//------------------------------// // Chapter 47: Noblesse Oblige // Story: Green // by Steel Resolve //------------------------------// “What are we going to do?” Luna asked, trying to make her voice sound less small and afraid than she felt. Her sister lay snuggled into her side. She hadn’t said a word for some time, and it worried Luna. “We do what we must, Luna,” Celestia said with a little sigh. “It will be fine. You’ve always said you wanted to try raising and lowering the sun. Here is your chance.” Her voice took on a note of false cheer, and Luna did not need to see her face to know that her sister had a smile painted on for her benefit. “You know what I mean, sister!” Luna replied testily. “I can certainly do so for a time, but... what will we do—” “I don’t know.” Celestia trembled against her. “I don’t know what to do. I worry... that I might hurt somepony. I... I wanted to. Applejack, and Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash, I wanted to strike them down, make them feel as badly as I imagined Twilight felt. I would have, if not for Pinkie...” “You can’t mean that!” Luna protested. “Even at your worst you’ve never struck a pony down... have you?” Her eyes narrowed, and she looked long and hard at Celestia. “I... I won’t judge if it was one of the nobles; as a matter of fact, I have a list—” "Luna..." Celestia said, giving her a pointed look. "I've just gotten the nobles to stop pointing hooves at us every time one of them scuffs a shoe. Please don't do anything to jeopardize that?" “I wasn’t actually suggesting so much as providing direction if you were already going to do it,” Luna said quickly. “It would be simple justice—” Luna stopped as Celestia dug an elbow into her side. “Fine, fine. So, my sister was enraged? That by itself is nothing to fear, surely.” “Not... just rage. It felt... righteous. I don’t want to think that way about harming another pony.” Celestia’s whole body shook as she remembered it. “I never wanted to, before. It... it frightens me that just for a moment, I did.” “Am I meant to banish you, Tia? Is that what you are asking?” Luna clutched her sister closer. “I refuse. I will not lose you again. If this is the path you take, I will follow, even into darkness.” “You can’t!” Celestia replied vehemently. “Don’t you see? That’s why I was relieved that curing Rarity weakened me so. You can overpower me easily if... If I lose control. Equestria will still have a princess to lead it. You must not allow me to become—” “You won’t.” Luna said. “You won’t because you are not me, sister. You... are being tested, and your will is stronger than mine. And I will help you, because you have sense enough to tell me of your fears.” “How can you know?” Celestia shrugged off Luna’s wing, scooting away from her sister to look her in the eyes. “We have no idea what’s going on in my head. I could—” “You could,” Luna replied, giving her sister an even, unflinching look. “It’s in you, and if you did, the world would be razed to ashes.” At Celestia’s horrified expression, Luna reached out to touch her sister’s cheek. “But you won’t, because of how you feel right now. I hated the world, and you most of all. You... are not me.” “Lu...” Celestia closed the distance between them in a rush, embracing her sister. “I’m sorry. I should have seen, I should have asked—” “You did.” Luna said, cutting off a tirade of apologies. “You asked me over and over what was wrong, and I assured you it was fine. I played the good little sister for a while, then seethed at you in my chambers. I had every chance to let you in, Tia. Never blame yourself.” Luna returned the embrace just as hard. “You are going to be okay, do you hear? Just be strong, and let others be strong for you.” Celestia nodded, nuzzling into the dark mane. “You’re right. You’re right! I... it just feels so good to tell you.” Luna grasped her sister by the shoulders, pushing her back into a sitting position. "We should say our goodbyes, Tia. Day court ended some time ago, and the populace will be wondering where we have gone." She treated her sister to a wry smile. "I half expect them to be rioting in the streets already." Celestia’s face fell. “Luna... I can’t. Not yet.” “You... can’t?” Luna replied, confused. “What do you mean you can’t? You’ve corrected my errors, Pinkie and Twilight seem fine, it’s time to return!” “That’s just it... They are not fine.” Celestia turned towards the door, as if looking at the ponies in question. “Twilight isn’t running away, for now. But who knows when they will next have a spat? It’s like they speak different languages!” “Yes, I believe I told you that, but what does that have to—” Luna stopped, looking at her sister anew. “You’re worried about them, aren’t you?” “I am.” Celestia replied earnestly. She said nothing for a time, then turned regretfully from the door to face her sister. “But, you’re right. I have a nation to tend to.” The two sisters sat in silence, neither sure what to say. To Celestia, duty was first and foremost, but to Luna, Celestia was far more important than the ephemeral blowhards that pestered her sister every day. Finally, Luna made a decision. Perhaps she would regret it later, but it felt right. “No. We have a nation to tend to. And I... I have not done my part in quite some time. So I will go, and you will stay.” Celestia’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to