//------------------------------// // The Fear of Being Alone // Story: Break of Dawn // by SupaSqueegee //------------------------------// Rarity had never been a pony to turn down a special invitation to Canterlot before. Especially if that special invitation was from Princess Celestia, of all ponies! Granted, the fact that it was marked ‘Urgent’ did cause the fashionista to lose a bit of her excitement. But not much. Canterlot! Rarity had simply been enjoying a nice evening alone, winding down the day with a nice cup of tea and the latest issue of her most favorite magazine! In all regards, she had put together a nice little evening for herself. Sweetie Belle was staying the night at Sweet Apple Acres, Rarity had just finished eating a Daisy Salad with Olive Oil (Light), and was hunkered down on her couch in the candlelight, reading. That was when she heard the knock on the door. “Oh, bother, whoever could that be at this time of night?” The last thing she had expected to see upon opening her door, however, was Princess Celestia’s personal carriage being pulled by two guards. One of which was holding out an envelope for her take. “Madam Rarity.” He nodded to her graciously. Without missing a beat, though her eyes were still wide, she took the envelope in the light blue aura of her magic and gently opened it. Her eyes quickly skimmed the letter inside, then bulged more than they already had. “Oh. My. Gosh.” Dear Rarity, I believe that I have need of your talents. I would greatly appreciate your immediate departure to Canterlot to assist me. Further details will provided upon your arrival. Please try to keep this as secretive as possible. Respectfully, Princess Celestia Sworn to secrecy or not, Rarity still squealed with delight as she darted back inside to quickly gather up some things she thought she might need. She didn’t know how long her stay would be, so she packed for a couple nights, and she wasn’t sure what all she’d need, so she packed quite a bit of her material and sewing accessories...Celestia had said she needed her talents. What other talent did she have that royalty would need of?! Many bags in magical tow, she made her way back out to the carriage, happily humming a little tune. She loaded up, climbed into the carriage, and sighed happily. She watched the final rays of the setting sun in awe as the pegasus guards took off and angled her towards Canterlot Palace. Cale leaned back from the table and patted his stomach. “That. Was. Amazing.” He grinned happily and turned to look at the Princess, who was regarding him with a smile. After a moment he blinked and scratched at the back of his neck. “What?” “You’re a curious sort, aren’t you?” As he lifted an eyebrow at her, she continued, “You did say that your species, humans, are omnivores, correct?” At his nod, “You certainly seemed to enjoy that roasted almond salad, then.” With a chuckle he waved his hand, “Yeah, there might not have been any meat in it, but it was still really good.” He turned and looked at the gray Earth pony who had brought him his meal, giving her a smile. Celestia stood and made her way over to the human, dismissing her staff as she did so. When she came to a stop a few feet from him, she leaned down to look over his body once again. “Perhaps now would be a good time to suggest a bath? Not that this pungent aroma you’re exuding isn’t lovely, of course.” She couldn’t help but let loose that silvery laugh once again as he blushed and nodded. Celestia called in the same gray Earth mare that had served dinner, and told her to take Cale to the bathing quarters, and to have everyone treat him as they would a respected, foreign dignitary. When they had made their way out of the dining room, Celestia turned and made her way through the opposite door, looking around some as she did. “Dearest sister, I had thought you had outgrown spying.” That comment alone was enough to cause Luna to blush fiercely as she materialized in front of Celestia. “I just fear for you, sister.” She motioned towards the door Celestia had just came through, “I see you managed to find this creature of your dreams.” Celestia nodded, “I have, yes. His name is Cale, and he’s a human. A rather interesting species, if I do say so myself. The more I learn about him and his race, the more curious I become.” Luna noted the rather wistful sound of her sister’s voice, and tilted her head. “I saw the way you were speaking with him, sister. It was if you were a common pony conversing with another! I don’t even believe you speak with Twilight Sparkle with such abandon.” With a tightly controlled blush, Celestia met her sister’s eyes. She was just about to say something when the sound of hoof steps caught her attention. The door behind her opened to reveal one of her personal guards. He bowed deeply, “Princess, we have returned from Ponyville with the Lady Rarity.” Celestia smiled, “Very well, you are dismissed.” Once he had departed, she turned to her sister once again. “I’m afraid I must bid you farewell, dear sister. This night still promises much before sleep is finally granted.” The solar diarch did lean forward to nuzzle her sister’s cheek affectionately, though. “Don’t worry about me, Lulu. I can handle myself perfectly fine, as you know.” She pulled back with a wink before turning and heading off to meet her guest. Luna merely sighed as she watched her sister leave. “‘Tia, please be careful.” Luna turned and walked away as well, a somber expression on her muzzle as she returned to her duties. Cale followed the mare