//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: A difficult conversation // Story: Gusty the Great book 1- The beginning // by Dianabel //------------------------------// Celestia and Luna were sitting in front of the door, expecting their mother to appear in any moment. Ms Prickly Crops, who was walking near them, stared at them. “Your dresses are going to get super dirty if you keep sitting like that.” “But we´re waiting for mama.” Celestia replicated. “Well, you can wait for your mother standing up, can you?” The two fillies rolled their eyes and got in four legs. “Do you think she made it?” Luna asked Celestia. “Well, why else would she take so much time to return home?” Celestia asked in return. Luna chuckled. “You´re right. What do you think she got a job as?” “Hm…. As a baker, mama is great at cooking!” “Really? I thought she got a job at pottery or jewellery, since she´s so creative. That or something related to cloths making, since she´s got some experience on that.” “That makes more sense.” Celestia commented as she scratched her chin. “Either way, I think she´ll bring wonderful news.” The two fillies smiled in agreement. Just then, the door finally opened. They gasped excitedly in unison when they saw their mother enter. “Mama!” they exclaimed at the same time. They hugged Gusty. The mare hugged them in return. Ms Prickly Crops came to the door. “How did it go?” Celestia undid the hug. “Did you get one? Did you get one?” she asked while jumping. Gusty nodded. “Yaaaay! I knew you would do it!” Celestia hugged her again. Ms Prickky Crops´ eyes widened. “You did? Woah.” “So what job is it?” Luna asked curiously. “I got a job as a maid at the emperor´s castle.” Gusty smiled sadly. The three ponies gasped. “With the emperor?” Luna´s ears dropped. “But he´s way meaner than the foretroggle you used to work for!” “Exactly!” Ms Prickly Crops agreed angrily. “I´ve heard that if you do any mistake, you get worse punishments than lashes! Some ponies even died under torture! Did you lose your mind?! Imagine if that happened to you. We would end in the streets and starve! Do you want that for your daughters?” Ms Prickly Crops embraced Celestia and Luna. The two fillies glared at her for the audacity she had to pretend that she cared about them. They tried to get free from her grasp. Gusty sighed. “I know it´s not the best job, but it´s the only offer I got. I tried going for corporations but none of them let me in. Plus, we´ll have enough money and food secured to survive.” Ms Prickly Crops shook her head. “I still don´t think it´s a good idea.” Gusty frowned. “Why are you complaining anyway? I got a job just like you wanted. Shouldn´t you be satisfied?” “Well, of course I am!” Ms Prickly Crops said in defence as she freed Celestia and Luna. “I´m just saying that because it´s likely that you mess up. Remember that the whole root of this mess was because you got kicked out of your job due to your winds getting out of control.” Gusty looked away while biting her lip. “It won´t happen again.” “It won´t happen again? It won´t happen again?!” she scoffed. “Of course it will, knowing how easily anxious you get.” “If I feel anxious I´ll just breathe and think positively. That helps me to calm down.” she said firmly. “Well it had better work, otherwise you might get executed.” “It will. I know it will.” she replied. “At least it should” she thought to herself. “You know what? Do whatever you want, I´m going to sleep.” Ms Prickly Crops went to her bedroom and closed the door in a blow. Gusty sighed tired. “Don´t listen to her. We know you can do it.” Celestia put her hoof on her foreleg. “We believe in you.” Celestia and Luna hugged their mother for support. Gusty felt sad. What she was going to say next was going to break their hearts. But she also knew it was necessary. “Girls. I need to tell you something important.” she sat down as she gently undid the hug. Celestia and Luna shared estranged glances. Like their mother, they sat down. “Apart from being risky, this job requires me to stay at the castle at all times. Which means that it will be like my new home. I will sleep, work and eat in there. So, I won´t be able to come back home.” Their ears dropped in disappointment. “You´re going away? Forever?” Celestia´s eyes filled with tears. “The emperor allows me to visit you only to give you resources, but it´s very few time. I know it´s hard but you need to understand. It´s the only way you have a secured home and food.” Celestia closed her eyes. Luna shook her head. “No. You can´t go!” Luna begged in tears. “You can´t leave us alone.” she held her foreleg with her hooves. Gusty´s eyes started filling with tears. “I don´t want to either. But I have to. I´m so sorry.” Luna kept shaking her head. “I won´t let you.” “Luna stop.” Celestia put her hoof on Luna´s shoulder. “Don´t make this more difficult for mama.” “Don´t you care she´s going?” “Of course I do! But she said she´s going to visit us, we will see her.” “But what if Ms Prickly Crops is right? What if your magic gets out of hoof?” “THAT WON´T HAPPEN!” Gusty raised her voice and slammed her hoof against the ground. “I have to leave whether you like it or not!” She covered her mouth with her hoof in repentance. Her heart ached as if a dagger had pierced her chest when she realized what she had done. Luna sobbed softly as she stood there shocked. “Luna, I´m so sorry…” Gusty tried to reach her. Luna sniffed and ran to her bedroom. “Luna! Luna!” Gusty sighed sadly. Celestia walked to her mother. “It´s ok. She´ll come in