protest. Luna held up a hoof, and her sister held her tongue. “You need to recover your strength, Celestia. Return as you are and they will assuredly put about rumors that I am attempting a coup.” Luna’s eyes twinkled, and she laughed merrily. “They likely will whether you return or stay here, but at least if you stay you won’t be subjected to idiots for a time. So stay, and guide your protege into a happier love life, if that’s your will.” “But I can’t just—” “You can, and you will.” Luna intoned. “As your sister, and fellow ruler of this land, I command it.” After a moment, in a less serious tone, she added: “You’re long overdue for a vacation, anyway.” Her sister looked shocked, but did not protest the command. Royal decrees were seldom used, but always obeyed, and though Celestia could have vetoed her, she had no reason nor inclination to do so. “And if I... lose control?” Celestia demanded. “Should that happen, you’ll be near all six of the Elements of Harmony, sister. But I honestly don’t think it will happen. My fall took decades, and you have yet to even falter in your path.” Luna enfolded her sister in a wing. “Come, I’ll say my goodbyes, and you can make arrangements to stay.” Luna stood on her balcony, alone, pushing the sun down below the horizon like a disobedient child, while raising up her precious moon. She gazed into the distance at Ponyville, sighing heavily. Her goodbyes had been brief, for she had not known what to say to Fluttershy, and Rarity was still resting, lying somewhat awkwardly on Twilight’s couch. Pinkie had, of course, ‘hugged the stuffing’ out of her, and she had returned the hug gratefully. She still had friends in Ponyville, it seemed, and it would do well to remember that. With Twilight, a mere wave had sufficed. Luna nodded in understanding. Twilight had every reason to be upset with her after her overreaction, but had chosen the path of valor and forgiven her outbursts. Finally, she had said her goodbyes to her dear sister, and taken flight back to Canterlot. The flight home had been long, and sobering. Hours later, having made it back safely to her room, she was uncertain what to tell the ponies of Canterlot. Not the whole truth, certainly, but holding too much back would cause trouble as well. They would obviously notice her sister was gone, that was unavoidable. But there was the need to assuage their fears. Celestia was eternal, and unchanging. Her absence, even for a short time, would be cause for panic. And though she was also a princess, Luna was not the princess. Even now, despite her efforts to reconnect with her people, Luna was the outsider; the prodigal sister that had come home after a long banishment. There had been no reasons given to the general populace as to what that banishment was even for. Indeed, most ponies had long since forgotten her very existence at the time of her return. They had welcomed her, of course, but that had been because of her sister’s assurances that Luna was her beloved sister. Beyond that, she had only told them that Luna had returned after a long time away having been forgiven for a rift between them. For most, that was enough, but those in government had not been keen on her position as part of what had been a monarchy. And now she needed to take up the reins of government, that same entity that had issues with acknowledging her at all, much less as the sole wielder of power. She was uncertain if she was up to the task. No, I will not falter. I owe Celestia this much and more. She closed her eyes, willing her face to be as impassive and compassionate as she remembered her sister’s always being. There were a number of ponies who would need to be notified. The first was Midnight Oil, who would shortly find his position as temporary regent was being extended somewhat. Exiting her chambers, she found that even in her absence, her guards were still posted to her door. “Night Watch, Stargazer.” She said, nodding to each. “Your Highness!” They both replied, somewhat ineffectively masking their surprise. Stargazer was the first who dared to speak. “Princess, we’ve been unable to find your sister—” Luna raised an eyebrow, and he quickly quieted. “Our sister is well, but indisposed. We will make an announcement to explain in the morning. For now, Night Watch can remain on post, and thou will spread word to the rest of the guard: Thy princess has returned, and all will be well.” “Yes, Princess!” Stargazer said hurriedly. Luna noted with satisfaction that he galloped at her word. If only she could inspire the same in the nobles. Luna descended the stairs herself, waiting until she was out of Night Watch’s line-of-sight before taking on mist form. She needed to avoid further contact with the staff until she’d gotten in contact with key individuals. There was a crash, followed by a series of curses, then hoofsteps sounded on the way to the door. “For the last time, I have had no word from either of the—” Midnight’s voice grumbled from the other side as it opened, stopped in surprise as he realised to whom she spoke. “Princess!” He exclaimed, sheer joy and relief shining on his face. “Thank Celestia you’ve returned!” Luna winced, nodding brusquely. “Indeed, thou art right to thank her, for it is due to her that we stand before you now.” MIdnight looked at her curiously. “Erm... well, that’s good to hear, I suppose. Where is