//------------------------------// // Fog of War // Story: A Royal History Lesson // by crazyjw18 //------------------------------// "Oh, I really don't want to go out there today," Celestia moaned as she hurriedly washed their breakfast dishes. "What if that colt's still hanging around?" Luna shrugged from her seat at the table. "I dunno," she teased, "why don't you give him a kiss?" Celestia's face started burning again. "Stop it!" she half growled. "That's completely out of the question." "Why?" "Because, I'm not kissing anypony," Celestia muttered. "Do you like him?" "I don't even know him." Luna giggled. "You're blushing again." "I am not!" Celestia insisted despite the warm feeling in her cheeks. "Then why is your face all red?" Celestia huffed as she headed for the door. "I'm just a bit warm," she lied as she put away the last dish. "Anyways, I guess I don't have any choice. Those clouds aren't going to move themselves." "Aw," Luna whined plaintively, "how come you hardly ever have a day off anymore?" "Because it won't be too much longer until winter," Celestia replied as she dried off her hooves. "The villagers want to make sure this last harvest is a good one so that we don't all starve." "But it's really lonely when you're gone." Celestia sighed and walked over to her sister. "I know," she whispered as she gave the younger filly a tight hug. "I miss being able to spend time with you too." Luna nodded. "It's just so quiet here." "Well, you don't have to spend the whole day cooped up inside," Celestia reminded her. "Why don't you go out and play with the other fillies and colts once in a while?" "No. They're all boring," Luna replied haughtily. "None of them can fly or use magic. All they want to do is play silly games." Celestia brushed a comforting hoof through her sister's light blue hair. She'd never had much luck making friends either. Much as she tried to fit in with the earth pony fillies, it always felt impossible. After Luna had been born she had honestly just stopped trying. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I'll be back as soon as I can." "Promise?" "I promise." "Clearing the sky, huh?" "Eek!" Celestia screamed. She whipped her head around to glare at the grinning colt that had snuck up on her. "Stop doing that!" she hissed. "Sorry, sorry, I couldn't resist." Golden Apple chuckled as he clonked himself lightly on the forehead with a hoof. "You just look so cute when you're startled." Celestia felt her cheeks beginning to redden once again. "I do not," she grumped, trying not to give in. "Please don't do that again." "You got it," he replied cheerfully. "No more startling the cute little mare." "No more of this cute business either," she insisted in what she hoped was a stern tone. "I'm trying to work here, you know?" "So I see," Golden agreed. "And may I just say that you're doing a wonderful job." "I'd be doing a better job without distractions," she retorted. "Ooh, that's cold," he observed. "Frosty, even." Celestia shook her head. "Look, I'm not trying to be mean," she replied in a lighter tone, "but my job is really important to me. I don't really have time for distractions." She glanced away and muttered, "Besides, you're kind of embarrassing me." "Am I? Then please accept my heartfelt apology," Golden Apple said gallantly. "But I really did mean every word of it." "So you'll leave me alone then?" she asked tentatively. "I've got a better idea!" he answered. "How about I give you a hand?" "No, thank you," she replied. "This is very delicate work." "No it isn't," Golden laughed. "I've been watching. You're just bucking clouds. It's not like you're putting together a rain storm or anything." "It's still not something I'm going to trust to an amateur," she huffed. "Are you insinuating that I don't know my way around a cumulus?" "Actually, I have no idea," she admitted. "I don't know a thing about you, remember?" "Well then this is a great opportunity to learn," he chuckled. With powerful strokes of his wings Golden Apple flew high into the air, then came rocketing down right through the middle of the large cloud Celestia had been working on. It noiselessly exploded into a flock of much smaller clouds that flew in every direction. "What did you do?" she demanded angrily as she shook one of the errant clouds free of her horn. "Look at this mess!" "Ah, but now the fun has been increased twofold!" he laughed as he easily bucked on of the smaller clouds into mist. "Who do you think can buck these little ones faster? I'll race you!" Celestia stared coolly at the arrogant colt for a moment before replying, "You're on." The alicorn lashed out with her slender hind legs, obliterating two clouds at once in a blink of an eye. Golden Apple's smile grew broader as he raced to keep up. The clouds puffed out one by one as the two dueled relentlessly across the sky. "Only two left," Golden Apple shouted as he raced for the nearer of the two. "And they're both mine!" Celestia shouted back as she closed in on the other one. Golden Apple gave the cloud a mighty buck, but his hooves struck nothing but thin air. "Huh?" he grunted as he spun around to see the cloud surrounded by a pale golden aura. Celestia delicately took care of the other remaining cloud with a single fore hoof. "What's wrong?" she asked innocently as she watched the colt chase after the suddenly nimble cloud. "That's cheating!" Golden exclaimed as he raced to reach the cloud before it could get to Celestia. "You never said no magic!" Celestia sang back as she concentrated on keeping the cloud out of his clutches. "Is it too late to change the rules?" he grunted as the cloud suddenly banked right to dodge his hooves. "Yep!" Celestia replied merrily as she swooped forward to meet the speeding cloud. "Oh no you don't!" Golden Apple laughed as he increased his speed. The two contestants struck the cloud at the same time. It puffed harmlessly