through the palace as they headed for the bathing chambers. He had learned on the way that her name was Silver Star, and that she was very good company. Their idle conversation brought them to the bathing chambers in no time at all, and she gave him a small bow. “Enjoy your bath, sir. Is there anything else you require?” With a roll of his eyes Cale shook his head, “Yeah, I ‘require’ you to stop treating me like royalty. Like I told you, I’m just a regular guy.” At her blush he simply chuckled. “Come on, keep me company. I wanna talk to you, anyway.” Once again, poor Silver’s eyes widened. She had never before watched a stallion bathe before! And here this one was, odd though he is, was asking this of her! She complied, but made sure to look anywhere else as the ponies assigned to this duty prepared his bath. It only took a couple of minutes to prepare, and Cale stripped down graciously and sank into the large tub. “Oh...oh...yeah…” He sighed loudly and Silver hazarded a glance his way. He had sunk up to his chin in the bath water, and there were enough suds to cover anything scandalous. Feeling a bit better about the situation, she moved closer to the tub and sat down on her haunches. Cale looked over to her. “So...you said you wanted t-to speak with me?” Poor Cale couldn’t help himself. That little stammer, along with the blush she was currently sporting, was almost too much. He actually had to hold back his laugh. She noticed this, however, and puffed up defensively. “What?” He was starting to strongly remind her of her brother back home. Goofy and playful, with a bit of a rebellious streak. When she turned her head and stuck up her nose, Cale let loose a gale of laughter, which caused him to lose his balance and sink up to his nose in the tub. That, of course, caused him to swallow some soapy water, which he immediately tried to cough up. This sent Silver to laughing, which just made him laugh again. After a few minutes they both finally started to come down, both wiping tears from their eyes. “O-okay...now what did you want to talk to me about, you big goof?” Silver smiled warmly at Cale as he ran soapy water through his hair. Cale merely shrugged before replying. “I wanted to ask you about Celestia. I know she’s royalty and all, but shouldn’t she be acting a little more cautious than this around me? I mean, here I am, some random guy from a species no one has ever heard of, and she’s inviting me to stay in the palace!” He threw up his arms for emphasis, accidentally splashing her as he did. “Sorry, Silver. I guess what I’m getting at is that she’s treating me like an old friend. I’ve seen a couple of the other members of royalty around here, and she doesn’t act anything like them. At least not when we’re alone, anyway.” Silver furrowed her brow and scratched her chin with a hoof as she contemplated this. “I have noticed that she was acting differently around you. I thought it might have something to do with your own culture.” She looked at him and after he shook his head, she continued, “but I’m not sure. The only other pony I’ve seen her act like this around has been her own sister, Princess Luna. But even that is a rather rare occurrence.” She gave him a small smile, “Sorry, Cale, but I just don’t know. Even to those of us that have worked at the palace our entire lives, Princess Celestia is an enigma. She’s a fair, wonderful ruler, but that’s all she is.” Cale nodded and thought for a moment, “It’s okay, Silver.” He looked to her and smiled, “At least I’ve got a friend now, right? It’ll make being here a lot easier.” At her nod and smile, he ducked back under the water. Rarity had just been led into Celestia’s private receiving quarters by the second guard, and had only been there a minute or two, when the door opened and Celestia herself walked into the room. “Ah! Rarity, it’s wonderful that you were able to come on such short notice. I do hope I wasn’t interrupting anything important?” A gentle smile followed her question, causing Rarity to blush. With a bow, the alabaster mare shook her head. “Oh, not at all your majesty! I was just settling in for a relaxing evening. But I am, of course, always glad to be of service to the Princesses.” She stood then, “What is it I can do for you? It’s not often I’m summoned to Canterlot without the rest of the girls.” Celestia chuckled to herself. Always direct and to the point. That was Rarity all over. “I seem to find myself at a certain...impasse. And I’m afraid that, as of yet, secrecy is important. As such, I have a special request for you. I was hoping you might be able to put together a few outfits for a recently made acquaintance of mine. You will be well compensated, of course.” Rarity’s mind was reeling. A special request from Celestia herself?! How could she possibly object! “I would be delighted and honored, Princess! If I might be so bold, for whom would these new outfits be for?” The thrill of creating secret clothes for one of Princess Celestia’s friends made her shiver in excitement. Celestia grinned and slightly turned her head away, a light blush forming under her eyes. “He’s new to Equestria and was not able to bring much with him when he came. His name is Cale. You’ll meet him soon enough. He’s taking a much needed relaxing bath as we speak.” Rarity’s eyes lit up in wonder. She’d seen that blush, and heard the lightness of Celestia’s tone. It was a look she knew all too well. She was just finding it hard to believe that the Princess of all ponies was finding herself...attracted...to someone! It