The Quest for Celestia's Raiment

by GaPJaxie


The Tail-Braiding Ceremony

It's not that Virtue is unaware of the concept of a "chamber pot." Or, for that matter, a handle-operated well pump. It's just that, the notable—one might even say distinct—lack of unicorn magic in this town has... altered, the course of her evening. In unexpected and unpleasant ways. Usually, she cleans up, has a nice hot shower, maybe sneaks a pasty from the kitchen, and then drifts off to bed. Today however, when she finally makes it back to her room, the wind whistling outside, she feels cold and damp in ways that she didn't think possible.

Virtue takes a few deep breaths. The town had been so nice up until now. Apparently, quaint was the best description. Full of rustic charm, and rustic accoutrements to that charm. A price for everything. The room is simple, but well made, two beds resting with a table between them, opposite a small mirror, a trunk by each one. It's best not to describe how she does anything, but eventually she finds her way back to the mirror with a bowl of water, with which she washes her hair as best she can and then begins to run a brush through the dampened locks

Azure, of course, has been cozily tucked up under the covers for some time—her armor neatly folded at the base of her bed. Her own evening ritual had been unsurprisingly spartan. She alternates between resting her eyes, and watching Virtue fumble about., and she watches Virtue with idle amusement. "Got everything you need, there?"

"Quite all right, thank you. I think I figured out how to work everything."

"Well then, glad to hear everything is alright," she teases. At that, she goes quiet a moment, rolling onto her back. "Virtue?"

Virtue glances her way a moment, her comb pausing. She goes back to running it through her mane again, looking like she's about to be lost in thought. "Mm?"

"I—" She opens and closes her mouth a few times. "Forgive me. It's a common part of training to check on the well-being of one's team, but sometimes I forget that these questions, to civilians, could come across as a bit... invasive."

"I'm sure I will forgive you if it is too ‘invasive’, dear, please go on."

She rolls onto her side and props herself up a bit. "Are you feeling okay?" After a pause, she adds. "You've been a bit quiet today, sometimes. Like after we talked with Wisp." She shrugs. "It was just a bit different, is all."

Virtue pauses her comb again, looking over to her face, her own unreadable.

Azure frowns. "I don't mean to pry, but... We'll be heading into enemy territory soon. I just want to make sure that your head's on straight... as it were..." She trails off, her ears sagging slightly.

“No, it's all right," she says, quickly. "I should have better control of my emotions is all."

"Emotions..." Azure murmurs. She rolls over further and idly fluffs her pillow a bit longer than necessary. "Tricky business, those."

Virtue starts combing again, but it's an absent thing. After a moment's silence, she says, "I could have gotten more out of her. A touch, the right look in the eye..."

Azure looks back to her, studying her expression for a moment. "You think that you failed yourself."

Virtue shakes her head slightly. "It's not that I failed to get the information out of her, Azure. I've always been gifted at getting what I wanted—at getting other ponies to do things that I wanted them to do. Wisp Will would not have been difficult."

Azure frowns and rolls onto her back, working her jaw around for a moment. As the pause extends, she finally asks, "Would you like to hear how I got my cutie mark?"

Virtue puts the comb down, turning to look at her.

She blinks suddenly. "Sorry, just... you'd asked earlier if I could tell you something you didn't know, and..."

"No, no, please, go on." Virtue urges, gently.

She sits up in bed and turns to face Virtue. "Back in Cloudsdale, we have this yearly event called the Pegalympics. It's a series of physical competitions, where everypony can compete to see who's the fastest or strongest. There aren't too many events for the young fillies, but at my mother’s encouragement, I signed up for the Cloudsdale Circuit--basically just a race looping around the perimeter of the city. Just shy of five miles. I was so excited for the race. Felt like I'd be the fastest for sure. Do my family proud." Her ears fold flat at that, and her posture slouches. "I came in second-to-last."

Virtue folds her hooves, resting her head on them to listen.