into vapor as their hooves met lightly in the middle. Celestia quickly pulled her hoof back. "Ah, I'm sorry," she said, suddenly feeling shy. She hoped that she wasn't blushing again. "Ha ha ha, that was wonderful!" Golden Apple chuckled. "I haven't had such fun in a long time." "To tell the truth, neither have I," she admitted. "So then, now can I help you?" "No." Celestia's expression softened. "It's my job. I really wouldn't feel right about that." "Fair enough," Golden said with a shrug. "If you want to take care of all of these clouds all by yourself, then far be it from me to interrupt." "Thank you for understanding." Golden Apple grinned. "On the other hand, I can't be held responsible if any of these clouds get in my way while I'm flying around, can I?" With a wink he was off, blazing his way straight through the clouds as he weaved crazily back and forth across the sky. Celestia's eyes widened. "You stop that!" she yelled as she gave chase. "I told you, this is my job!" "But I'm just flying," Golden called back. "You don't own the whole sky, do you?" "I said quit it!" Celestia shouted as she struggled to keep up with the wildly capering pegasus. She smashed blindly through the dispersing remains of one cloud after another as she sped through his messy wake. "Cut it out already!" "Nope." Golden Apple's flight grew increasingly erratic as he concentrated on staying far away from Celestia. "Fine then," she muttered irritably. "Let's see you dodge this." A familiar pales sparkling nimbus appeared around Golden Apple's tail as he felt a powerful force pulling him backwards. He briefly tried to fight back, but it was a losing battle. As he was slowed to a stop, he frowned back at the approaching filly. "I still say that's cheating," he muttered irritably. "What was that?" Celestia asked innocently as she drew up next to him. "Did you say something?" "You, my lady, are a cheat!" Golden Apple replied in an overly dramatic voice. "There, I said it!" "Oh? Is that right?" Celestia practically purred. "Well, you, sir, are a maniac." "A maniac?" "Yes, a maniac," she repeated. "I already told you these clouds are my responsibility. And you've messed them all up!" "Huh?" "I have a certain system for clearing the clouds," Celestia explained haughtily. "But thanks to your wild little rampage, I don't even know where to begin." "Well, excuuuuse me," he drawled playfully, but his eyes suddenly widened. "Sorry, but I'll be back shortly," he gasped. He started to dart off towards the ground, but was stopped dead by the magic still holding his tail like a vice. "Oh no," she replied as she surveyed the hectic mess his madcap antics had created. "You aren't going anywhere." "Huh?" "I'm not going to risk you creating an even bigger mess," Celestia explained. "You're going to stay right there until I'm done." "But-" "No buts!" she admonished him. "This is your punishment." "I really need to go," he whined. "Right now!" "Why? What's so urgent all of the sudden?" Celestia demanded. Golden Apple tried to keep the edge out of his voice. "Oh, you know… just need to take care of a little business." "Business?" Celestia repeated. A fierce blush ran across her cheeks. "How do I know you're not lying?" "Trust me!" he replied. "I wouldn't lie about this kind of thing." Celestia took another look at the scattered clouds drifting slowly across the sky. "Just go right there," she said irritably. "We're over the forest, so no one will see." "What?" he retorted. "You heard me!" "No! No way am I doing that!" Golden exclaimed. "Your call," Celestia responded. "It's not like I'm going to look or anything." "It's the principle of the thing!" "Somehow I find it hard to believe you have any principles," she huffed. The colt winced as if in pain. "Fine," he grated, "but you have to swear you won't look." "Yes, yes, I promise," she replied uneasily as she turned around. She hadn't thought he was serious, but it was too late to back out now. "Make sure you don't," he said. "In fact, close your eyes!" "Sure," she agreed quickly. "Just hurry up." A bright flash seemed to gleam off the clouds just as her eyelids dropped, but true to her word she kept them shut tightly. "Are you about done yet?" she asked after a few unbearable minutes of silence. "Almost," his response came quickly. "No peeking!" "I wouldn't dream of it," she muttered. Several more minutes passed without a word. "What's taking so long?" she finally demanded. "Oh, nothing much," Golden whispered directly in her ear. "Bwah?" she grunted as her eyes flew wide open. She glared at the fleeing pegasus as he quickly climbed away from her. "How did you get loose?" she demanded angrily as she restarted her pursuit. "That would be telling!" he laughed as he plunged through yet another cloud. Celestia tried to snag his tail again, but the nimble pegasus colt was wise to her tricks now. He flittered back and forth like something gone mad, eluding her every attempt with ease. "Come one," he called back, "you can't tell me you aren't having even a little bit of fun right now." "What's so fun about this?" Celestia yelled back. Golden Apple disappeared into one of the few remaining cloud banks with a poof. "You really don't know?" his voice emerged from somewhere inside. "No!" she growled as she shot into the cloud after him. "Seriously?" his voice floated back from somewhere ahead. Celestia didn't answer as she searched the white fog vainly for the pegasus. A greyish-brown muzzle abruptly appeared directly in front of Celestia's and gave her a light peck on the lips before disappearing again. The thick clump of clouds violently exploded as a furious screech echoed across the skies of Everfree. Far, far below the aerial battleground, a small indigo filly sat perched on the roof of her home and stared intently up into the heavens with a small frown, motionless except for the occasional flick of her attentive ears.