terms with it.” Gusty held her hoof as she smiled sadly. “How does this make you feel Tia?” Celestia sighed. “I don´t like it either but I understand that you have to.” But Gusty wasn´t satisfied with that answer. “You also know what it means, right?” Gusty asked Celestia. Celestia nodded. “Luna is now my responsibility.” “Yes. Which is why it´s important that you tell me everything you feel. I don´t want you to resent me while I am away. I want to have everything clarified between us.” Celestia bit her lip. “Well this is a big thing mama. It´s not that I blame you but… I do feel like I´m wearing a huge burden mama if anything happened to you.” “I know.” Gusty embraced her with her foreleg. “I know you´re having responsibilities that are too much for your age. And for that I´m sorry.” “Don´t apologize. You haven´t done anything wrong. If there´s anypony who should apologize they should be those troggles…” Gusty sighed. “You miss your papa, do you?” Celestia nodded sadly. “If he was here, none of this would have happened.” “I know it´s been some time but how have you been dealing with it? I ask because we don´t really talk about it.” “I still feel angry and hurt but I´ve been able to move on.” “And Luna?” “She… Let´s just say it took a huge tole on her.” “Of course.” “But it helps telling he´s still here with us somehow. I do that when Luna is feeling sad about papa and she feels better. That´s how I was able to move on. Knowing he´s somewhere watching over us.” Gusty looked at her phoenix feather necklace. “Of course he is.” Suddenly, Celestia gasped. “Hey! That gives me an idea. Wait a second.” Celestia ran to her room, leaving Gusty confused for a moment. She came back with a somewhat badly sewn yellow handkerchief. “Remember this?” Gusty chuckled. “How could I not? My failed attempt to make you a handkerchief. I´m surprised nopony found out I took some cloth from the workshop.” “Take it with you. So I am with you while you´re at the castle.” “Oh Tia, that´s so sweet!” She hugged her daughter. “I have to go to talk to your sister. I need to apologize for yelling at her.” “And I should go to sleep.” They both looked down. “Good night.” Gusty told her. Celestia hugged her tightly. Gusty returned the hug with the same tightness. “Actually, I think you should wait. We could sleep together again.” Celestia rubbed her nose with her foreleg. She smiled while nodding. Gusty approached Luna´s bedroom´s door. She inspired and expired before knocking at her door. “Go away.” Luna replied. Gusty sighed. “I´m sorry for having yelled at you. I should have taken your feeling into account instead of snapping at you.” There was a brief silence. “Look, tomorrow I start working. So I want to talk and make amends. I don´t want your last moment with me before I go to be a bad memory for you.” Gusty heard Luna´s sigh. A few seconds later, she opened the door. She avoided eye contact with Gusty, but Gusty could tell that it wasn´t because she was angry. She looked ashamed. “Um… Apology accepted.” she simply said. “I´m…. I´m also sorry for acting like a brat.” she scratched the back of her head. “I´m sure you had your reasons.” Gusty said as she entered the room and closed the door. She sat down. “You wanna talk about that?” Luna looked down. “I…. I don´t know where to begin. It´s just… A lot of things.” “What´s the first thing that crosses your mind?” Gusty asked her to help her start opening up. “Well… First of all… I´m afraid of losing you like we lost papa.” “Celestia mentioned me you´re still having trouble with that. How does that make you feel?” “It´s just I see you going on with your lives and not talking about him, and here I am thinking about him sometimes. It makes me think something´s wrong with me. And also… that you forgot papa, although I know the last one is not true.” “He´s still in our minds, Lulu. I also think about him often, Celestia does too. And there´s nothing wrong about feeling like that.” Gusty hugged Luna. “As for my job, I understand that you´re afraid. Believe me, I am feeling more afraid than any of you. But I´ll do my best to control my magic.” “How?” “I´ll do what Celestia says. Thinking positively and breathe. It also helps me to focus on what I´m doing, even though sometimes it´s a bit difficult.” “Ok.” Luna smiled sadly, but the smile didn´t last, as she was sad again, something Gusty noticed. “Is there anything else bothering you?” “I also don´t want you to go because I won´t have the chance of being useful to you.” Gusty raised her eyebrow confused and surprised. “What? Why would you think you´re useless?” “Because… I see how Celestia helps you by giving you advice and calming you down whereas when that happens, I get nervous and do nothing. You do so many things for me and I give nothing in return.” “Luna. That´s not true. Like your sister you´re always giving me support and you bring me joy just by hugging me or telling me what you did along the day. That´s enough for me. Besides, you don´t owe me anything. I am your mother, remember?” Luna nodded. “But now that you´re telling me this, I want you to answer me one question. Do you often get thoughts like this?” “Well… Sometimes.” “Do they make you feel like I do when my magic gets out of control?” “No… Just bad.” Gusty looked from side to side before answering. Those statements worried her. Could Luna have the same problems with her magic when she gets her cutie mark? She also got nervous easily, after all. Maybe she inherited this from her, which made her feel somewhat guilty of what might happen with Luna. “I