"Well," Azure says with a chuckle, "somewhere in that filly brain of mine, I decided that if I couldn't win in speed, I could win in distance. I dunno, it just made sense at the time. So I just kept flying. A few of the adults told me to stop, said the race was over... but none of them actually stopped me. They didn't want to take this from me, y'know? Eventually my wings cramped up, and the adults swooped in to catch me. I ended up pulling something, and had to be bedridden for a few days. But"—she smirks and turns sideways, flashing her cutie mark, a lance overlaid a set of wings—"it wasn't all for nothing."

Virtue smiles. "Unstoppable, tenacious. Fine qualities to have."

She smiles lightly at that. "And I sure heard plenty of that. But..." Her frown fades. "I also hurt myself in the process. Because I was a bit too driven."

Virtue circles her hoof on her bed. "Do you ever worry, perhaps, that you might hurt other ponies with your dedication, Azure?"

Azure looks down to the floorboards for a moment. "Yes," she says, quiet. "Pushing too hard can have consequences." She shakes her head. "I guess I'm just trying to say... It's important to always give it 110%. But sometimes, you won't come out on top and... you just gotta accept it, sometimes."

"I understand." Virtue shakes her head slightly. "It's not quite that, though. There's a lot of power to hurt others in words and actions that have little to do with combat. Azure..."

Azure Charger looks up.

"You recall how I managed to get that diamond dog to work with us?"

"Right. Some sort of... Nice Doggy spell."

"It's more than that, really." She glances back towards her flank "With very little effort, I can get people to want to help me—to very much feel like they need to." Her gaze falls to the sheets. "I don't usually give it much thought. It's something I'm good at. It informs my magic. It gets jobs done. Generally speaking, nopony is the worse for wear for it, and I certainly don't try to mistreat those I draw in… But would you have thought less of me, if I had done so to Miss Wisp?"

Azure pauses, contemplating the question. "I mean… Even without your spells, or your special talent, or whatever..." She fidgets with the sheets. "You do seem like a really nice pony. I guess what I mean is, when you say that you definitely wouldn't mistreat her, then, well," she looks back up at Virtue, "then I believe you."

"I felt like I mistreated her enough as it is," she murmurs, her ears falling back as if she'd been hoping for a different answer—but she looks touched regardless, a small smile touching her. "Thank you. I'm glad you have confidence in me."

She shakes her head. "You may feel like you mistreated her, but..." Pausing, Azure gets up off her bed, walks over to Virtue and sits beside her. "It's important to remember that we're doing everything for their sake. Y'know? Even if we're making somepony act nice to us, or lying to a few ponies, or... even hurting a few diamond dogs. Those may not sound like nice things, without context. But they're being done for good reasons. The best reasons, even. Protecting others."

"I'm concerned about where justifications like that may lead."

Azure Charger stares at the far wall, chewing that over. "I'm training as a lancer. We're taught to not question orders, to trust our captains. So I'm not really sure I can answer that. But..." She turns back to look at Virtue. "My older sister, Cerulean. She always used to say, 'I always wonder if I'm doing the right thing, and that's how I know I am.'"

Virtue laughs at that, but a gentle one. "I like that thought. Thank you."

She titters lightly. "Eh, don't worry about it. Cer always did have a way with words."

"I wouldn't discount your own abilities so quickly," she says, smiling.

Azure scratches behind her head, but offers a weak smile. "Nah. No harm in sticking to what you're good at."

"Tsk, a little polishing and you'd be a lady of the court."

A loud snort is the only warning before Azure bursts. "Pfffft ahahahah! Me, a proper lady?! Aaaahahaha!" She doubles over, slapping her thigh with a hoof.

Virtue giggles. "I suppose it does seem facetious at first glance." She reaches over, to lift a bit of Azure's golden hair. "But at second glance, you certainly have more than enough in the way of looks... but, perhaps more importantly, you have more heart than any courtier I can name."

Azure's laughter fades away at that. She stares straight at Virtue, searching for something with her amber eyes. But then she breaks the eye contact and starts to fidget with the sheets underneath her. "Uh... thanks."

Virtue giggles again, a little more like herself: faintly wicked. "You can't see it? A nice dress, your hair done up just right… Handsome lords taking your hoof..."