was, needless to say, a huge event. One that Rarity could hardly wrap her mind around. She wanted to say something to confirm or deny her suspicions, but she didn’t want to be to forward. So she broke eye contact and took a glancing look around the room before taking a couple steps forward. “Princess, to get a better idea on the project at hoof, I have a question or two for you.” Oh yes, sneaky Rarity. Celestia was snapped out of her reverie by those words, and she looked over to Rarity curiously. The seamstress pressed on, pushing past the slight fear that wormed it’s way in her gut for delving into the personal life of the Princess. “First and foremost, what exactly is your relationship with him?” When Celestia’s eyes widened in surprise, Rarity waved a hoof and continued, “If he’s going to be spending most of his time at the Palace, then he’ll need attire proper for his surroundings! Eheh.” Celestia sighed, but that blush crept a bit higher. A-ha! Of course she was right. Deciding that she had pressed far enough, she waited patiently for Celestia’s response. Which...seemed to be taking a fair bit of time in it’s coming. Finally, her reply came. “For now, clothing befitting a dignitary or noble will do well enough.” Her blush lessening, Celestia added, “Just try not making them too flashy, alright?” Rarity had to hide a snort of amusement behind her hoof at this, causing Celestia to chuckle. “I’ll send someone to guide you to your quarters. Everything you need for your task will be brought to you in the morning, and I’ll personally bring Cale to see you as well so that you can get all the measurements you need. For now, though, I believe it’s time for a good night’s rest.” Celestia gave a brief nod before turning and walking out the door, leaving a still rather stunned Rarity in her wake. It was a long moment later that she heard a pony clearing his throat behind her. Without even turning around, “Yes, yes. Be a peach and handle my bags, will you? A lady simply mustn’t do all the heavy lifting after such a long trip.” All she could think, though, was how stunning of an achievement this would be. Cale followed Silver Star through the maze like palace, his eyes roaming over everything they passed. From he could tell of the tapestries he saw, this Princess Celestia, and her sister Princess Luna, have been this country’s monarchs for millennia upon millennia. And they had faced a number of dangers to ensure the protection of their subjects. It was a rather daunting set of facts for the human, considering how he had spoken and acted around Celestia. With yet another internal curse Cale sped up to walk beside Silver. “I can hardly believe that everything on those tapestries is actually true. Has Celestia really been alive that long?” Silver smirked, but kept her eyes forward. “The Princess has been alive that long and longer. Immortality is quite beneficial, don’t you think?” Cale snorted and rolled his eyes, “Yeah I’ll say.” After a few moments of walking in silence, he turned back to look at her, adjusting the large towel around his body some as he did. “I recognize this hall. Doesn’t this take us back to Celestia’s room? I thought she said I was getting my own place here?” The gray mare shifted her glance up to him before rolling her eyes, “So many questions.” She looked back in front of her, “She sent a message while you were finishing your bath that she wanted to see you before you, as you say, ‘hit the hay.’” Her eyes perked up as they came to the Princess’s door, “And here we are! Knock before you go in.” She winked at him, “And stop being so nervous. I know you weren’t before. I’ll see you later, okay?” After a nod from him she turned and left. Cale looked up at the large door and sighed. “Well, here goes nothing,” he whispered. He reached up and knocked, “Princess? It’s me, Cale. Silver Star said you wanted to see me?” Almost instantly he heard her musical voice call from within, “Of course. You may enter.” After a moment’s more thought, he pushed open the door and walked in, closing it behind him. Celestia was standing on the balcony, facing out over the horizon. He walked up to her curiously, her voice breaking the silence, “It’s a beautiful night. I often spend the time right before bed just...staring out.” She looked to him when he came up beside her, “Though I’ve lived many years, my sister’s night sky still takes my breath away.” Cale looked up and saw the full moon along with the thousands of stars and nodded. “It’s gorgeous.” He looked back to her expectantly, and he heard her sigh as she cast her eyes to the balcony ledge. “I am afraid I do not know why you are here, Cale, or how to send you home. I’m sure you miss it greatly, as I would my own. All I do know...is that you and I are connected. Call it fate, if you will, but some force greater than I has brought you to me.” She looked up to him, and saw him deep in thought, silently contemplating what he had just heard. She didn’t see any sadness or anger. He was just...thinking. And, once again, she was left speechless before him. This baffled her as much as anything else had this day, for she normally had no trouble piecing together the proper thing to say. She reached a hoof out, free of it’s adornments, and touched his shoulder in a comforting manner. He looked up to her, a strange look in his eyes. “Celestia...can I stay with you tonight?” The surprise on her face was evident, but she pushed past it quickly enough, and smiled. “Of course.” And with that, they retreated back into the room.