Her Majesty? I was hoping to pass along some notes from Day Court. That investigation she had done turned up some nasty business—funds misappropriation, private yachts... And the captain of the guard was hoping to talk with her about that recent exercise to shake down the troops, claimed it was impossible for that mare to have gotten in the way she did—” “Midnight...” Luna began, then paused, and began again. “Middy... my sister is taking some much needed time off to rest and recover. I’m afraid you’re going to have to explain what all of those things mean, and... I’m going to need tomorrow's Day Court Schedule.” “Rest and recovery? The princess has never before—” “Middy, focus, please. The investigation; what’s this about private yachts?” Luna prompted. “Erm... right.” Midnight replied, turning around to fetch his notes. He looked back to Luna, gesturing for her to follow. “Sorry, princess, I’m afraid it’s a bit of a mess in here, but do have a seat while I fetch the reports. Just... clear off that stack of papers over there...” He said, gesturing towards a comfortable chair piled with various documents. Luna glanced at the seat, debating for a moment, and elected to stand instead. MIdnight returned in a moment with an even larger stack of papers than the ones currently occupying the chair, and set them down heavily upon an already cluttered desk. “Well... where to begin. It seems the minister of road maintenance has filtered the bulk of his budget into his personal coffers. It took some time for the accounting office to find the paper trail—” A few moments later, he was looking at her expectantly for some reason. “Erm... princess, are you quite all right?” Luna blinked at him, wondering why her eyes seemed so heavy. She yawned. “We are fine, Middy. Why do you ask?” “It’s simply that you were... snoring.” Luna’s face darkened into a deep shade of purple from it’s normal dark blue. “Forgive me. It has been some time since I last slept. I must have nodded off. I... I think I last remember you telling me about the accounting office. What did I miss?” Midnight rummaged through his papers, grumbling under his breath. “I see. Very well, we’ll pick up from there. His assets were of course seized, and the stallion himself has been arraigned for a hearing. This is the largest case of fraud in several centuries, and as such is attracting the attention of the newspapers—” When next she was aware of her surroundings, she found herself laying down on a well worn couch, with a blanket covering her shoulders and back. She blinked sleepily, looking around for Midnight, finding him sitting at his desk, squinting at a document and muttering to himself. “Middy?” “Ah, awake at last.” Midnight put the report he was looking over back on top of a stack of identical reports. “Majesty, I’m afraid I must insist that you get some rest before we attempt this again.” Luna blinked blearily at him, shrugging the blanket from her shoulders. “Middy, no. I will be fine—” “You didn’t even last two minutes, princess. While I am pleased to see you trying to take your responsibilities seriously, you do yourself nor your country no good as it stands.” He levitated his reading glasses from the end of his nose. “Perhaps we would be better served if you told me what has happened to Princess Celestia?” Luna considered for a moment, still uncertain how to explain. “My sister... performed some very powerful magicks, and has need of some time to recover her strength.” she said at last. Midnight’s eyebrows raised, but he seemed satisfied by the answer. “Very well. Do we know how long she might be gone?” This was, in fact, not something they had discussed. Luna squirmed under his demanding gaze, wishing she had a solid answer. “I’m afraid I know not, Middy. A few weeks, perhaps more. I’ll be taking care of the sun for now, so that should help speed her recovery.” His visage still seemed troubled, though her answers seemed to satisfy him. “All right. I presume you plan to address the public?” “I... I was planning to make an announcement to the populace about that in the morning, Middy.” “I see. And do you know who to contact to spread word of a royal address? Have you written a speech? Proofread?” The questions were delivered in a very polite manner, but to Luna, they sounded like accusations. “We... were unaware of the need,” she said at last. Midnight sighed quietly, gently rubbing one of his temples with a hoof. “Majesty... get some sleep, please. When you wake, we’ll need to plan very carefully how to inform the public of your sister’s absence. But first, I need you to have all of your faculties in working order.” She opened her mouth to protest, allowing a long-withheld yawn to escape. Her face burned with embarrassment. “Perhaps you’re right, Middy. I will seek you out once more when I wake.” She stood, folding his blanket and laying it back down on the couch. As she turned to leave, however, the noise of Midnight clearing his throat made her stop. “Princess?” Midnight asked. “Yes, Middy?” “Forgive me for prying, but... is everything all right? I understand your sister needing rest might be troublesome, but you seem...” He paused, searching for the right words. “Less... jubilant than normal.” Luna stiffened, trying to summon the mask once more. “Everything is... fine, Middy. I will try to be more cheerful.” She attempted a smile, but in the