She makes a face, but her tone stays light and playful. "Eugh! And I'd have scores of loyal maids on hoof, ready to attend to me in case the bowl of grapes on the other side of the table is just too far away?" She sticks out her tongue. "I'll stick to the front lines, thank you kindly."

Virtue laughs. "My, you aren't frightened of court, are you?"
Her tongue snaps back. "I… I'm not frightened of court." She motions vaguely with her hooves. "I could totally, like... Like if there was some sort of infiltration mission, or..."

"It's quite alright to feel embarrassed. Many young girls get jelly-legged and faint at the thought of appearing in front of so many important ponies."

An evil grin grows on Azure's face. "Many young girls, eh? Eh?"

"Quite so."

She pokes Virtue twice in the ribs. "We wouldn't be... talking from experience, now would we?"

"I?" She touches her chest. "I was radiant at court. I knew that there were all sorts of jelly-legged mares out there who were going to eat their livers when they saw me." Virtue smiles. "Though perhaps I was a touch nervous."

She laughs in earnest, bringing a hoof to her mouth. "Oh, no doubt. I'm sure nopony could match your radiance."

"I should hope not. That's where I got my cutie mark."

"Did you now?" Azure rests her head in her hooves, all the image of a schoolfilly.

"Tsk, I don't know if I want to say now. Somepony seems to doubt me."

She laughs and waves a hoof dismissively. "Doubt you? Perish the thought! We're talking about Virtue, are we not? Esteemed wizard of Sir Blueblood's court? I have no doubt of your ability to surpass the uncouth lower members of court."

Virtue smiles and gives her an evaluating look. "Mmm, a good start. We'll make a lady of you yet."

She sticks out her tongue. "I was just trying to sound like you."

"I lilt a little less~"

"I'll keep that in mind," she laughs. "So!"

"Yes?" she asks, innocently, as if she didn't know

Azure frowns. "You were... you were going to tell me the story."

"Story of what?"

The trap is sprung. Azure grins ear-to-ear, holding a hoof to her chest. "The story 'bout how amazing and daring I am?"

"Oh, well, if you want to hear that I'll have to practice a bit, I can't tell tall tales on command." Virtue swats her, laughing.

Azure Charger giggles, and she pokes Virtue again. "Yeah yeah. Get to the story, already."

"All right, all right, as you insist~" Virtue flicks her tail, and gestures with her horn, turning the lights down.  Azure ooo's and aaah's respectfully as her horn flares, and little images appear around them, impressions of a court laid out on the bed between them. "So there it was: the 90th Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot."

Azure repositions herself on the bed, resting her head on the mattress to get a better look. The princess is instantly recognizable from her wings, horn, and most importantly, stature, a whitish pink presence on a pedestal.

"My father, Authority, and my mother, Charity, had already arrived. I was late, having had to stop to fix my hair as it had become snarled. I was, of course, mortified. It was to be my debut."

"Debut?" Azure looks up from the bed. "For what?"

"It's a court ritual, of sorts. When a filly comes of a certain age—and I was a bit of a late bloomer, I confess—she is meant to present herself at court and thus to the eyes and attention of everypony else. For a young mare looking to make her mark, it is perhaps the most important event in her life, if she intends to make a name for herself in society. You show off your grace, your beauty, poise, your ability to entertain and socialize—in short, the very first introduction to politics." Virtue’s face grows taut as she recounts the tale. "And here I was, arriving late, as if I were somehow above the other ponies who had arrived on time. It would make them seem as if they were waiting on me, a mere schoolfilly."

"Yikes, that all..." Azure scratches her head. "Seems like there's a lot of stuff to think about, in court. I'd only be worried about being late for, y'know, missing stuff. Or getting chewed out by my CO."

"Though I am sure there are many key differences, the similarities may surprise you. The repercussions follow you for years." Virtue chuckles and draws up the image of a dark-haired, gangly girl, done up in spectacular fashion, if a little mopey looking. "So there I was, waiting outside the hall. I was pacing back and forth—carefully, so as not to ruin my new shoes—and wondering if I should have the herald announce me or simply turn around and flee."

Azure Charger blinks. "Oh. Because missing the whole thing sounded easier than everypony seeing you be late, huh?"