need you to promise me one thing. Whenever you get thoughts like that, you´ll talk to Celestia about them, ok? Don´t keep them to yourself. You know Tia is always there for you and willing to listen to anything you say. Do you promise me that?” Gusty put her hoof in front of Luna´s. “Even if they´re awful and ugly?” Luna fidgeted with her hooves. “Especially those.” “Won´t she think I´m an awful sister for thinking that?” “No because you´ll explain it to her they come to your mind involuntarily.” “But what if those thoughts come to my mind because something´s wrong with me?” “Do you enjoy having those thoughts?” “No! Of course not!” “Then there´s nothing wrong with you Lulu!” Gusty gave her a comforting smile as she massaged her cheek. Luna looked away. “Please it´s important that you tell your feelings to somepony. If you don´t, they´ll get worse and worse and who knows what might happen. All I know it´s that it won´t be good for you. Will you do it for me?” “Promised.” Luna put her hoof on Gusty´s. She hugged Gusty. “I´m going to miss you so much.” “Me too, Lulu. Me too.” Gusty widened her eyes. “That reminds me, Celestia gave me the handkerchief I made her so she´s with me while I´m working. You could give me yours so you´re with me too.” “Good idea! I think I left it here.” Luna ran to her table and picked a dark blue handkerchief. “There.” she handled it to Gusty. “But how will you be with us?” “With my failed attempts of making you dolls!” Gusty took Luna´s doll from her bed. Luna held her laughter as she picked the doll from Gusty´s hooves. “I actually think it´s very cute.” Luna smiled sweetly. “You´re just saying it because your mother made it. It´s pretty awful!” Mother and daughter laughed together. Suddenly, Luna gasped excitedly when she saw something out of the window. “Look! A shooting star! I love those!” Gusty looked out the window and realized her daughter was right. A meteor shower was happening! She gasped and smiled in awe. “Can we go outside to watch it? Can we?” Luna asked excitedly. “Well, I asked your sister if she wanted to sleep with me, so maybe we can watch the meteor shower from my bed until we fall.” “Ok. As long as we watch the meteor shower.” After Gusty opened the door, Luna rushed out to Celestia´s bedroom. “TIAA!” Gusty shushed her. “Remember that Ms Prickly Crops is asleep. You don´t want to wake her up, do you?” “Oh, sorry.” Luna smiled apologetically. “Tiaaa!” “What?” Celestia got out of her room. “Did you see the meteor shower?” “Well, yeah, I also have a window, you know?” she said somewhat sarcastically. “Since we´re sleeping with mama, she suggested that we watched the meteor shower for some time, do you think it´s a good idea?” “Of course!” The three ponies went to Gusty´s bedroom laid in the bed. “Let´s see if we see a lucky star!” Celestia exclaimed her. “How did they look like?” Celestia giggled. “Silly filly.” she said as she shook her head. “Here, I´ll show you, once again.” Celestia muttered the last part. “I heard you!” Luna complained playfully. The two fillies laughed. Gusty smiled at them and silently admired the starry sky. She was having so many bittersweet feelings. On the one hoof, she was happy to be with her daughters watching the stars, but on the other hoof, this was her last moments with them before everything changed. But the worst thing was the amount of uncertainty of what was coming next. Would she be able to control her magic if she felt anxious? Was she going to survive? Would she be able to see her daughters once again? So many questions were wondering her mind. She was so focused on her thoughts that she didn´t realize the time passing. When she came back to reality, her daughters had already felt asleep, which reminded her that she had to sleep well. She put her foreleg around both her daughters and fell asleep. “Mama? Mama?” Celestia shook her slightly. Gusty was still sleeping. Celestia approached her head. “Mama!” she exclaimed at her ear. Gusty opened her eyes while yelping. From the surprise, she accidentally kicked Luna out of the bed. “Don´t yell at my ear like that Tia.” Gusty scolded her. “Sorry. But it´s time.” Celestia said in a sad tone as opposed to her enthusiastic tone in her voice at the mornings. “Oh. Of course.” “Ouch…” Luna muttered. Luna´s whimper made Gusty realize what she had done. “Oh goodness! Are you alright Lulu?” she took her with her forelegs. “Perfectly.” Luna smiled slightly, concealing the pain she was feeling. “You have everything you need?” Ms Prickly Crops asked Gusty at the door. Gusty opened the bag with her mouth and checked if she did. She nodded with her head. “Alright. Don´t mess up this time.” she said as she hugged Gusty. “I beg you.” she emphasized. Gusty sighed frustrated. “Yes, Ms Prickly Crops.” Celestia and Luna looked at Gusty. Tears started forming in their eyes, as well as in Gusty´s. They hugged tightly. “Take care, ok?” Gusty whispered to them. They nodded. They stayed some time embraced. “I love you.” Gusty said as she gently undid the hug. “Goodbye. We´ll see each other again. I promise.” she smiled gently. “Goodbye mama.” Celestia whispered. “Goodbye.” Luna said softly. Afterwards Gusty started walking. She stopped one moment before continuing to have a glance of her daughters. Just like her, they were still in tears. But she gave them a sweet smile to make them feel better. Then, she resumed her journey. Seeing her mother leave, Luna ran to Gusty but she was already too far away. She looked down. Celestia walked to her and hugged her in relief.