process ended up with something that was more of a slightly manic grin. “Very well, just... know that I am here, if you need somepony. One of my many duties, after all. Good night, your majesty.” Midnight gave her one last worried look before going back to his stacks of documents. “Good night, Middy.” Luna woke several hours later, smacking dry lips together and bringing a glass of water to herself from her nightstand. With a brief flick of magic, light from her bedside lamp flooded the room, and she looked around. Her eyes landed on the mirror, seeing her reflection in it. The pony she saw seemed haggard, and unsure. She didn’t like her at all. “Straighten up, for goodness sake, you are royalty!” She muttered angrily. The other pony made an effort to comply, and Luna looked away, satisfied. Her thoughts turned from her appearance to the events that were to happen today. She felt slightly better when she realized it was time to lower the moon while Celestia— Her good mood vanished with the realization that Celestia wasn’t going to be there. Trudging her way to the balcony, she cast a baleful eye over the sleeping populus; the same populus who would shortly find that they were going to be shy one princess, albeit temporarily. The thought made her laugh mirthlessly, wondering if they might appreciate her more for raising the sun for them. Then again, after her brief and subsequently thwarted attempt to cast the land into an eternal night, it could be considered unwise to alert the public that her sister was not only absent, but that Luna herself would be directing both celestial bodies for the immediate future. Though only her sister and six others knew of that fact, so perhaps there would be little outcry, save for the very few who had managed to piece together the fact that Nightmare Moon and Princess Luna were connected in some way. Best to tell them that she simply needs rest, though I misdoubt that will cause less unease. The idea that their perfect Princess Celestia might need respite after so many centuries of constant servitude will be met with disbelief by those cretins. It would have been so much easier if it had been her recovering. The people barely knew her, and as such expected nothing from her. She was the afterthought, the other princess. But perhaps... perhaps I can change that. She stiffened her posture, eyeing the night sky with authority. Her moon was tired, and longed for the rest it had earned, and she could feel the sun below the horizon, eager to rise. It still felt a bit balky in her magic, but such was its enthusiasm that it obeyed with little trouble. All around, colors sprang to life in the light of the new dawn. Various avians announced their wakening to the world at large, and doors and windows sprang open as the citizens of Canterlot; her citizens, started their new day, no doubt thanking Celestia for the glorious dawn. Fine. Let them thank her. It was her magic that hastened my recovery. She’s earned their praise. She turned away from the dawn, stopping briefly to look in the mirror. This was partly to assure herself that she looked presentable, but mostly to admire her mane once again. Satisfied, she exited her room. She’d have to talk to Middy soon, but before that she wanted to make a stop to visit a friend. She nodded to her guards in passing, giggling just a little as Nightwatch nudged Stargazer awake. A short trip in mist-form found her at the gates to her private garden. She opened the doors and was met with a chorus of hoots and screeches from her friends inside. She walked amongst them, smiling at their their curious eyes as they flocked around her. “Hello, little ones! I’m sorry if I disturbed you.” They followed her to the stone benches, where she sat down and simply enjoyed the cool morning air. She could have done without the sunlight peeking through the branches, but at least the majority of it was blocked. A weight in her mane announced the arrival of her beloved pet, and she cooed at him as he nested amongst the mane on top of her head. “Good morning, Tibbles!” He leaned down, looking at her upside-down and chittering curiously. “Yes, Tibbles. We’ll eat breakfast together.” She grinned up at him, sighing inwardly. Tibbles might be her only breakfast companion for a time. But he was a good one. He seemed to sense her distress, and rubbed the side of his snout against her forehead, making inquisitive noises. She cooed up at him, reaching up with a hoof to stroke his short fur. “Such a sweet boy! Everything is fine, Tibble-kins. We are just a little sad that our sister won’t be joining us.” He simply looked down at her with those adorable squinty little eyes. He chittered once more. “The... quiet one and the loud one?” Luna replied, her brow furrowed. In a moment, her expression cleared of confusion and switched to sadness. “No, I’m afraid they won’t be joining us either.” He held her gaze for a moment more, then scrambled back up into her mane. She left her friends, promising to return before nightfall. And well she might, since she would need to lower the moon later, but that was the last of a very long list of duties today. Arriving at the their dining room, she found Midnight waiting for her expectantly. “At last! I checked for you in your tower but your guards refused to tell me where you’d gone! Are you well-rested, Princess?” Luna made note that her