"Quite so. It would have been a little easier to make up for that than a bad first impression. And I had been schooled all week by my mother and aunts for my first appearance—an appearance that was timed early so I could approach people one at a time. Fate, however, intervened."

Azure tilts her head.

"Just as I was preparing to leave, it seemed another pony had arrived late. This one rather more deliberately: a princess, in fact, albeit not our dear Princess Celestia." One of Princess Platinum's granddaughters, her daughters, and her entourage."

Azure’s eyes grow in size. "Wow. Quite the chance meeting."

"By then, escape was impossible. They would have seen me running out, and that would have gotten all over. But I knew that if I let the Herald announce me now, everypony would notice I had come in ahead of her. It would seem as if I were trying to upstage her."

"Yeesh..." She scratches her head. "So what did you do?"

Virtue smiles faintly. "Something outrageously stupid. I went and talked to her while the Herald was announcing her entourage—it's always in order of least to most important, you see."

Azure Charger scrunches up her face. "But if going first is upstaging her... and going last makes you seem more important..." She groans and holds a hoof to her temple.
"And if that had been the end of it, I may well have found it more practical to pack up my things and move to Stalliongrad on the first train out."

With a sympathetic chuckle, Azure winces and looks back up. "So... talking to her was nice... at least?"

Virtue shakes her head. "That was the thing. I was so nervous I should have been quaking, but it was as if I had gone on autopilot. Perhaps it was because I had nothing to lose at that point. I figured I might as well go out in a bang—offend the entire court in one go and at least be mentioned in the history books, with a picture of my tombstone. But somehow, I managed to charm the old lady.'

Azure smiles.

"While we waited, I regaled her of my tales in school. Told her of my family, our work as wizards and our charities… She said I reminded her of herself when she was my age. When it came time for her to be announced, she had her maidservant take the herald aside, and I was announced just before her… as her guest."

Azure Charger sits back up at that, struck. "That... wow."

"That's only the start of it, though. When I spoke to her youngest daughter later, at a small after party, she told me that the old princess had been nearly intolerable for years. Perhaps her husband dying, perhaps failures in court, perhaps merely a lifetime of playing the game… But that night she was laughing and dancing like a pony many years her junior." A dreamy look overtakes Virtue’s face. “I felt so... empowered by that. The very next moment, I felt myself swelling with joy. And what should appear on my flank but this," she says, displaying the coruscating gem.

Azure smiles and nods lightly. "It wasn't solely that you felt empowered. You also helped an elder feel... how did you put it? The happiest she's been in years?" Instinctively, she puts a hoof on Virtue's shoulder. "That's important, too. You did a good thing."

Virtue smiles, glancing up at her from the little play below, letting it fade into mist. "I know, and... that was really the best part of it, I think. I like using my gift to make people feel better. I got those sweetrolls for pretty much nothing, but if Sweet Tooth didn't leave his store feeling like a million bits, I'll retire."

Azure smirks. "I had wondered about those..."

Virtue giggles. "Mmm... I didn't tell anyone else about this, but… I actually went in there to get some mints for Wisp. Old Bat told me she loved them, even though others considered them bland. I paid a colt to take them to her and not say who they were from. I know it doesn't make up for anything at all, but..." Virtue actually blushes, looking away shyly

Azure Charger puts her hoof back on Virtue's shoulder. She smiles and shakes her head. "You probably made her day."

"I hope so. I felt terrible."

"You shouldn't, Virtue." She smiles warmly. "You're a good pony, with a good heart."

Virtue sits up a bit taller, looking at Azure with a bit more solemnity. "Let's make a deal then: I'll try and keep you from doing anything harmful in enthusiasm. You keep me from doing anything harmful in my sense of duty to the princess."

Azure nods, slow and deliberate. "Deal." She reaches out to bump hooves. Virtue bumps it in turn.

"Now I do feel like a school filly again."

Azure chuckles, regaining a bit of her composure. "What? Just because we're sitting in bed late at night, swapping stories? I should point out that nopony braided the other's hair."

Virtue grins slyly. "You do have very lovely hair."

