//------------------------------// // 116. Foal #2 (Celestia / Luna) // Story: Short Shorts // by Coranth //------------------------------// Her jaw dropped open, eyes wide and her body visibly trembling, Princess Celestia just stared at her sister, utterly stricken. Mage-sight allowed her to see the three vertebrae of her sister's spine which had been replaced by the Neural Transceiver embedded within it as well as the untold trillions of nanocyte-forged linkages sprouting from it which connected the younger alicorn's mind to that... that... abomination. Even worse, the Solar Diarch could see the more recently healed surgical wounds in her sister's legs and wings, where she'd had cybernetic grafts and artificial muscle installed. Finally - to her horror - Celestia espied that even her sister's very eyes were no longer natural; even though they looked the same as they had always been Luna's eyes were now partially organic, and partially artificial, they were bio-system ocular implants... Overcome with horror at her sister's new additions, it was all Celestia could do to ask, "Sister, oh sister... why?" Standing before her sister - defiant and proud - Luna immediately responded, "To become closer to mine Foal, Prince Auryn!" Snorting in anger, Celestia took a step closer to her sister. "Oh, Luna, stop this madness!" she yelled. "The Prince is not your foal!" "Aye, he IS," she thundered, "and his name ist Auryn, now! He ist Our Prince, Auryn! We hath bonded with him in the oldest of ways, sister. We hath given him Our milk. We hath given him Our love. We hath made him Our Son in all ways but that of Blood! We art his Mother and thou wilt not taketh him away from Us!" Feeling happier than she'd ever been in her life, Luna sighed softly through her nose before continuing, "Sister... thou hast no idea how this feels! We canst run faster than We ever could before, We canst fly faster, We canst see for countless miles and We art connected to a library so mind-blowing that it wouldst maketh thine student, Twilight Sparkle, green with envy! Equusweyr is--" "--an abomination of the Everfree," Celestia growled, "with a foolish colt and his pony slaves in command of it all! Now, come, let us remove this... technology... from your body and this foolish 'bond' with said colt from your--" "NEIGH!" Luna spoke with the Royal Canterlot Voice, "THOU SHALT NOT TAKETH MINE NEW IMPLANTS FROM ME... AND THOU WILT NEVER TAKETH AWAY MINE FOAL! THOU SEEKS TO TAKETH AWAY MINE HAPPINESS? MINE BELOVED FOAL? MINE NEW HOME? THOU ART A "FOAL" THYSELF IF THOU EVEN THINKEST FOR A MOMENT THAT EQUUSWEYR WOULD'ST ALLOW SUCH A THING..." A smile crinkled her muzzle when she felt the Weyrmind's strong negation fill her thoughts--as well as the collective anger of her Prince's people and the burning rage of her Auryn--via her newly activated Transceiver. To remove gifts granted by Equusweyr? Unthinkable! "Even worse," Luna stated quietly, sadly, after a moment, "thou art a fool. Mine Prince and his people art no threat to thou; thou seeest them all that way because mine Auryn ist the only pony whom hast ever told thou 'no' when ordered to comply with thine wishes. The Everfree Princedom is beautiful, sister; a place where pony, griffin, diamond dog and changeling can live and love openly without fear. Our City is a wonder to behold and at its heart - looming over all - is Equusweyr, a fantastic pyramid-fortress shining gold like thine Sun--but thou wilt never see it for thou art too blind..." Suddenly, Celestia paled, her eyes misting with tears. She'd heard Luna's slip of the tongue; heard her refer to Everfree City as her new home, heard her refer to it as 'their' city rather than 'the Prince's' city... Surely she didn't mean to abdicate and leave? "Luna?" the Sun Princess sniffled. "Sister? Sister, please don't l--" she started to say--but she was too late, for Luna had activated her internal Warp Beacon. Misery gripped Celestia as she watched her sister vanish in a blaze of cyan light, and then a moment later the Solar Mare began to weep bitterly... 'Prince... you will pay for this!' she thought. * * * When Luna emerged from the Warp into the reality of Weyrhome - as the concern of the Weyrmind filled her thoughts - she strode up to the Golden Throne of Equusweyr, the Templar Guard saluting then parting before her like the red sea as she hopped up onto the round, bedlike structure. Upon the Golden Throne - as always - was her beloved Prince, being tended to by three of his wondrous pseudo-alicorn Hoofmaidens. Sniffling gently, tears falling from her eyes, she gently made her way amidst them to lie down and curl about Prince Auryn. "Mine baby," she whimpered. "Mine Foal..." Far from being offended, as Luna curled about the Prince - bringing him against her belly, that she might groom him and feed him her milk - the three Hoofmaidens ceased tending to her Auryn and instead began massaging and grooming her; something for which she was extremely grateful. As she heaved a weary sigh - and then groaned deeply as one of the Hoofmaidens massaged a painful knot from her upper back - her attention was drawn to Weyrpony Khorvas. Golden coated and white-maned, the elderly Weyrtouched Unicorn - proud in bearing yet kindly in nature - stood taller than