//------------------------------// // Chapter IX: The Reunion // Story: Facing Changes // by Sketchy Changeling //------------------------------// It was Sunday morning, and Luna and I were waiting outside the castle for Dad and Celestia to return from their trip. The two of us sat on the steps to the main entrance as we watched the driveway. “When did they say they’d be back?” Luna asked. “I think they said eleven,” I answered. “It’s eleven-fifteen. Where could they be?” “Their train was probably delayed or something,” I shrugged. “I’ll admit, I’m a little anxious.” “You and me both, Devin,” Luna sighed. “So, you going to ask Celestia to your Parents’ Night dance, right?” “That’s the plan, at least,” I said, but then I saw Luna’s ears twitch. “The hell was that?” I asked. “I can hear the carriage coming,” Luna told me. After listening a little harder, I started to hear a low, rumbling sound. “I can hear it, too!” I said as I stood up and looked for the carriage. Eventually, Luna and I were able to see it approaching the foot of the royal staircase. Behind us, the castle doors opened, and several servants came out to prepare to help Dad and Celestia with their bags. Once the carriage came to a full stop, the driver got out to open the door for his passengers. Dad was the first to come out, and he offered his hand to Celestia and helped her out of the carriage. “Thank you sweetie,” she said lovingly as the servants got to unloading the bags out of the back. “Oh, that won’t be necessary,” she told them. “Calvin and I can handle the bags on our own, thanks.” “Welcome home, sister!” Luna cheered as she rushed over to her older sibling, wrapping her in a tight hug. Meanwhile, my dad and I hugged each other, too. “Didja miss me, champ?” he asked. “A little,” I admitted. “So, how did you two do while we were gone?” Celestia asked. Luna smiled and brought me close to her with her wing. “A lot better, now,” she said with a big smile. “Better?” Dad asked. “Was something wrong?” “Don’t worry about it, Dad,” I chuckled. As much as he didn’t want to be left in the dark, he shrugged and left the issue alone. I guess he figured since everything was okay, he didn’t need to know what was wrong. “Hey, Celestia,” I said. “Yes, Devin?” she answered with a smile. “I need to ask you something.” Unfortunately, I was cut short by an annoying, shrill voice cutting through the air. “PRINCESS CELESTIAAAAAAAAAAA!” The four of us flinched and covered our ears as the voice tore through our eardrums. I could’ve sworn that my ear was bleeding. I looked up and saw an old, spectacled unicorn stallion rushing out of the castle doors. His coat was a light cream color, and his tail and mane (or rather, what was left of it) were a light shade of brown. He was carrying a pocket watch in one hand and a piece of paper in the other as he scrambled down the stairs. “Finally, you’re here!” the stallion said as he reached us. “You have a lot to do now that you’re back from your trip!” Celestia sighed and looked at me and my Dad. “You two remember my scheduling advisor, Kibitz, right?” We nodded our heads as Kibitz didn’t even look at us. His attention was focused solely on Celestia. “Come along, princess,” he said hastily. “You have quite the agenda today.” “I know, Kibitz, but I just got back from my honeymoon. If you’d just give me a moment to-” “Sorry, princess, but we don’t have that luxury. We have to meet with the ambassadors from the Crystal Empire, and then you have paperwork to do, and THEN you have some political visitors to see in the throne room. We’ve already lost time from you being late, so we mustn’t dilly-dally.” Celestia let out a defeated sigh and turned to look at the rest of us. “I’ll have to catch up with you all later.” She then looked at me. “I’m sorry, Devin. I’ll be able to talk later, okay?” “Sure,” I said, trying to hide my disappointment. And so Kibitz took Celestia by the arm and led her into the castle. Luna looked at the servants, who were still standing by the carriage. “I guess we will be needing your services, after all,” she told them. “You’d figure that Celestia would have more time on her hands with me around to split the royal duties with her,” Dad lamented. “Well, you’ve only been a prince for less than a month, Calvin,” Luna explained. “You’ll need some time, and even some training, before you’ll be able to take on Celestia’s responsibilities.” “Hopefully that’ll be sometime soon,” Dad said as he walks up the stairs and