Azure Charger's eyes bulge as she realizes the door she just opened. "Oh... well, err..."

"And so long, too. Longer than mine." Virtue beams.

Azure fidgets with her hooves. "No, I mean... yours looks really nice too. It's a lot shinier and bouncy... and stuff."

"You just need to take better care of it." Virtue looks coyly at her. "Really, a pegasus knight with an impractical hair length. I wonder."

She smirks. "Getting results tends to give you a bit of leeway, when it comes to regulations."

"I thought it might be something like that. Does the noble knight perhaps have a tiny shred of vanity in her?"

Azure bristles with mock offense. "Just because I prefer a certain look doesn't make me obsessed with beautifying myself. I simply like to look the way I am, that's all."

Virtue holds a hoof to her chest. “But of course, nopony could dream of implying anything less! And somepony who isn't vain would surely not object to a close friend braiding her hair. It matters so little."

Azure Charger turns sharply toward Virtue and frowns. She makes several noises that sound like objection or protest, but doesn't manage a coherent word. With one final pout, she scoots around with her back to Virtue.

Virtue giggles, taking her tail. "Oh, and this is very long. Combat handhold, isn't it?"

Azure Charger looks over her shoulder and smirks. "Oh of course. They always think that. And that makes them predictable."

Virtue begins to separate it into three locks and then gently tugs, weaving them in complicated fashion. "Did your sister do this for you?"

Azure’s smirk falters, and she faces forward again. "She did, sometimes."

"Tell me about your family a bit."

She titters slightly. "...I suppose it wouldn't surprise you to hear that I'm from a family of knights. My mother, Nimbus Charger, is a Lieutenant Colonel, and my father, Strike Charger, is a Master Sergeant. Service just runs in the family, I suppose."

"Nothing wrong with that, certainly. My family serves as court wizards. A cushier job, certainly, but a form of service.” She giggles. "Cushy in terms of what we sit on, anyway!"

Azure Charger chuckles. "So naturally, when I showed interest in serving as well, they were fully supportive, and when I was chosen to represent House Charger in this mission..." A faint smile appears on her lips. "They can be a bit strict at times, maybe not great with emotions, the Lieutenant Colonel especially, but… you could tell."

Virtue brushes some more at Azure’s tail, the braiding falling into place. "As an only child I am ever fascinated to hear of sibling relations."

"Ah," she says quietly, nodding. "Cerulean..." She looks up. "She just had this... presence, y'know? Nothing mean or fearsome or overbearing. You just... It didn't matter what was going on. You could look to her and know, yeah, Cer knows exactly what to do. It's okay now. I really looked up to her, when I was young."

"Do you still?"

She looks down, smiling. "Yeah. Yeah I suppose I still do."

"I would have liked to have met them."

"She, uh..." Azure exhales. "She was awarded the rank of Captain. Posthumously."

Virtue goes cold. But then she smiles, slightly, touching Azure's back. "Then I regret that I never could. I am sorry." Virtue is silent, then, letting Azure make the first move as she finishes her tail.

Azure Charger reaches up and touches Virtue's hoof with her own. "Thank you. It was quite a while ago. We had a fair age gap between us, so I didn't even have my cutie mark when... when she left us. I still miss her sometimes. But she really left a legacy, y'know? I really look up to her, still. To her memory."

“I think that's beautiful. I believe she would be proud of you."

Her smile returns. "I hope so. I certainly try."

"Once we're done with this task, I'd imagine we'll be minor celebrities,” Virtue says. "For quite reasonable reasons."

She giggles and wipes idly at her eye. "I'd hope so."

"Let us dream of that, then, a future where our families can be proud of us." Virtue gives her a gentle pat.

"Let's." She looks over her shoulder at Virtue and smiles warmly, before getting up and returning to her own bed. “As we told the others, we've got an early start tomorrow. Best that we get some rest ourselves." As she crawls under the covers, she adds, "Not that we stayed up, should anypony ask."

"Not at all. And thank you, Azure," she says, as she slides into bed, tucking it around herself.

"Mmm," she refutes, shaking her head. "Thank you, Virtue. And good night."

"Good night."