Letting out a sigh, Princess Celestia allowed herself a moment to close her eyes and enjoy the wing massage she was receiving while in front of her; Crossfire Tempo was taking part in one herself. Usually, the owner of an establishment wouldn't join their clients in treatment. Still, with a bit of probing and some slight manipulation, Celestia managed to convince her to join her for the day.
All in the hope of keeping her relaxed and content while discussing the past and what has happened to the once vibrant and full-of-life Tempo. Even now, she seemed to constantly switch between emotions and had developed a strange obsession with her appearance from how she still refused to part ways with her necklace.
"Heavens, thank you so much for talking me into joining you Princess, I needed this." Tempo exclaimed with her eyes closed as two pegasi worked on her two long wings, massaging and giving them a small preen to remove any out-of-place feathers.
"Glad to hear it, and please Crossfire, no need for titles, you can call by my name if you want."
"Aww, if you don't mind, then ok." Tempo sighed in relief as she opened her eyes to look at the alicorn. "And this is just a preview. Get ready, Celestia. We are going to spoil you rotten here."
"I can't wait" She nodded with a giggle, and then she gasped and sighed in relief when one of her masseurs removed a particularly pesky feather that had been bothering her for a couple of days now. Seeing her opportunity, the Princess put her plan in action, seeking to make her open up with some small chit-chat."
"That necklace holds a special place in your heart, doesn't it?" The Princess inquired solemnly, choosing her words carefully as she watched the pegasus flinched when the Princess mentioned her jewelry. "I will drop the subject altogether if you ask me to, but would it be ok if at least you told me the story behind it?" She asked with pleading eyes raising her neck slightly to look at Tempo better. For what felt like hours, the pegasus lay there motionless without saying a word, making everything tense, to the point where even the masseurs stopped their work until finally, she showed a sign of life once more in the form of a sigh.
"It will open an ancient wound," She finally responded as she looked up and glared at Celestia with a raised eyebrow. "Knowing that. You would still want to hear the story?"
The tension became more palpable at the proclamation, and yet the Princess was determined to help her friend and was done walking on eggshells. Tempo just gave the Princess a way for them to open up to each other. Even if turbulent, Celestia was willing to traverse that path, " Yes, if such a necklace holds a bittersweet piece of your past, it will stand to reason. I would like to hear the story behind it and, if possible, help you find a way to heal such painful memories."
Tempo only nodded and looked down in sorrow. "This necklace was a gift that Sharp Shooter gave me the day after you exiled me from Canterlot." She revealed, glaring back at the Princess as she vividly remembered the day in question.
"How could you have let this happen?!" The Princess yelled at a much younger Crossfire Tempo, completely livid with tears in her eyes as they argued outside the royal infirmary. A resting Prince Blueblood (Age 10) was in one of the beds, with some bandages on his face, a swollen right cheek, and a black eye as a sign of a struggle.
"Celestia, please look at me. You have to calm down. Yes, what happened is horrible, and it happened under my watch, but I assure you. I issued the proper orders. The creep that did this is behind bars right now and awaiting trial. This is the last time I trust an eight-year-old colt."
The comment made the Princess pause as she slowly turned to the pegasus once more. "What did you say?"
"The reason this happened was mainly that I was following your instructions. Blueblood and I went to see that poor kid after what happened to his mother. He even wanted to talk to him personally to say how sorry he was. Honestly, with how Bluey was taking out of his busy schedule, that boy should have been more thankful for hearing some condolences, especially from the pony his mom took such good care of while being a maid. Instead, he gets mad and starts rambling nonsense while attacking a member of the royal family? Talk about ungratefulness."
"And you put an eight-year-old colt who just lost his mom in a dark, damp dungeon!?" the Princess accused Tempo again.
"Celestia…she attacked my godchild! What was I supposed to do?! Look at him! Look at your grand-nephew and tell me you wouldn't have done the same!" Tempo rebuffed, pointing at the sleeping bruised figure of Blueblood.