into the castle. With me and Luna left alone, sans the servants unloading the luggage out of the carriage, Luna looked down at me and said, “I know that you don’t like Kibitz.” “How can you tell?” I asked, not even trying to conceal it. “You have the same look of disdain as I had when I first met him.” “So you don’t like him, either?” “Not at all. Remember the night before Tia and your father left for their honeymoon, and Tia mentioned the last time I had to take over for her?” “Yeah…” “Kibitz was practically glued to my side, making sure that I wasn’t off-schedule. In laypony’s terms, he was riding my tail. I had to beg Tia to give him something else to do while I took care of things in her absence.” I chuckled. “Well, I guess we can add another item to the list of things we have in common: we both don’t like Kibitz.” “Agreed,” Luna smiled. “So, it seems like you’ll have to wait a while before you can ask Celestia to the Parents’ Night dance.” “Yeah, but I’m not gonna stress out about it. She can’t be busy all day, and even if she is, I just have to ask her before the night of the dance.” “Way to stay positive,” my aunt chuckled. Funny, I think that’s the first time I’ve thought of Luna as my aunt. It was two in the afternoon, and I had just finished eating lunch in the dining hall. With my hunger satisfied, I left the dining hall and headed back to my room, humming to myself as I walked. Once I rounded a corner, however, I started to hear voices coming from a nearby room. Celestia’s throne room. I decided that it wouldn’t hurt to at least peek into the room to see what was going on. The room had three entrances: the main entrance, the entrance on the left wall, and the entrance on the right wall. I was behind the left entrance, peering in to make sure that Celestia was free before I entered, lest I interrupt something important. She was sitting on her throne with Kibitz by her side, rubbing her temples with her fingers. “So that’s the last political visitor for the day, Princess,” said the advisor. “Are we through yet, Kibitz?” she asked exhaustedly. “I just got home from my honeymoon, and you’ve had me doing all this work for three hours. I’d really like some time to unwind.” “Well, you’re in luck. From the look of things, it seems we’re done for the day. You don’t have any other duties to perform until tomorrow.” Celestia let out a long sigh of relief as she slouched in her chair. “Oh, thank heavens!” “P-P-Princess!” the stallion stuttered. “Please sit up! Such poor posture is unbecoming of a pony of your-” “You’re dismissed, Kibitz,” Celestia interrupted with the wave of a hand, not even opening her eyes to look at him. “Yes, Princess,” the stallion said with a sigh as he left the throne room through the main entrance. With Kibitz gone, I began to open the door, only to stop the moment I heard a loud slamming sound. “Princess Celestia!” a loud, deep voice yelled. The princess in question was immediately woken up from her short nap, and saw a tall, middle-aged stallion storm his way into the room. His coat was a pale brown color, and he had a short, white mane that was done up in a distinguished hairstyle. I use the term “distinguished” loosely. “Wha?” Celestia said tiredly as her eyes tried to focus on her sudden “guest”. “Ah, Prime Luxury,” she said, trying not to sound tired. “Do you need something?” “I’d like to have a word with you, Princess!” he declared loudly. “Why all the loudness and hostility?” she asked, rubbing her ears. “Is there a problem?” “You bet there’s a problem! I leave Equestria on foreign business for nearly a year, and I come back to find out that you’re married!?” “Why are you so shocked?” Prime gritted his teeth and looked at Celestia with anger in his eyes. “I, along with countless other stallions have offered to marry you, and you turned every single one of us down. We all assumed that you were looking for someone of even higher nobility, and instead you chose…him!” I listened silently. I had no idea about this; while Celestia was dating Dad, she was turning down marriage proposals left and right. She obviously didn’t tell anypony about their relationship until Dad proposed. Not that I could blame her. “To make such a rash decision,” Prime continued, “It’s unheard of!” Celestia took a moment to breathe and looked down at the angry stallion with a calm expression. “My decision to marry my husband was not rash. We had been in a steady relationship for over a year before we decided to take the next step. Nobility matters nothing to me, Prime. All these years, I have turned down many a suitor because I didn’t see anything beyond their riches and glamor. I’m sorry that you don’t agree with my decision, but to be frank, who I choose to marry is my business and my business alone.” Prime, rather than accepting Celestia’s explanation, decided to keep pushing. “There are other things to consider besides yourself, Princess!” he argued. “You have to think about the sanctity of the royal bloodline!” “Sanctity?