And so here we are.
Just enjoying each other's company like two good friends. We're both still drinking, but not enough to get intoxicated. Cheerilee, as she said, built up her tolerance in college and through the trials of teaching, and I built up mine during my time with the minotaurs.
Oh yeah, did I mention that minotaurs love their ale, and Turgis made darned sure that while I was his apprentice I was going to as well? I got so freaking wasted that first time he gave me three tankards to drink.
But I digress. I'm rambling and this is really about Cheerilee and I.
After we heard Discord out there and decided not to go investigate, we just decided to keep talking about life. She tells me about her new students, whom I have gotten to meet, and they are just as awesome as the foals that I was teaching when I first came to Equestria. I tell her more details about my life on Earth and my plans going forward.
And it just goes on like that. Two beings, each a different species, just hanging out with each other like the world doesn't exist, and it's just the two of us. It's one of the better moments that I've had in the past few months. Heck, it's one of the best moments I've had in years.
And then it all gets shaken up when the door opens and a certain white, sun plotted alicorn walks through, a beaming smile on her face. She doesn't seem to be mad that we've walked out on her plans, something that, I must admit, is freaking me out a little bit.
The ponies in the bar, Cheerilee included, all bow low as Celestia walks up to the two of us. She inclines her head in a nod towards me, her large smile never leaving her face. I take a sip of my third screwdriver, draining the rest of it and setting the glass back down on the bar. I have a suspicious look on my face. I don't like her smile.
"Celestia." I give her my own greeting nod. "How's the thing with Discord going?"
"Oh, not going, TD, went." Her voice is light and full of mirth, so I'm guessing that it went fairly well. "Discord has promised to use his magic for good and not evil. He is reformed." Her smile flickers for a moment and her next words come out as a mumble. "Mostly."
"Charming. How did Twilight and her friends manage that?" A small smirk crosses my face. "A reform spell? Having the Elements scramble his brain? Or maybe they put the Elements on the setting that they did when they blasted Luna with them."
Celestia gives another light chuckle and shakes her head. "No, nothing so gauche, TD." She puts a hoof on Cheerilee's shoulder and alternates looks between the two of us. "In fact, you two were instrumental in his reformation."
Uh...
My smirk fades so completely that one would think that I've never smirked at all. I don't like where this is going, and I really don't like that Celestia seems to love where this is all going. Given our rather antagonistic relationship, I don't really like the idea that she knows something that I don't about what's going on, and that she can lord it over me for a while.
Thankfully, she cuts that time mercifully short.
"You see, TD, before Twilight released Discord, she wrote to me and told me that you had walked out on the task I had given you and taken your good friend Cheerilee with you. I wrote her back to tell her that I didn't mind in the slightest and that they should go on with the reformation plans that they had for him." To my surprise, the twinkle in her eye left, and her smile turned more matronly, almost as if she was proud of the two of us. "You two have a very strong friendship. I daresay it is as strong as the one that Twilight has with the rest of her friends. It comes out in the way that you two interact with each other. When Discord was released, he immediately wanted to antagonize the two of you, but Twilight threatened to imprison him in stone again if he did that, so he merely decided to observe you two. He saw your friendship and, on top of not being turned into stone again, he decided that he wanted something like that, or at the very least, to understand it."
"Twilight told me that you two argued and had a brief falling out in your time here. Discord saw that and thought that it was a wonderful way to spread chaos, but then you two forgave each other. He saw your friendship strengthen and develop, and he wanted to know what that was like." Celestia looks out the window of the bar. "I daresay that Discord and Fluttershy are going to become very close in the next few months."
"So let me get this straight." I fully turn to face Celestia, a rather impressive scowl on my face. "You knew that, because you made a request of me, I would walk out, take Cheerilee with me, Discord would target us, Twilight would prevent him from doing that, and in doing so Discord would see our friendship and want that for himself, thus starting the path to reformation."
The fact that she placed the statue directly across the street from a bar and invited Cheerilee is suddenly starting to make a lot more sense.
Celestia nods and continues smiling serenely at me. I know I generally like smiling, but is it wrong that I hate that particular one? It just screams "I'm pulling the strings and I love it."
"TD, do not see this as a manipulation, see this as a testament to the strength of your friendship with Cheerilee." Celestia's serene smile falls, and she quietly sighs and lowers her head. "But I also understand if you do see it as a manipulation on my part, even though I did not intend it that way." Celestia raises her head and leans forward until she is well within punching distance. "I understand if you do what you feel you must do. You may fire when ready."
So tempting.
So, so tempting. It's not like I haven't punched her in front of a large crowd before. Even though this one is smaller, there would still be witnesses. Every pony in the bar is watching us. The ruler of all Equestria walking into the bar isn't something that goes unnoticed. But that's pointless at the current moment. What I'm thinking about is... do I punch her? She seems to be willing to take it like a man. Er... or mare, as it were.
I...
Well...
Sigh.
I groan and rub my temples. I slowly shake my head and wave her off. "You know what? It isn't worth it this time." I gave her a sideways glare. "But don't think I'll be so lenient next time."
Celestia lightly chuckles and straightens up. "Yes, sir."
With that, Celestia ignites her horn and pours herself a double whiskey straight. After downing the whole thing in one gulp and putting five bits on the bar and three in Lyra's tip jar, Celestia turns around and walks away. Before exiting the bar, she looks back to me with a smile. "You did a great thing for Equestria, TD, and all because of your friendship with this mare. You were never in any real danger."
And so she leaves.
The bar is dead silent as everybody stares at the door that Celestia has just walked out of. But only for a moment. Within ten seconds, the subdued chatter resumes, and everypony goes back to their drinks. I groan and turn back to the bar. I chance a glance at Cheerilee, who has a vague smile on her face that I don't really like.
"What are you smiling about?" I grumble. "You see something you like?"
"It's not really that, TD," Cheerilee admits. She looks back over to the door of the bar then back to me. "It's just that, don't you think that Celestia only offered to let you punch her just because she knew that you wouldn't?"
I thunk my head on the bar and wave a hand at Cheerilee. "Don't remind me."