"He is still an emotionally fragile child, for Pony's sake, Tempo! What were you thinking?!" She turned to one of her guards. "Go fetch the child and put him in one of the guest rooms immediately! Give him some hot chocolate or something to calm his nerves and place him under surveillance! Call social services and a psychologist. I don't care if you have to drag them from their beds. Just do it!"
"At once, your majesty!" The guard saluted and left in a rush as Crossfire regarded the Princess like she just sprouted a second head. "Are you kidding me! You are going to a coddle that…that…brut even when he did THAT to Blueblood?!"
"Of course not! And he will receive a severe punishment for what he did, believe me, but it will be by the book, and according to the law, we are not above our own rules Tempo, we can't just let our emotions guide our actions. there is a way to do these things!"
"Don't go talking to me like I'm the irrational one. I'm within the law here, Celestia, and you know it! That brat doesn't deserve any pity from us and deserves to rot in that cell!"
Turning her back, Celestia began to walk away and sigh, "If that is the way you see things, then I believe it would be wise that we don't see each other again."
"Fine by me! I would be taking my godchild with me and will never return to this hellhole."
"Guards," Celestia commanded, and Tempo's path was suddenly blocked by two uniformed pegasi who glared at her.
"What are you doing now? You can't do this to me, Celestia!"
"I can and I will! Under article 47 in child support, it states that if the legal guardian fails to protect and keep safe their child, one must be immediately placed under their immediate blood relative's protection or in foster care if none can take them in or are deemed unfit to care." She looked at her over her shoulder and glared at Tempo.
"I'm not going a let anyone else hurt my precious nephew."
"Are you kidding me! It was under YOUR watch this happened. That was YOUR maid. If anyone failed as a guardian, it was YOU!"
"Guards escort Crossfire Tempo off of the premise. If she resists, I will issue a banishment decree," Celestia warned Tempo.
"No, NO! Celestia, you can't do this to me! Celestia!" She was dragged away. "He is my godchild! My godchild! Attired trusted me! Not you, ME!"
"She did, and if she could see you now, she would be shaking her head in disappointment." Celestia looked ahead once more and continued to march, not wanting to hear any more of Tempo's excuses.
"To this day, I still remember what you said to me, not letting our emotions guide our actions, and there is a way to do things." Tempo looked down in anger and frustration. "I still find it ironic because according to the law, I was in the right. That colt assaulted a member of the royal family and needed to be placed in a juvenile correctional facility as a result." She then looked back at Celestia. "Instead, you PITIED him and went easy on him while I was ordered into exile for failing as Blueblood's legal guardian. So tell me, Celestia, how can I not take it personally how you claim not to place yourself above the law while doing just that?"
"You can't," Celestia confessed, looking down in shame, "Because you are right, that night no matter what would have happened, rage blinded me, I just…I just wanted to find someone to punish, and even if there was a clear one to do so, I couldn't do it, and instead, I ended up choosing you. Tempo, there are no words that could describe how sorry I'm. I did something terrible, and it took me twenty years to see it. Now I can only beg the stars for a miracle and hope against all hope that the bridge hasn't burned down completely."
Everything remained silent for a moment before Tempo sighed again. "It will be a long, tense, and maybe even awkward process, but there might be hope." The pegasus nodded, brightening the Princess's mood immensely as she looked up at the ex-wonderbolt in hope.
"For now, I only want to know the why. Why Celestia? Why me? What force made you look at that colt who had so much evidence piled against him, and yet, you looked away?"
"Because just thinking about it would open an ancient scar from my past, one not even Luna knows, and…if possible I…I would prefer if you keep it a secret."
Tempo's eyes widened in realization. "O-Of course, if you truly are willing to trust me with something this huge I…I can only prove my loyalty to keep it."