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “Exactly! Instead of choosing to marry a noble, you chose to marry a mere commoner instead, and he had a child on top of that! And as if that wasn’t bad enough, they aren’t even ponies! You had no regard for class standards, and as a result, you’ve tainted the royal bloodline! The mere idea of marrying a common human and having to help raise his son is preposterous! They aren’t worthy of being royals, and your husband does not deserve to have you as a wife!” I felt my blood begin to boil, and I clenched my fist in anger. I was ready to tear that old bastard a new one, but then I looked at Celestia. She had gotten up from her throne, and she was just standing there with her eyes closed, but when they opened… I was surprised, shocked, and scared at what laid within them. Fury. Celestia clenched her fists and glared daggers at Prime Luxury. “How dare you…” she said quietly, but then her voice suddenly rose in volume. “HOW DARE YOU!” she repeated, the sudden distortion in her voice at the word “dare” making me flinch. She looked down for a moment. “I can forgive storming into my throne room unannounced and making an unnecessary scene in my castle. I can forgive your disrespect for my privacy and my personal decisions,” She then looked back to Prime again and spread her wings in a threatening pose, “but don’t EVER insult my family!” Prime shivered in his place, too terrified to move lest Celestia consider it a threat. “I can’t believe you! Objecting to my marriage is one thing, but to have the gall to insult my husband and my son! What do you think gives you the right to judge someone’s worthiness of being a royal!? That right is reserved for those who are actually members of the royal family! They may be common humans to you, but they’re family to me, and I love both of them! Any insult to them is an insult to ME!” It was at this point that Prime started to whimper. Seeing Celestia in such an angered and agitated state… I almost felt sorry for him. Almost. “I’m giving you one warning, Prime, and one warning only,” she said with a calm, but deadly tone in her voice as she approached the stallion. “Consider yourself lucky that I’m letting you go, but remember this:” She leaned in close to him and stared right into his eyes. “If you ever threaten my family again, or if I ever hear talk of you planning to harm my husband or my son, I’ll have you banished for conspiring against the crown. Do I make myself clear?” Prime started hyperventilating, and then he finally managed to say “Y-yes p-princess…” Celestia grunted, and then she turned her back to the stallion. “Now get out of my castle,” she ordered. I’ve never seen a stallion that age run so fast. With Prime Luxury gone, Celestia sighed and folded her wings. After seeing that terrifying display, I decided to give her a moment to calm down before approaching her. According to Kibitz, she was gonna be free for the rest of the day, so I felt no need to rush anything. I tried to close the door that I was peeking through, but when I moved it, it made a loud, creaking sound. The sound bounced off the walls of the room, amplifying its volume and making it so loud that an old pony with bad hearing would hear it. Celestia’s ears visibly twitched at the sound, and she immediately turned her head my way. She squinted her eyes for a second, and then they widened. “Devin?” she asked. I instinctively shut the door once she said my name. “Real smooth, Summers,” I thought. “Now she knows that I saw her.” I turned around to head back to my room, only to find that Celestia was standing behind me with a somber expression on her face. “How did you…” “Teleportation spell.” “Oh…” I said nervously. “I saw you, Devin,” Celestia said, her tone a severe contrast to the one she had earlier. I looked up at her face and my eyes widened when I saw her. She looked as though she was guilty of murder. “I’m so sorry…” she whimpered. “I never intended