Twilight awoke to a gentle rocking motion and a familiar warmth under her. She opened her eyes to find Celestia’s mane in her face. An unfamiliar hallway slowly moved past on the other side of the multi-hued mane. She glanced back to find that she was indeed laying on Celestia’s back.
“Oh, good. You’ve woken up. I was just about to wake you,” Celestia said softly, coming to a stop. She used her magic to gently set Twilight down. Her legs were a bit weak, but she could stand on her own weight. “I hope you’re hungry; it’s time for dinner.”
Twilight flashed an embarrassed smile. “Did I really faint?”
Celestia gave a soft giggle. “You did.”
“I’m sorry-”
“No need to apologize, Twilight. You fainted when I first gave you the title and position.” Celestia smiled warmly. “Now then, I have brought your parents in for dinner tonight. They’ve missed you very much. I’ve told them you’re having issues remembering things from before the coma. For now, let’s keep your alternate memories between us, okay?”
Twilight nodded once, “Of course, Princess.”
“Another thing. Please call me Celestia. We’re basically equals politically, and you’re my friend, Twilight.”
“I’ll try… Celestia. I’ve only ever called you Princess that I can remember, though, but I’ll try nonetheless.”
“Thank you, that’s all I can ask of you.” Celestia turned and pushed open a nearby set of doors with magic. A small dining room was on the otherside. Twilight somewhat recognized it; she had been in a dining room similar to this one when she was studying under the Princess. Of course, it didn’t match up with her memories properly.
Already at the table were two ponies. Twilight Velvet and Night Light. Her parents. They looked exactly as they had the last time Twilight had seen them. She was about to run over to them when her parents finally looked up to see them walk in. “Twilight!” Twilight’s mother ran over and wrapped Twilight in a spine crushing hug, openly weeping as she nuzzled against the side of Twilight’s head. “Oh, my little Twily!”
“Now, now, honey. Don’t hurt her.” Twilight’s father said as he approached the Princess. “Spike said she was having some issues with her memories?”
Celestia nodded, her gaze fixed on Twilight. “Her memories from before the curse are muddy. The doctor didn’t find anything wrong, we hope that with some time she’ll be perfectly fine.”
Twilight’s mother’s grip tightened even more, “Oh, my poor sweet Twily!”
“Mom! Can’t! Breathe! Need! Air!” Twilight’s face started to turn blue as she gasped, trying to take in as much air as she could.
“Allow me,” Celestia said calmly. She grabbed Twilight’s mother with her magic and forcibly pulled her away from Twilight. Twilight fell to the floor taking several deep breaths. “We wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to Twilight again.”
“Sorry for loving my daughter,” Twilight’s mother mumbled, giving Celestia a dirty look which went completely ignored. Celestia’s full focus was on Twilight. Twilight Velvet sighed and turned back to her daughter. “How do you feel, Twilight?”
Once she had regained her breath, Twilight slowly stood back up. She put on a smile. “I’m okay, mom. I am having some trouble remembering things, but Spike and Celestia have been helping me.”
Her dad stepped over and gave her a much more reasonable hug. “I hope you are planning on taking some time off from work to recover.”
“You know me dad, just a few days and I’ll be right as rain.” Twilight nuzzled him and turned to the table. “Now, let’s eat. I’m starved!”
As if he had been waiting for the cue, Spike walked in. “Food is served!” He called out as he pushed a cart covered with plates. “Next time, Celestia, wait for the staff to be back before holding a fancy dinner.”
The meal was mostly quiet. Night Light politely asked Celestia about some recent news he had seen in the papers, to which she was happy to share her opinions on. When Celestia asked him about his work in the observatory, he had some big news to share. “We’ve recently agreed to a cultural exchange… With the griffons!”
“Griffons?” Celestia asked, genuinely surprised. “I was unaware they even had an interest in the stars.”
Twilight’s father laughed. “Ever since Twily gave them a talking to, apparently they’ve been gaining interest in some of our sciences. They have telescope technology, obviously, but they never really developed a science behind them. We’ve got three griffons who just came to Canterlot that are going to be learning from us. Likewise, three of our senior astronomers left for their brand new observatory to help them get everything set up.”
Twilight figured she would have been excited about the prospect of griffons and ponies getting along and exchanging information. It was certainly the type of cultural exchange she would recommended, if Celestia asked for her opinion. A part of her did find the idea of teaching the griffons astronomy exciting, she wanted to meet with them, so she smiled at him. “That’s great, dad! Maybe once I’m back to 100%, I can come meet them.”
Celestia smiled warmly. “That’s a great idea, Twilight. Actually, one of the newspapers here in Canterlot just hired a griffon writer. Perhaps we should hold a semi-formal function to meet our new neighbors and co-workers?”
“Sounds like fun!” Twilight said. She’d have to do some research to regain her general knowledge on griffons, but actually meeting some of them would be a great experience. She had met griffons before, in her version of her memories, but she didn’t know if they were still accurate.
Twilight’s father seemed equally excited by the prospect. “I know they would all love the opportunity to talk to Twily. They asked about her when they first arrived; she’s quite well known in their culture now.”
“The Prime Minister even sent us a pair of very expensive looking swords and a small pile of bits right after news of the curse came out,” Twilight’s mother commented. “He seems like a very nice pony… Er, griffon I mean.”
