residents?” “Yes, quite a bit,” Twilight clapped her hooves, pulling a large scroll from out of her saddlebag. As she unrolled the parchment, many drawings and diagrams caught Fluttershy’s eye. Everything was exceptionally detailed, even a diagram of what could be a digestive system or nervous system can being seen in the many drawings of changelings. “A lot of this is inferred from what I could gather, so used outside resources to fill out some of the blanks. Checked out a lot of bees and wasps books, let me tell you.” Fluttershy and Celestia chuckled, the alicorn politely picked up the paper. She read through the parchment thoroughly, seemingly intrigued with what Twilight was able to infer and find on the changelings. “Well, I must say this is quite exceptional, Twilight,” she said fondly, placing the paper down onto the table. “I’m very impressed. Perhaps I should take some notes sometime...” Fluttershy quietly watched as the mentor and student conversed fondly with each other, momentary taking sips of her ginger tea. As much as she wanted to talk about Pharynx and Thorax, she couldn’t bring herself to prematurely end the conversation. It wasn’t long before magenta eyes caught sight of her’s, and she instinctively hid her awkwardness in the steaming tea. Celestia smiled towards her, “...I forgot we had company. My apologies, Fluttershy, we can discuss what you came for now.” “O-oh right...” Fluttershy smiled, though she felt herself strain a little bit. “I’ll let Twilight ask her questions first...I can wait.” Twilight clapped her hooves, using her magenta magic to pull out another list, one that was significantly shorter than her previous. “Thanks, Fluttershy!” She thanked, smiling. Purple eyes turned towards her mentor, laying out the parchment on the wooden table. “If it isn’t too much to ask, Princess, how come there aren’t any documents on changelings? I would have assumed there’d be some but I haven’t found a single one!” Celestia smiled, though it did look a little strained. “There were quite a few papers on them back then, but none of them survived to the present day. Whenever I or somepony else tried to write something on them, those writings would go missing not long after. It went on for a while until many of us decided to stop trying and leave the matter be. I never did figure out what happened, my best guess is that stray disguised changelings were going around destroying the evidence of their existence, but I’m not sure.” The alicorn sighed, her wings wilting at her sides. Fluttershy tapped her chin. I guess it makes sense... Twilight seemed interested in the theory, writing something down in her notebook. “I see...Also in your letters, you mentioned that you met their queen, Lytic. What was she like?” “Queen Lytic was quite ambitious if I remember correctly. It’s been a while, so my memory a bit fuzzy, but I do know that she loved to feel powerful. It’s very difficult to explain...” Adorned hooves rubbed her eyes as if the conversation was begging to wear down on her. Twilight simply nodded, sipping the tea in front of her. “Um...Twilight? Your Highness?” Fluttershy piped up from her seat, casting a nervous gaze to the table. She shrunk under the sudden shift of spotlight, but she was determined to speak. “I hope you don’t mind...but I’d like to talk about Thorax and Pharynx now...” “Of course, Fluttershy!” Twilight flicked out her main, giving the skittish mare her undivided attention. Similarly, Princess Celestia nodded, straightening herself against the back of her chair. Gulping, she took a deep breath. It didn’t help much, but she kept going. “Princess Celestia, I wanted to ask if it would be okay if I could continue to take care of Thorax and Pharynx. They were hungry when I first saw them, and I still think they could use my help.” Celestia seemed surprised by the upfront question, and Fluttershy briefly wondered if she should have done a different approach. “Well...how to old did you say they were? Six? Seven?” “Five,” The pegasus corrected, her wings fluttering. Is this a good sign? Or a bad one? “Five?” Celestia’s voice pitched in surprise, her face contorting into concern. “I’m not all that certain if caring for such young creatures would be wise...” “Actually, they seem quite mature for five-year-olds. I have yet to see them act up in any way,” Twilight offered from her seat. Internally, Fluttershy winced, remembering when Angel and Pharynx had gotten to a fight. “Fluttershy, are you sure you can entirely trust those changelings?” Celestial continued, her eyes becoming serious. “I know from experience how manipulative they can be, and are known to be very patient when waiting for the best opportunity to strike.” “Thorax and Pharynx haven’t done anything to make me feel in danger. I mean...I guess Pharynx has threatened me once but-“ “Threatened?” The tall alicorn gasped, her eyes hardening. “What do you mean by threatened?” She gulped, unsure of what to do. Saying that was stupid, why did I think mentioning that would do me any favors? Fluttershy’s scolded, mentally slapping herself. “H-he was just making a point...I was making him uncomfortable...and he just told me to stop...that’s all..” Celestia didn’t seem calmed by her explanation. Magenta eyes were thinking but showed her distrust of the nymphs she had taken under her wing. “...I think it’s better if you sent them back where they came from,” she started, making Fluttershy grimace. “I can’t risk them hurting you or any of my citizens. Is that clear?” Fluttershy’s looked down at her hooves. Given what she said, it wasn’t surprising that the Princess had come to this conclusion. If she was in her place, she doubts she would do anything different. But it’s wrong. Fluttershy silently argued. They haven’t done anything yet...and they are still kids! I can’t send them away... “Fluttershy, is that clear?” Celestial asked in a softer tone. “...I don’t agree.” An audible gasp could be heard that the tabled, and both winged mares turned towards Twilight. The unicorn cheeks redden as she laughed nervously, tapping her hooves as she watched what would transpire. Celestia sighed, her mane twisting itself around her face as she looked down at the yellow pegasus. “I see...would you like to elaborate more on why?” “Thorax and Pharynx have been nothing but wonderful ever since I took them in....t-there’s be a few hiccups, but not without a reason...” Fluttershy tried to look braver than she felt, but her anxiety was about to shatter her composure with all the pressure. “I-I...don’t think it’s a good idea to send them back to their hive...Thorax has told me he was bullied a lot when he lived there, and...Pharynx has only barely started to trust me...I’d be breaking that trust if I send them away...” A moment of tense silence filled the room, the slight ringing in her ears becoming louder to fill the quiet void. Sweat beads trailed down her face, her need to flee rising beyond what she was used to. Eventually, Celestia nodded. “I understand your concerns for the creatures...but this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be careful,” The white alicorn tapped her chin, uncertainty clear as day. Her tired sigh escaped her throat as she racked her brain. “Alright, you can keep taking care of them, but if they start becoming a threat to anyone I want you to contact me.” “Of course...” Fluttershy mumbled, feeling the anxiousness fading as she breathed a sigh of relief. “Also,” Celestia continued, “If these creatures are to stay with you, they’ll need to follow a few rules.” “...like what?” She asked tentatively, feeling as if she was trending on open water. “...I am not quite sure at the moment. I’ll need some time to think about those conditions. For now, though, keep them in your house until further notice, is that clear?” “Y-yes...Princess...” “Good,” Celestia turned to look at both mares. Twilight has stayed quiet the whole time, unsure of what to make of the situation. The lavender unicorn eyes darted back and forth between her mentor and her friend, before pulling her notebook back into her bag. “I suppose this is the end of our meeting. I bid you two good day.”