guards were getting a bonus. “Better, Middy. But I need breakfast before I discuss anything more.” She looked him over, noting his weary stance. “Middy, sit down. You look exhausted.” The request surprised him, but he did comply. “Very well. But as soon as possible we need to arrange your address! The people are already spreading rumors of another villainous attack. We need to reassure them that normalcy will be restored.” “And we will,” Luna assured him, smiling gratefully as the servers brought in plates of fresh fruit and pancakes. “But first, I am going to eat. Have you had breakfast?” “I... haven’t really felt the need...” The stallion admitted. “Dinner?” she probed, brow furrowing when he shook his head. “Middy, your health is just as important as mine. Eat.” “Very well,” Midnight replied, dutifully getting a plate and adding a few random fruits and some pancakes. “Incidentally, you seemed rather upset the other night when you were looking for your sister. Did everything get settled?” Luna paused in her chewing, getting a glass of juice to wash her bite down before answering. “Yes. Everything is... well, not fine, but nopony is in danger of harm, now. My sister did a very brave and foolish thing, and now must rest from her endeavour.” “Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry, Majesty.” “It’s fine. I am simply uncertain as to how much I should say. She’s needed a rest for many centuries, Middy. The reasons why are not terribly important.” Luna lifted a grape up to Tiberius, fawning over him as he ate. “Who’s a good boy? Who’s my favorite Tibble-kins?” Midnight eyed the possum with barely disguised distaste. “Fair enough, Majesty, but the people will start speculating wildly if they are not given answers. They are already assuming the changelings have infiltrated once more, which accounted for almost half of the petitions I received in Day Court.” “Middy, it will be fine!” Luna replied, somewhat more forcefully than intended. “Tia will return when she is ready to do so, and at that time she can tell them what transpired. You and I will have to do our best in the meantime.” “You and... me?” He repeated, his brows raised high in surprise. “Well, yes, of course. Someone will have to run Night Court, after all.” Luna nodded to Celestia’s medallion hung around his neck. “You are Her Voice, for the moment.” Midnight groaned, reaching for his painkillers. “Oh come now, it’s not so bad.” Luna said as she brought a slice of banana to Tiberius’ waiting claws. “I didn’t ask you to run Day Court, after all. Now, tell me more about this misappropriation nonsense...” Rainbow Dash’s eyes fluttered open to see Applejack dozing by her bedside. She reached out with a hoof, laying it on Applejack’s knee. Applejack came awake with a start, dropping the book she’d been reading from her lap. “Hey.” Rainbow said, smiling at Applejack. “How you doing?” “Shouldn’t I be askin’ you that, Dashie?” Applejack replied, bending over to pick up the book. “Me? I’m awesome, never felt better.” Her stomach grumbled loudly, making her cheeks flush. “Okay, kinda hungry, I guess.” She sat up in bed, stretching out the various kinks, distinctly feeling a pop in her lower back. “I feel like I’ve been napping for way longer than I should have, but yeah, I’m good.” “‘Napping’, she says...“ Applejack just smiled at Rainbow. “Sug, you been sleeping since yesterday afternoon.” “Whoa. I guess that explains why I’m starved.” Rainbow blinked, looking out the window to see that the sun had been up at least a few hours now. “Slice of pie okay?” Applejack asked, helping Rainbow to her feet. “Uh... either you’re coming on to me, or Granny actually made pie. Either way I think that’s awesome, but I’m leaning towards food right now.” Rainbow flashed Applejack a sheepish grin. “All right, you’re better.” Applejack said, laughing and punching Rainbow in the upper foreleg. “C’mon, let’s get something in that stomach of yers. Goodness knows it’s gotta be trying to eat yer insides by now.” “So, anything interesting happen while I was passed out?” Rainbow asked as they both left the room. The smell of fresh-baked apple pie hung heavy in the house. It was a smell that Rainbow was quickly coming to associate with home, and love. She wanted to kick herself for how sappy that sounded in her head. “Well. lessee... Twi walked in on me an’ Pinkie while we were snuggling you in yer sleep. She freaked out and skedaddled off to the Everfree—” Rainbow chuckled at that, “Yeah, right! Pull the other three, AJ.” “Not kidding.” Applejack replied glibly. “An’ I ain’t done. Princess Celestia dang near blasted us all inta smithereens, and she took off with Pinkie. I think they had a talk, cuz they went and found Twi together.” “Uh... right. Anything else?” Rainbow replied, her eyes bugging out. “Well, Rarity and Shy got back, but there’s something off about Rares. Princess Luna shrunk somehow, and now you know about as much as I do, which ain’t much.” Applejack laid a slice of pie in front of Rainbow. “I need you to eat up, cuz you an’ I gotta figure out what in the heck we’re gonna say to Twi.” Crumbs spewed out of Rainbow’s mouth as she tried to reply with her mouth full. “Wha’ abou?” “‘Bout Pinkie, Dash.” Applejack passed Rainbow a napkin and a glass of cold apple juice. “We gotta figure out what to tell her.” “What’s to tell?” Rainbow asked, wiping her chin