Twilight quietly finished up the food on her plate as Celestia and her parents talked about Twilight’s relationship with the griffons. She was listening--how could she not--but she couldn’t help but notice that the usual warmth her parents had was missing when they addressed Celestia. Likewise, Celestia spoke to her parents like she spoke when she was in court. There was a very noticeable distance between her parents and Celestia, one that wasn’t there in her version.
Spike tapped her on the side, before whispering. “Everything okay, Twilight? You’re staring off into space.”
“Yeah, was just thinking. The food was really good. When did you get to be such a good cook?”
He blushed at the compliment. “I’ve had some free time since you were… You know.”
The sound of silence caught Twilight’s ear. She looked back up to find that her parents and Celestia had finished up their meals. “Well, that was rather enjoyable. Thank you, Spike,” Celestia said, her tone more formal than Twilight was used to.
“Yes, thank you, Spike,” Twilight’s parents echoed.
Spike grinned. “Glad you liked it.”
Celestia stood up. “Twilight, let’s walk your parents to the front gate. I think a little walk will be good for you.”
Twilight and her parents got up. “Sure, Celestia.” Twilight walked over and started to follow Celestia, her parents on either side of her. They made idle chat, telling her to rest up and get better. Telling her not to worry about anything and to take things slow. She just nodded and agreed, not wanting them to be too concerned.
Twilight kept catching glimpses of Celestia peering back at her, but they never made eye contact. She would ask Spike next time she could; he would be sure to have some idea as to what was going on. Celestia might be honest with her, but she didn’t want to run the risk of upsetting the Princess.
She gave each of her parents a hug and told them she would come see them again soon, once she was back to full strength. They left with a brief goodbye to Celestia. “Did you enjoy seeing them?” Celestia asked quietly as they watched the two ponies walk down the path back to the city.
“Of course,” Twilight replied. “I just wish I was the right Twilight.”
“You’re still Twilight, even if you can’t remember. You don’t need to worry about being right or wrong. You are you,” Celestia said, her voice still soft. “Let’s get you back to bed.”
Twilight was about to say she felt fine when she suddenly gave a huge yawn. “Bed sounds good,” she answered instead, giving Celestia a friendly grin.
The walk was short, with Celestia staying next to Twilight the entire time. When they reached a simple looking door, Celestia spoke up. “I have some paperwork I need to take care of before tomorrow. Spike should be around if you need anything.”
“Oh, alright, Celestia.” Twilight gave her a friendly smile. “Have a good night.”
“Sleep well, Twilight.” Celestia gave her a quick nuzzle before walking off slowly.
Twilight watched Celestia walk off before heading into the room. Spike was fluffing up the pillows in her bed. “Oh, hey Twilight.”
“Hi, Spike,” she replied as she climbed up onto the bed. “Can I ask about something that bothered me? Maybe it was something I knew about before...”
“Of course! I’ll answer if I can,” he replied happily, helping pull the sheets over her.
Twilight bit her lower lip, hesitating slightly. “My parents and Celestia seemed to be… not that friendly.”
Spike sighed. “Well, ever since Shining Armor passed away, you’ve been all your parents had. Celestia took you in as a student, so you moved here to be with her. You only see your parents once a year, at Hearth’s Warming. They’re just a bit unhappy with Celestia for taking you away.”
“But it was my choice, right?”
“Of course it was, and they are happy that you’re so successful and doing something you love. But they are still unhappy about you being gone from their lives. After the curse, I overheard them and Celestia arguing. I think your mother blamed Celestia for what happened, and Celestia actually yelled at them.”
Twilight was a bit shocked. “What did she say?”
“I didn’t catch all of it,” he admitted. “But I did hear her say you were the most important pony in her life and that she would do everything she could to protect you.”
“I see.” Twilight wasn’t exactly comfortable with the idea that Celestia and her parents didn’t get along, but she could somewhat understand her parents point of view. But Celestia calling Twilight the most important pony in her life? Twilight couldn’t figure that one out. At some point during her train of thought, her breathing slowed and she fell asleep.
Twilight was woken up the following morning by the sound of conversation. She groaned as she pushed herself to sit up, opening her eyes. In the room with her were three mares dressed in french maid costumes. Or perhaps those were uniforms, as they appeared to be in the middle of cleaning the room.
Twilight blinked. They had been cleaning the room. Now they were frozen mid-movement, staring at her. The silence seemed to stretch on forever until Spike’s morning groans filled the room. The young dragon got up from his basket and stretched. “Good morning,” he mumbled as he started to shuffle towards the bathroom.
“Good morning, Spike,” Twilight replied automatically, her attention still mostly on the three maids in the room.
All at once they gasped and came running over to her. “Lady Sparkle! You’re awake!” Twilight’s ears flattened as they began to bombard her with questions and statements. Eventually, after a few minutes, they suddenly went quiet. “We’ve got to get the Princess!” All three mares took off for the door, leaving Twilight a bit stunned.
Spike came walking back in from the bathroom. “Ahh, good morning Twilight. Feeling any better today?” Twilight just flopped back, her body bouncing as it hit the pillow. She gave a long sigh as her answer.