"Thank you. I couldn't even hold it against you if you need to speak about it, but I still would greatly appreciate it if you keep quiet." Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Princess Celestia ready herself to continue, "Crossfire I…I will never be able to have a child of my own."
Upon hearing her friend gasp, the Princess looked back at her with an understanding smile. "Do not fret too much about it, my friend; long ago, I made my peace with that revelation, but the truth of the matter is, well, call it a crack in this supposedly perfect goddess image ponies have built around me. But I have a congenital disability, and my body could simply never sustain life. If I ever dare, the fetus will burn inside me, robbing it of a chance at life before even taking its first breath."
"The mare of the sun…such a title, It holds a huge price to pay." Tempo summarized, looking at the Princess with a mix of pity and sorrow, as Celestia can't do anything but nod in agreement.
"That is why I cut myself off completely to the possibility and built a hole in my heart, one I later filled by opening a school for colts and fillies and guiding the next generation into a brighter future. if I can't be a part of a child's life, I will, at the very least could encompass a small fraction of it, and to this date, it worked." She chuckled briefly and cleared a tear from her eye. "You could say that my maternal tendencies could be a result of that form of coping."
"And when it comes to your biological family, like Blueblood, those instincts just increase to insane levels." Tempo summarized as Celestia confirmed it.
"Few are the things that could throw me into a blind rage, but inflicting harm on my kids, especially those that serve as possible my only connection and proximity of being a real mother, can easily trigger it. Tempo I wanted to see reason by the stars, to understand what happened there but a kid? I froze, not knowing how to proceed, and in the heat of the moment, I projected my insecurities onto you and made you take undeserving fault. I just…I couldn't bring myself to harden my heart like that, even less for what happened to his family, yes he needed to be restrained temporarily in the dungeon, and yes, the law was more than clear. And for that, I'm so sorry for my actions."
Tempo looked down in thought for a solid minute before speaking again. "Come with me," She replied, standing up and leaving the massage table, confusing the Princess.
"Where are we going?"
"To the valley of feathers, it is clear that we both need to let go of all this baggage. And this is the only way for us to remove all this tension between us."
"Valley of feathers? Tempo, where exactly are you taking me?" Celestia kept questioning as she followed close behind. Rather than answer, Tempo kept her eyes forward and continued talking.
"I don't want to keep this bad blood between us either, Celestia." She said, completely determined, "I'm at fault here too, that colt was emotionally unstable, and because of his age, I didn't think he would react that violently or that he could inflict that much harm even if it were to happen." She sighed as they both walked through the hallways.
"Of course, I still was furious with you for throwing me out of the castle, but then Sharp Shooter contacted me and helped me work through my issues just like I intend to do with yours."
"Sharp Shooter help you?" Celestia looked at her in surprise, not expecting to hear that revelation, as she nodded. "He even gave me this necklace to work against my inner demons. It's not just a pretty rock Celestia. It has a minor enchantment on it that helps you work through your stress, your anger, and even your sadness." She elaborated as they approached a set of golden doors at the far end of the room, with an inlay on the door that read "The Feather Room."
"It was this that inspired me to open this place, to share the properties of this special gem with others and help them work with their problems, something I'm sure they can do with you too."
The mood swings! That must be it! That gem is most likely dulling her senses. That is why her emotions are bursting so erratically.
"You have no idea how good it feels to get that off of my chest Celestia. Even with the gem, I always felt like this was something we needed to talk about."
"Tempo, that gem…." Celestia tried to warn her, but before she could say anything, the double doors opened, and from it stepped out none other than the captain of the wonderbolts with a calm, relaxed smile on her face, a yellow robe that matched her fur, and an exact copy of the necklace that Tempo was wearing. "Oh yeah, that is what I needed," She said to herself, blinking the drowsiness away so she could notice the Princess and ex-wonderbolt in front of her. Even with the revelation, she didn't seem all that surprised and only smiled and nodded at them.
"Oh, hey, Princess didn't see you there. Are you heading in?" She casually wondered, pointing at the hall of feathers behind her.