with a wing instead of the proffered napkin. “We never did anything but make out a little.” “Yeah, but Twi still deserves to know what did happen. An’ Pinkie kinda needs to quit making out with ponies that ain’t Twi.” “Why? I don’t see a problem with it.” “C’mon, Dash,” Applejack said, smacking a hoof up to her forehead. “Be serious.” “I am serious!” Rainbow replied, smiling rakishly. “I mean, yeah, I kinda wanna tell Twi I’m sorry she got freaked out, but I don’t mind kissing Pinkie, and she’s fun to snuggle with. The problem isn’t who Pinkie is kissing, it’s how Twi feels about it. If it bugs Twi, she needs to tell Pinkie, and they need to work that out.” “Not the point, Dash.” Applejack grumbled. “You didn’t see the look on Twi’s face when she poofed. I... I tried to tell her how sorry I was when I saw her later on... she wouldn’t let me.” “Okay, so we gotta tell her we’re sorry about that, that’s cool.” Dash replied, gulping down another sip of juice. “But we can’t tell Pinkie who it’s okay to kiss, that’s up to her. And Twi needs to decide how she feels about what Pinkie decides, you know?” Applejack smacked a hoof down on the table, making Rainbow jump. “Ya don’t get it. I screwed this whole thing up!” Granny Smith’s rocker, which had been motionless while Granny was napping, could be heard creaking as she stirred, angrily demanding: “Jackie, what in tarnation was that ruckus?” “Nothing, Granny!” Applejack replied hastily. “I... I just hit my hoof on the table.” “Well, watch yer danged step next time.” Granny shouted back. “Yes, Granny.” Rainbow waited until she was sure Granny had settled back down before demanding quietly: “I’m with Granny, AJ. What’s the deal?” “Not important. Sorry, I should’na yelled.” Applejack picked up Rainbow’s plate, taking it to the sink. “All we gotta do is make things right with Twi. I’ll be right as rain, then.” “Don’t you try to change the subject!” Rainbow said, hovering just over Applejack’s shoulder. “How is any of this your fault?” “Because it is.” Applejack replied, turning on the water and scrubbing the plate. “I screwed up something fierce, made the whole thing worse, and dang near drove Twi off again after Pinkie went to get her back.” “And how the heck did you pull all that off? I was here too, yanno!” “Yeah, yeah you were. But I made the wrong calls. You came to me with a problem, and... it shook me. So... I tried to make it right, and it didn’t work.” Applejack dried the dishes, putting them back up in the cupboard. She sat back down at the table heavily. “All I did was confuse Pinkie, make her think it was fine to just kiss and snuggle either of us. Shoulda just told her it was wrong.” “Was it wrong?” Dash asked, holding her hooves up defensively when Applejack flashed her a warning look. “I don’t think so. I think Pinkie needed us, and we were there. It didn’t seem wrong to me.” “That’s why this is on me, Dash.” Applejack replied, staring at the table. “I was raised to know better.” “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Rainbow demanded angrily. “Sug, I didn’t mean anything by it—” “Don’t you ‘sug’ me! You think I don’t know better?” Applejack raised her head, giving Rainbow a long look. “You were pretty danged eager to have a threesome, Dash.” “That doesn’t mean I don’t know right from wrong, though!” Rainbow held Applejack’s gaze, refusing to look away. Finally, Applejack broke their staring contest, looking back at the table. “I know,” she said. “But it still shook me. I mean... I get it. I’m not the best-looking gal you could have fallen for—” “Whoa whoa whoa! Hold on just a second. Who ever said that?” Rainbow put a hoof under Applejack’s chin, lifting her head back up to look her in the eyes again. “You’re awesome and don’t you ever think different!” “If I’m so awesome why do you have to look at—” Applejack cut herself off quickly. “Nevermind. I told you, it’s my problem. I know you know right from wrong, sug, and I know you won’t stray. It just... hurts knowing you want to, even if you don’t.” “AJ—” “I said don’t worry about it!” Applejack reached up, resettling her hat. “It’s my own danged fault. If I was a little more, I dunno... I can’t blame ya fer lookin’, I just wish you couldn’t look away from me is all.” She stood, nodding to Rainbow. “Anyway, I got some stuff I need to finish up round the farm. You should probably go check in with the gals covering for you while you were out.” She left the room without waiting for an answer, leaving Rainbow speechless, trying to figure out what she should say. Rainbow just stared at the now-closed door, debating whether to fly after Applejack and beg her forgiveness. But she wasn’t entirely sure what she would be apologizing for. She loved AJ, but she was attracted to lots of mares. How was she supposed to stop? Was it even fair to expect that? And more to the point, why was she being given this guilt trip? Applejack had liked kissing Pinkie just as much as she had... Right? At the time it was all happening, she would have said ‘yes’ without hesitation, but maybe... maybe she’d pressured AJ into something because she was afraid? Crud. “What’cha doing?” Pinkie asked from behind Twilight, peeking over her shoulder. “Trying to find where I went wrong, Pinkie.” Twilight said with a sigh. “If I can find it, maybe I can fix it.” “Wrong?” Pinkie asked. “I don’t think you did anything wrong.” “Of