most of his fellow ponies, near to six feet and four inches in height; his size only outmatched by the fearsome Custodes de Templari. Thin and willowy shoulders weakened from a lifetime of reading were clad in finery befitting the Head Archivist of the Equusweyr. A doublet of fine, sapphirine velvet was laced closed over a shirt of midnight-blue linen, the doublet's collar worked in intricate knotwork in silvery thread. The cut of the doublet was simple, but it was exquisitely tailored to the golden unicorn's form, terminating just before his signums, the marks on his flanks that were so very similar to the cutie marks of her and her sister's Little Ponies. A belt of supple faux-leather set with khaydarin gems wrapped about his barrel. Breeches of black velvet tucked into finely polished hoofboots, black faux-leather as well. Khorvas bowed gently to Luna, his old bones cracking softly as he knelt than rose to his hooves, concerned eyes of dark blue flecked with grey catching her gaze as he stepped forward and stated with proper British voice, "Things did not go well in Canterlot. We all know, and the Weyr remembers." A tremulous smile graced Luna's muzzle for just a moment--before her expression crumpled and she nuzzled her Auryn before replying, "Neigh, Khorvas it did not. Sister... thinkest she We art mad for having Bonded with Our Prince, Auryn. Even worse, hateth she the fact that We now possess within Us the technology - the Gifts - of Equusweyr. Sought She... Sought She to haveth Us remove them...!" No sooner had Luna said this than Khorvas was wincing and suddenly three sets of alicorn wings and three muzzles were stroking and nuzzling her all over. Luna whimpered softly, tearfully, relishing the Hoofmaidens' comfort as Khorvas shuddered visibly than took a breath to speak. "Our Prince Auryn - bless you for His Name - would not have allowed you to become His Mother and the Matriarch of Equusweyr if He did not wish it to be so. He didn't consciously realize it at the time, of course, but subconsciously, he wanted the bond as much as you did. Your milk sustains Him. Your love nourishes and strengthens Him--and through Him us all. All here acknowledge you as Matriarch of Equusweyr - the Mother of Our Prince Auryn - and as such, none will allow Celestia to enter the Everfree Princedom should she seek to do you harm. Our People, the Templar Guard, Prince Auryn, and Equusweyr itself--would deny her." Khorvas' kind words, the attention of the Hoofmaidens, and the feel of her beloved Foal Prince tucked up against her belly soon brought the tension Luna was feeling to an end. She listened, a gentle smile upon her muzzle, as Khorvas spoke again "... As for removing your new Implants," - the golden unicorn snorted dismissively - "just let her try. The Nanocyte Hives within your body would adapt to her magic and simply regenerate them; then they, too, would be proofed against her magic." At this, Luna blinked, her expression one of wonder. "Truly?" she asked. "Surely thou art making jest! Thine technology... Equusweyr... canst resisteth even the magic of Alicorns? Impossible!" "Not impossible, Matriarch," Khorvas countered gently. "How do you think Equusweyr - along with the entirely of Our Everfree City - has stood for so long within the darkest heart of the Everfree Forest without consequence?" When Luna - stumped - could not answer, the Head Archivist answered gently, "It is because magic - whether that of Alicorns or the Everfree Forest - is energy, and if there is one thing Our Prince, and the Weyrmind, know well, it's energy." With a hoof, the elderly unicorn gestured around her. "Equusweyr" continued he, "is a Nexus; the bastion in a storm, where all energies converge into a single point, an area of tremendous psionic potential--potential which the Weyrmind can stabilize, harmonize... and control. There is also the fact that the Weyrmind itself is able to reach out and psychically influence all who enter our demesne. Fear not, Luna; we will not allow you to come to harm." As Khorvas spoke, the Prince's eyes opened and he inhaled a breath; at this, abruptly the sound ceased. All the Ponies of the Court went silent, for Prince Auryn intended to speak, an event that was rare indeed, for he rarely spoke at all, not unless he had something of deeply profound importance to say. Looking into Luna's eyes - his Mother's eyes - gently, Auryn nuzzled and touched noses with her. Then, softly, he whisper-sang, "War is over / If you want it / War is over / Now." At this Luna let out a watery chuckle. On one hoof, what her little one had sung was utterly terrifying; with his varied Subjects, his Templar Guard, the Weyrtouched Unicorns and Equusweyr's ability to manufacture an army of countless machines, her little Prince could indeed end anything her Sister attempted before it even began. On the other hoof... Luna trembled with emotion, tears beginning to run down her muzzle from her eyes, as she accepted her little one's song for what it was: a solemn promise that he would always protect her, his beloved Mommy. There, upon the Golden Throne of Equusweyr, Princess Luna - beloved Dam of Prince Auryn and Matriarch of Everfree City - wept softly as her little Prince nuzzled and nosed her, and licked away her tears.