for you to see me in that state. I swear, I’m not usually like that. I was only-” I cut her off with a sudden hug, and she was at a loss for words. “Don’t be sorry,” I told her, my face buried into her shoulder. “I’m glad you did what you did.” I didn’t see Celestia’s face, but something told me that she was smiling. She wrapped her arms around me, returning the hug that I was giving her, and when she let me go, I looked up and saw that she teleported us to my room. “So you’re not mad at me… or scared of me?” she asked with a hint of fear in her voice. “Of course not,” I answered. “Why would I be mad at you for defending me?” Celestia looked to the ground and folded her ears back. “Because the way I acted… All those things that Prime said made me so angry that I couldn’t hold myself back anymore. I only act like that when I feel that my family is being threatened. Until today, no one else in the royal family has seen that defensive side of me.” “Why?” I asked. “Because… I thought that they would fear me,” she admitted. “I was especially hoping that you wouldn’t have to see it, considering the fact that it’s been so hard getting you to accept me. We’re finally starting to make a connection, and for a moment, I thought that I ruined it.” I shook my head as I sat on my bed. “I don’t feel that way, Celestia. Sure, it was scary, but you had every right to react the way you did. In a way, I’m actually happy you did that. I don’t think that Prime would’ve gotten the message otherwise.” We had a little laugh at that, and Celestia sat next to me. “I’m really relieved to hear you say that, Devin,” she told me. “I’ve been trying so hard to be the perfect mother to you, and I was so nervous about messing up somehow. It was just that you seemed so distant and it made me wonder if I was doing something wrong.” I shook my head again. “You never did anything wrong, Celestia. I was so distant because I was taking in all the changes that were going on around me… A new home, a new school, a new mother; having to take all of this in such a short time… I guess I was just scared.” I heard the princess let out a sigh of relief. “I thought I was the only one,” she said, more to herself than to me. “What do you mean?” Celestia looked at me with a smile. “Well, believe it or not, Devin, I was scared, too.” I couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought. “What did you have to be scared of?” She chuckled back. “I may seem to be a confident, regal, all-knowing princess, but in actuality, there are many things that I don’t know, and being a mother is one of those things. I’ve never had a son before, and after your father told me how close you were to your mother… I was so afraid that you weren’t going to see me as somepony more than just a replacement for her. I really wanted to be a part of your life, and that’s why I was trying so hard, but at the same time I felt that I was being too forceful.” She sighed. “I could’ve just told you how I felt, but… I don’t know. I guess my fears got the better of me.” I nodded. “You and me both. If we were just honest with each other, we could’ve helped each other adjust to our new lives.” Celestia turned to me with a smile on her face. “No reason we can’t start now, right?” I smiled and scooted closer to her. “I don’t see why not.” She smiled and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me close and resting her chin on the top of my head. I let out a content sigh as I hugged her back, and I felt her wings envelop me with their warm embrace. It felt nice, being hugged by Celestia. Her coat was warm and soft, and it was smooth to the touch. She hummed to herself as she nuzzled me, the vibrations in her throat lightly tickling my face. “I’m glad to have you as a son, Devin,” she crooned. “And I’m glad to have you as a mom,” I said back. It was the first time I had ever referred to Celestia as my mother, and when I said that, I felt her grip on me get a little tighter. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” “What is it, Devin?” “There’s a Parents’ Night dance at my school this Friday, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me.” Celestia let out a happy sigh in response. “I’d love to, sweetie. I’m looking forward to it.” We kept sitting there, wrapped tightly in each other’s embrace. It had been years since I felt so warm, so safe, so protected. It was then that I realized that Celestia was more than just similar to my mother. She was exactly like my mother.