course I did! I shrunk the princess!” Twilight closed Metamagic And You, levitating the next book from the pile. “Well, yeah, but you made Luna big again! That’s pretty good! And Rarity is Rarity again!” Pinkie scrambled around to the other side of the table, catching the book in her hooves and wrestling it to the ground. “C’mon, leave the books alone for a bit. You should come visit with the princess!” “Pinkie, please don’t bother the princess, she’s resting.” Twilight shook the book around in her magic, causing Pinkie to giggle as she rode it like a bucking bronco. “And please get off my book...” Pinkie dismounted the book, flashing Twilight a huge grin. “Hey! That’s an idea! You should get some sleep too!” “Later.” Twilight replied, flipping through the large tome. When she found the passage she was looking for, she clucked her tongue in irritation. “Not here either. I wonder if Zecora might know of any plants that help replenish magical reserves...” “It’s just that you’re squinting at the pages, and you keep yawning, so maybe it’s time to get some rest?” Pinkie peeked over the book at Twilight, reaching up to the spine to tilt it down. “Pretty please?” “I’m afraid she’s been stubborn about sleeping for most of her life, Pinkie.” Celestia said as she descended the stairs. “Princess!” Twilight squeaked out, quickly closing her book and laying it down on the table with a nervous grin. “I thought you were resting!” “I was, Twilight. But... it was time to raise the sun.” Celestia looked out the window wistfully. “I see Luna has it in hoof. I’m just not sure what to do with myself, now. It will be time for Day Court soon, but...” She yawned. “I suppose I don’t need to worry about that?” Celestia looked curiously at the books Twilight had stacked on the table. “Researching again? Don’t you think reinventing one magical process is enough for a time?” “Well, I just wanted to see if I could speed things up for your recovery—” “Hey!” Pinkie said in a loud voice, getting the attention of both Twilight and Celestia. “I have an idea! How about everypony gets some sleep? I mean, nopony needs to be up with sour tummies from coffee and no sleep, right? We could all—”she let out a yawn, then barrelled onwards as if it hadn’t happened. “We could all just sleep, and let the world keep itself busy for a bit, how’s that?” The word ‘coffee’ made Celestia’s ears twitch. “Oh, coffee sounds nice. And maybe some donuts?” Celestia lifted the coffee pot, grimacing in disappointment to find it empty. “Oh... all out.” She looked at Pinkie hopefully. “Could you make more?” “That sounds good.” Twilight said, reaching for her books. “Can you please make coffee, Pinkie? I need to find some answer to this mess—” Pinkie put a single hoof down on the book, holding it firmly to the table. “No, you don’t! You need sleep. And I need sleep, and I’m pretty sure the Princess should be sleeping, too!” “Actually, Pinkie, I’m very used to long days with little to no rest...” Celestia trailed off when she caught a glimpse of the pleading look in Pinkie’s eyes. For a brief instant, she saw past the happy-go-lucky expression the other mare wore to the sheer exhaustion Pinkie was bearing up under. “Well... I suppose I don’t really have a reason to be up...” “Exactly! Dashie’s okay, Rarity’s okay, Luna’s okay.” Pinkie went on, smiling at the princess. “Everything is fine for right now, and right now would be a great time to rest. So let’s put these books down—” She slapped Twilight’s hoof as she attempted to open another book. “—and go to bed!” “Pinkie, stop being unreasonable!” Twilight shot back, stifling a yawn. “I’ll be fine. It’s more important—” “Twilight—” Princess Celestia attempt to interject, “Perhaps it would be worthwhile to listen to her—” “Fine!” Pinkie yelled. “I’ll go make coffee and we can all stare at books until we pass out drooling on them. And then later, when you finally wake up, maybe you’ll be able to think again!” She stormed out of the room through the front door, slamming it on the way. After a moment she poked her head back inside. “What kind of donuts do you want, Celly?” “Errr, sprinkles, if it’s not too much trouble?” “Nopers! I’ll be back soon!” Pinkie smiled at Celestia, then stuck her tongue out at Twilight, slamming the door again as she left. “Eheh... Sorry, Princess.” Twilight picked up Medical Magical Mishaps: Volume Two from the stack. “She gets worried about me sometimes.” "And what if she is right, Twilight?" Celestia replied, sitting down on a chair opposite Twilight. “She’s not.” Twilight said, firmly. “I can fix this. I just need a power source, and a way to convert raw energy into magic—” “That sounds dangerous, and unneeded,” Celestia said quickly. "There's no need to worry about me. Like my sister, my magical reserves will recover given enough time." She let out a sigh and leaned forward. “I think Pinkie is right. You’re tired, and not thinking straight. You should get some rest. It will become clearer when you wake.” “I wonder if we can recreate that anomaly Pinkie and I produced when I tried to help her make root beer,” Twilight mused. “That was an amazing amount of energy...” “Twilight.” “I never did find out what that pink chemical was, though.” Twilight shook her head in annoyance. “Possibly a cleaner? Ugh. This is why we label every bottle in the lab, Sparkle...” “Twilight, put the book down. You’re