"Captain Spitfire? What are you doing here?" Celestia looked at the pegasus with a raised eyebrow. Her suspicions of the true nature of the necklace both mares were wearing grew.
"She came some time ago to discuss something about the new team."
"Oh hey, that's right! I knew I came here for a reason." Spitfire exclaimed before laughing at her forgetness. "Gosh, those feathers don't only make time fly by. They leave your mind devoid of thought, don't they?" She jokes before leaving, "Oh well, I suppose I can go back to that after my shiatsu. Talk to you later, Princess." Spitfire called out before flying off, continuing to add questions to Celestia's mind.
Ok, something is wrong here. I must be cautious.
"So, are you ready?" Temple called from inside the room. Princess Celestia was so focused on the captain's strange behavior that she didn't realize her friend went ahead and entered the room, leaving her no choice but to follow behind but not before placing detection and protection spells silently all over herself, readying herself for the worst.
Once inside, the Princess noticed that the room was covered from ceiling to floor in a blanket of pure white feathers. Mountains of them were scattered all over the place where ponies with dopey smiles were laying on them, blissfully sleeping in a literal bed and pillow of feathers. At the same time, the spa workers serve them little snacks for them to enjoy or place the same necklace on their necks.
"It feels nice, doesn't it?" Tempo questioned, stopping in the middle of the room next to a giant grey feathery round pillow that rested on a rotating platform. "A plumage bath using nothing but the very best and softest feathers Equestria could ever offer." Tempo mentions caressing the pillow with her hoof. "The pride and joy of The Golden Oasis, only we can offer this kind of treatment that guarantees complete and utter satisfaction. Don't they feel wonderful just grazing your hooves?"
Realizing what she meant, Celestia looked down, and indeed with the floor cover with said feathers, it was impossible not to feel the sensation. Softness, and yet with a firm consistency. Indeed these feathers were something else, even more comfortable than velvet, and the slight fragrance they gave off, all together, was enough to start to relax her muscles.
"Yes…they do?" She confessed, trying to shake the sense of drowsiness that loomed over her mind and focus, "Tempo, that necklace of yours…you shouldn't be wearing that much. I think it is clouding your mind and numbing your emotions…I'm sorry, but I think that is making you react most erratically."
"Well, of course, it does!" Tempo confessed, still wearing her calm smile. "That's exactly what Sharp wanted"
"What?" Celestia wanted to be more surprised, but for some reason, her body was feeling extremely heavy. Without realizing it, she sat down to feel more of these beautiful feathers as Tempo continued.
"Yeah, I mean this isn't even the real me, me" Grabbing the platform, she spun the pillow on the platform it was on, revealing that it wasn't a pillow all and instead what Celestia was looking at was none other than a bloated, corpulent version of her friend, wearing a golden necklace with a plate, covered with the same gems Tempo was wearing, and soundly asleep. "This is me."
"What is happening?" Celestia asked while fighting the urge to close her eyes.
"Just a moment, I think I could explain better." the regularly sized Tempo asked before laying in a mountain of feathers and closing her eyes, falling asleep as the gem shined blue. Her body then changed into a mare with purple fur and a yellow mane. One of the gems in Tempo shine, and the bloated pegasus woke up with tired eyes as she looked at Celestia.
"Now we can talk properly."
"Tempo…you are controlling these mares?" Celestia looked at her equally tired.
"Control? No, if anything, I make things easier for them" She yawned before continue "If they are forgotten, at the very least, I can grant them some form of peace of mind."
"Why are you doing it?"
She sighs in irritation. "Can't we just relax and sleep?" She suggested with exasperation before yawning again, "Oh well, it would not matter anyway, soon you will join us, my body was experimented on far too much, my fur and feather have stopped being normal a long time ago, not even the magic of an alicorn can resist their allure." She sighed in tiredness and defeat. "I once tried to resist too, you know? When I figured out what Sharp Shooter was doing to me, I was naturally angry but by then. There was little I could do. I was too tired to go against his plans."
