//------------------------------// // Fire - Fuzzyfurvert // Story: Dark Paradise: the TwiLuna Group Collab // by Habanc //------------------------------// Written by: Fuzzyfurvert ***** “I saw that.” Captain Leadfeather of the Canterlot Dayguard continued to stare straight ahead stoically at the floral print wallpaper. “Saw what, ma’am?” “That grin.” Celestia smirked, her horn glowing as she concentrated on the job before her. It had been many years since she had last seen to this particular task personally, but Celestia felt it was important enough to warrant her attention. “I’m afraid you are mistaken, your Highness. Had those tendons snipped years ago.” “Yes, I recall ordering it.” Celestia chuckled gently to herself as finished up. “Something about a certain young sergeant with a notorious habit of smiling during diplomatic functions.” “Only the ones where you pulled the wool over the eyes of the other parties, ma’am.” Celestia ‘tsk’ed’ and turned to look down at her seasoned guardian. “You cost Equestria twenty bits and over a thousand hectares of arable land at the gryphon kingdom’s international poker championships back in ‘74.” “Came out of my pay, I seem to recall.” “I made doubly sure of it!” Celestia giggled to herself. “So what broke years of training and a medically induced lack of expression Captain, if you don’t mind my asking?” Leadfeather kept his position and expression neutral as Celestia moved around the table to retrieve a box of safety pins in her telekinesis. “Well ma’am, it struck me that over the years as a guardspony in general and as a personal security pony to your Grace, I’ve seen and heard a lot of things - from you most often - that the public and even most of the castle staff never know about. We’ve talked about a lot of things because you mistake me for a smart stallion despite my repeated assurances otherwise. I have served you faithfully for the majority of my adult life and will continue to do so until you give me leave to lay down dead and stay that way.” “You are going to need to save up a good deal of vacation time for that, Captain.” Leadfeather nodded in response to the old joke. “What I mean to say, your Highness, is that I’ve taken a lot of crap from you but this is the first time in my memory that it was actual crap.” Leadfeather wrinkled his nose and tapped the near by waste basket with a rear hoof where the faint scent of infantile leavings still wafted up. “Well,” Celestia smiled as she lifted a freshly diapered foal from the changing table and nuzzled his belly. “it’s a special situation. It isn’t every century that I get an adorable new nephew. The least I can do is watch him and change a few diapers when his parents need a break.” “We invented nannies and foalsitters for that. Where are the prince’s royal mothers?” “Taking a much needed nap, I suspect. I’d give a more firm answer, but Twilight had me promise not to spy on them so much.” Celestia sighed and bounced the tiny red colored unicorn in her magic. “Don’t take it too hard, ma’am. I would imagine they just don’t want you to catch them at making more nephews and nieces for you.” Captain Leadfeather allowed himself another micro-grin as Celestia snickered. “Perhaps.” Celestia shook her head. “Is it gross that I hope that is the reason? I want more foals in the castle again that I can call family. Though, I do hope Prince Nova here is the only special case. It’s… unsurprising really, considering his parentage, that he’s already showing an aptitude for--” Celestia was cut off as the three month old prince burped and his horn flashed along with it and erupted a gout of blue-white hot fire directly into the monarch’s face. “--fire magic.” Celestia smiled proudly. “Just like auntie!” Princess Celestia the Undimmed, Her Serene Majesty of Equestria coo’ed and started to babble as she wrapped her wings around Prince Nova and blew raspberries onto his stomach, eliciting giggles and laughter from the foal. “Ma’am? The ceiling is on fire again.”