//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Celestia // Story: Diary of a Store Clerk // by GnollReader //------------------------------// Some things in life, some things are just... weird. Having an alicorn princess who is also a deity over for tea is already troubling enough, but trying to explain the cookie thing to her... yeah, that one was definitely weird. And as I tried to explain it to her, I could actually see her eyebrow travel up further and further by the second. After the explanation, she just sat there... not saying a word and making me even more nervous than I already was. I watched her pick up her cup of tea, take a sip with closed eyes and give a small sigh before setting it down again. "I see." She opened her eyes again and gave me a searching look. "And you have been hibernating ever since you got here?" "I have," I replied, wondering where this was heading. "Mmh." She eyed her cup of tea in thought before mouthing the words I had been waiting for all this time. "You're not really a bearotaur, are you?" "No..." I sighed and leaned onto the table, resting my head on one of my arms. "No, I'm not." I gave her a slightly curious gaze. "May I ask what gave me away?" "When you live as long as I do, you get to meet a lot of strange and wondrous creatures," Celestia replied with the tiniest of smirks before frowning slightly. "And considering what... unison such a race would require... well..." "You don't say." I buried my face in my hands as I tried to banish the horrid picture dancing before my inner eyes. "So may I ask..." Celestia carefully asked. "Yes?" "What race do you and Silver Blossom represent?" I looked up to study her features for a moment, trying in vain to decipher what was going through her head. "We're humans." I finally answered her question only to ask my own. "Have you ever... heard of our race?" Celestia studied the cup of tea before her, carefully stirring it with her spoon as she furrowed her brow in thought before shaking her head with a sigh. "I fear I have not, but only the stars know what countless worlds exist beyond our own..." she paused, "though it would have helped to know what we were looking for all these years." She gave me a sad look. "Can you imagine what your very existence here means to Silver Blossom?" "I've been able to make myself a picture ever since I met her," I replied with a heavy voice, "how old was she when you found her?" "It is hard to tell since we didn't know anything about her race," Celestia answered with a sad voice, "over ten years ago, we found her crying in the royal gardens..." Her eyes closed. "Confused, alone... crying for her mother." She shook her head before turning to me again. "Why did you never come to Canterlot? Why didn't you come to see me for help?" She cast me a worried gaze. "Why do I scare you so much?" I fidgeted on my seat for a moment; How do you tell a princess why she terrifies you without insulting her in the process? Fun fact number ten; Blatantly insulting an alicorn princess in the face will get you in the same amount of trouble as hitting a foal will... and while execution is not something the ponies practice, an alicorn blast at point-blank range is definitely something one should avoid to provoke. "I wouldn't say that 'scared' is the right word..." I mumbled to myself in thought. "Really?" Celestia remarked with a dry voice and took another sip from her cup. "You tried to kill me with a broom." "I was trying to get you out of my store... which you entered uninvited! That qualifies as self-defense in my opinion!" I retorted. "It was an assault," she commented quietly, ignoring my short outburst, "and discrimination..." "It was an provoked assault... and... and..." I knitted my eyebrows in thought. "Alright, I admit it; The sign was wrong." I crossed my arms defiantly. "And concerning your earlier question; I'm not so much terrified of yourself in person, as more of everything that follows in your steps." Celestia gave me a puzzled look over her cup. "I beg your pardon?" "Your presence is a guarantee for trouble! Changeling invasions, dragons, gods of chaos and magical mishaps!" I pointed an accusing finger at her. "No matter where you or the element bearers appear, adventure and disaster are about to ensue!" I sighed, "granted, I don't blame you for it. I know that you only wish for the best of your subjects but we both know that when trouble strikes, it will definitely strike near you or your faithful student." I leaned back in my chair. "And I wanted none of that." Princess Celestia only stared at me with surprise for a moment, seemingly trying to collect her thoughts. "May I ask; How did you know of these things when you have been here for three years only?" "I read the papers." Fat lie, but there was no way in hell I was going to tell her in which canny ways our dimensions were connected. The mere discussion it would tread off would likely drive me to the brink of insanity. "And just as a note..." I added. "I don't agree to Silver Blossom having to deal with such things at her age. She's a child, for crying out loud!" I could only assume that she had been part of the ordeals that the mane six went through, and even though I didn't know why... the thought greatly disturbed me. At this point, another question rose to my mind and I used Celestia's startled moment to mouth it. "By the way... if she calls you aunt... who does she call mom?" I silently prayed it wasn't Luna. "No one," Celestia replied after another moment of silence, her face showing a sudden sadness that surprised me. "We had hoped that with time, she would find a new mother figure... but she never did. The closest she has become to anyone is Twilight, they are almost like sisters." A small, sad smile found its way onto her lips. "Instead, she's taken to seeing me as her aunt... just like she does with Luna." "Huh..." was all I could muster in reply. It definitely helped me to understand Silver Blossom's earlier reaction but at the same time it only made me worry about her more. Celestia herself seemed just as lost in thought as I was at this point and the both of us simply sat there for what felt like minutes, quietly staring at our cups of tea. "Granted..." Celestia finally spoke, breaking the silence. "You do have a point and I accept the decision you made back then..." Small victory for me, who would have guessed? "However..." "However?" I felt like something terrible was about to happen. She let her gaze search my features. "Now that we finally have met, there are certain things that I feel should fall under your responsibility." "My what now?" I could feel the panic return. "You are the only human in this world that I know of other than Silver Blossom," Celestia explained, "There are countless things about herself which she can only learn from you... Hibernation being only one of those things." "I'm not leaving my home if that's what you're about to ask." My fingers clenched around the edge of the table for support, with me almost fearing to be whisked away at any moment. "And you won't have to," Celestia replied with the tiniest of smirks, "as it is, we had originally planned this to be a small vacation trip. But the discovery of your existence as well as the recent... events, open up another opportunity." Her face turned serious. "And to perfectly clear; I too agree, that Silver Blossom should not have to deal with such adventures at her young age." She paused to let her words sink in. "So..." "Please don't say it..." I whispered to myself. "Silver Blossom and her friends will stay here, in Shoretrot, so that she may learn what it means to be a human." Celestia's smile returned. "I can?!" Both me and Celestia turned our heads to see that Silver Blossom had returned to the store, with a huge grin on her face no less. "This is great!" She embraced Celestia in a hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" "How am I supposed to house four house guests?!" I tried to regain control of the situation. "I barely have enough room for myself!" "That won't be an issue," Celestia replied while smiling at Silver Blossom, "I am sure that the ponies of Shoretrot will be happy to supply accommodations." She turned her attention to Silver Blossom. "How are Twilight and her friends?" "They're fine," Silver Blossom replied before smiling at me. "And they all want to meet you too! Isn't this great?" My head slumped forward and onto the table with a small thunk. "Lovely... just... lovely." "Will you stay too?" Silver Blossom asked Celestia, completely ignoring my devastated state. "No. As it is, I only planned to stay for a day and now that we know what we are looking for I wish to return to Canterlot to search for any information regarding humans. But rest assured, I will visit whenever I find the time." I tilted my head slightly to look up at her. "At least give me back my broom!" "Once I leave, you may have your weapon back," Celestia replied with the kindest of voices and started to get up. "I will see Twilight and her friends one more time before departing," she paused, "That was very good tea, by the way. Thank you." I let my head slump onto the table again with a groan. "You're welcome."