"What are his plans?" The Princess lazily asked, laying her head on the feather floor.
"Heavens, if I know. I only know that he used this place for recruitment. Those that work are taken away and trained before my feathers finish claiming them and sap them of their magic and energy. Those that don't are tossed in and left here. It's all an illusion, Celestia. This isn't even a spa. It is just a front for a dumping ground for the rejected ones or those that get in his way. Like I did back in the day." She confessed in sorrow.
"I thought he was my friend, but then after experimenting with me until I ended up like this. I realized the truth. He never truly forgave me for rejecting his ideas. He no longer was my friend, and he possibly never was, and now I'm just too tired to rebel or do anything against him. Without my avatars, if I stand up, I only want to sit, if I talk, I only want to stay quiet, if I want to stay awake, I…only want…to sleep." That is the last thing she managed to say before sleep claimed her once more and returned to her copy as she slowly made her way to the sleeping form of Celestia.
"I'm so sorry, Celestia." She looks at the Princess in sorrow, using another copy of herself while placing another necklace around Celestia's neck. "But it's too late for me…." She looked up at her proper form "it too late for all of us. Sharp Shooter has already won. The only thing left of us to do is rest and keep away from his path" Keeping her head low, Tempo left the room to attend to the rest of her clients, the original shedding a tear as she slept.
For days no one realized the danger that the spa held, not until a particular mental link revealed the dark secret and threw the Princess of the night into immediate action, ignoring the storm that was brewing and how an unaware Prince was walking right into the middle of it.
"Thanks for everything, Pinkie. I had a great time," Blueblood commented as he exited the bakery. “I had so much fun learning how to make birthday cakes, didn’t though it was even possible make one with five floors”
"I'm so glad to hear it. I had fun with my very first super-duper special colt/filly sleepover!" She was about to hug him when Blueblood used his magic to stop Pinkie in her tracks, confusing the party mare.
"Please, Pinkie, I know how much you like hugs, so allow me to give you this one" He smiled and approached, gently wrapping his forehooves around her neck and toward her back and then pressing their chests together not too tight as to hurt her with his face lightly press against the side of her head.
Slightly startled, Pinkie followed suit and reciprocate the gesture. She didn't know why but the sensation was pleasant, and she didn't want to ruin it by adding any more force as she was trying to wrap her mind around why her body was shivering slightly.
Nothing is falling, right, no earthquakes, it's not Twilight spying on me…hmm, what is this new Pinkie sense?
She felt a pang of disappointment when the hug ended, and the prince nodded. "Well, I'm off to see Rainbow Dash and don't worry, Pinkie. I will consider the party signal."
"Thank you" She smiled more calmly than she intended and waved at him as he departed. Once gone, she turned around and saw Mr. Cake smiling at her. "So…how was your first sleepover with a stallion, Pinkie?"
"Oh, it was great, Mr. Cake. I loved it very much." She nodded, calmly shocking the baker greatly.
"Ah, if you excuse me, I think I will go prepare for today's shift," She informed him, actually walking toward the kitchen as Ms. Cake, who was descending the stairs, looked on and was slack-jawed by the display.
"Did…Did Pinkie walk instead of bounce to the kitchen?"
"Yep." Her husband nodded once, still unable to form a coherent sentence.
"She never does that."
"Aha," Mr. Cake shook his head.
"What exactly happened to her last night?"
"Not sure, honey, but I think Pinkie has lots on her mind…and maybe a new view on stallions."
Unknown to them, the figure of Desire was watching the scene equally confused.
O…k, how…who…what happened? I didn't do anything. They simply hugged…did he…what? She was looking back and forth at the kitchen and in the direction the prince went.
Ah…three down? Shaking her head, she smirked again, And only one left to go, time to set the stage for the party. She chuckled lightly before disappearing once again.