Of Steam Gears and Wings

by RavensDagger


Tea Time


The serving pony trotted forwards, a platter balanced expertly on his back against the tiny motion of the ship beneath his hooves. As he advanced, trotting at a steady pace, he lowered his head to a low bow, seemingly uncaring eyes facing the ground as he stopped beside the only table in the great atrium, the liquid in the teapot on his back swirling gently.

The stallion placed the platter on the table’s surface, its edges lightly scraping it and filling the massive room with sound. He bowed to those sitting there, turned, and headed out of the room with an even gait, his hooffalls echoing around the chambers, muffling the other sounds.

“The tea hasn’t changed at all, has it?” one of the table’s two occupants said, reaching out with a white hoof to grab the teapot. She poured herself a cup full, then moved on to the next, never spilling so much as a drop.

“Indeed, We always favoured the older brewing methods,” the other occupant said. She grabbed one of the cups and, in perfect synch, they both sipped at their tea. “What will you do now, Our dear sister?”

Celestia brought the cup down and turned to stare out of the massive windows stretching from ceiling to floor. The sun, her sun, was full in the cloudless sky above. “I have the impression that I should say recuperate. But I have never felt better than this. Not for a long, long time, it seems.”

“We understand,” Luna said.

“I’ve read the reports, and the one you penned for me,” Celestia said as she unfurled her wings, allowing them to bask in the warm light.

Luna nodded. “Do you have any queries?”

The other princess shook her head. “It resolved many questions. Only the future bears any questions worth asking now.”

“Many things will happen. We hope it will be for the best,” Luna said, taking another sip. “We have longed for this moment.”

“As have I, as have I.... Do you know what happened to... them?”

The dark princess nodded solemnly and, with a tiny conjuration of her magic, she forced a black, leatherbound book into existence. Its worn covers slapped together as it landed on the table by Celestia’s tea.

“Is that his logbook?”

Luna nodded.

“I see.” Celestia pushed it aside, her hoof touching it carefully as if the bound book were fragile. “There was one more thing that the report failed to delve into, sister.”

“Ask.”

She took a sip, savouring the warm tea. “What do ponies think of me? My return, and what happened during my absence?”

Luna sighed. “Many thought of you as dead, sister. Others, Us included, knew such to be impossible. Your arrival is a great shock, and surely it will rally many to our cause. We have pondered over many long nights as to whether or not this warfare is for the betterment of Equestria or not, but We decided that the absolute freedom of our ponies was of the utmost importance. We hope that you share our views, sister.”

Celestia pushed herself up and away from the table, taking long, graceful strides towards the window to stare at the sky beyond. The sun, still young and fresh, played with her mane and tail, adorning her in ephemeral jewels of light. “I do. Blueblood showed me a side of being a pony that I would have rather lived without knowing of, and I discovered it before that incident. I think we need to change some things, but I wish to do so with little loss on either side.”

“We agree,” Luna said. “Are you once more capable of using the full extent of your power? Or do you wish for more time to recuperate?”

“When I was in that chamber I was forced to use our inherent power, my magical ability to its fullest extent. At first I was crippled, unable to do anything but exert myself and give my all. Then, as I grew stronger, it was only but a chore to pass the time. In the end the strain it put on me was nothing. Sister, I have never felt as powerful as I feel now.”

Celestia looked out of the windowed panes and at the forested lands below. All across the trees and fields stretched a shadow, like a hand with a thousand claws sliding forwards and to the west. It was cast by ships. Hundreds of them moved at a snail’s pace across the sky with more joining every minute. There were ten times what had been at the last battle, both rebel and Imperial as more and more joined the cause.

Over the horizon, New Appleloosa waited.