going to sleep.” Celestia said, surrounding Twilight’s magic on the book with her own. “What if she’d drunk... whatever it was? It could have killed her!” Twilight shuddered at the mere notion. “Well, no, anything toxic would have been labeled. Still, she could have gotten very sick.” “Twilight, enough, put down the book and—” Celestia’s words cut off as their magic, which had previously been merely overlapping on the book, melded for a brief instant. Feelings and sensations washed over her. Her entire world was a white and purple egg. She stared at the egg, straining with all her might to make it hatch. Her parents urged her on quietly, and her teachers simply looked on with dispassionate judgement. She had failed. She was a failure. Suddenly, a flash of rainbow-colored light blinded her, and... she was magic. A strong scent of ozone assaulted her nose and everywhere she looked, her magic lashed out wildly. She panicked as she watched her parents turn into plants. The power was overwhelming, it felt as if she was burning from the inside out. She wondered if she would survive, and then... She saw herself, towering over... herself. The shock of this gave her a brief focus as she continued to be immersed in the pony she now knew was Twilight. Admiration, shock, fear, all of it flashed in her mind, but above all else: Trust, and love. The princess was here, everything would be okay. A moment later, and she was picking herself up from the floor. From the other side of the table, she heard Twilight muttering: “—had no idea raising the sun was so exciting...” “Twilight? Are you—” “I’m fine.” Twilight replied in a dazed-sounding voice. “We have to watch out for that.” “Did you... see anything—” “You mean, you—” Twilight paused, still shaken. “I guess you did, otherwise you wouldn’t have asked.” She was silent for a moment. “Um... yes I did, it was similar to what happened while we cured Rarity, but much... clearer. It felt...weird?” “Yes.” Celestia replied, her mind racing. ‘Weird’ was the right way to put it; magemelding was supposed to be a complex and intricate procedure, in which both casters had to consciously steer their magic towards that of another. What they’d just experienced should have been impossible. The question in the forefront of her mind, however, was: What exactly had Twilight experienced? She herself had seen the highlights of her student’s experiences of a lifetime; even though it had only been a mere mortal life span, it had still been overwhelming. If Twilight had experienced anywhere near the same, it was a miracle that she was still coherent enough to form sentences, much less capable of comprehending everything. More to the point, why was this happening now, and not back with Rarity, when their magics flowed like water? Twilight stood up from the other side of the table, smiling shyly. “Sorry, Princess, I didn’t mean to do that. I guess I’m still a little shaken up by... everything. I’ll be more careful—” “It’s... fine, Twilight,” Celestia replied, mustering a smile of her own. Of course it was fine. Saying otherwise would imply she was uncomfortable sharing parts of herself with Twilight. “What did you see, exactly?” “Um... I... I think it was a personal memory? I was... or you were?” Twilight shook her head, at a loss for how to describe experiencing someone else’s life. “Anyway, I really wanted to raise the sun, and... it was difficult, but I did it! It...” Twilight chewed on the inside of her cheek and dreamily looked up at the ceiling. “It was really intense.” “It’s one of my fonder memories.” Celestia replied, calming down slightly. Perhaps Twilight had not had the opportunity to delve into the link as she herself had. Although it was fairer to say she had been immersed in it, since she hadn’t had control at the time. “You seemed very happy,” Twilight said, giving Celestia a curious look. “I suppose I was. What filly isn’t, when they find their path in life?” The room was silent as Twilight just looked at her for an uncomfortable length of time. When she spoke, Celestia considered it a huge relief. “So... did you always know you were going to be a princess?” Twilight asked. The question gave Celestia pause. “No. At least... not in the way I am now. I just knew that I would be spending my life helping ponies by raising the sun. It was simple, but it was enough. The mystique and worship came much later.” She shook her head gently. “I tried to tell ponies I wasn’t some perfect goddess... some of them even listened. But then their children were born, and the mystique renewed itself.” Sighing wistfully, Celestia smiled at Twilight. “No, I thought my life would be much different.” Twilight continued to look at her, eventually smiling self-consciously. “Sorry. I just... I knew academically that you were young once, got a cutie-mark, learned your first spell... But it’s different.” “Sorry if I shattered your illusions.” Celestia replied, blushing. “No!” Twilight replied quickly. She rubbed the back of her neck, clearly hesitant to say what she was saying. “I... I should have seen, before. I never really thought of the princess... of you... being afraid of something like failure. And... being elated when you didn’t... fail I mean.” “Now you know.” Twilight nodded. “Yeah.” They were both silent for a time, then Twilight let out a huge yawn, snapping her mouth shut as soon as equinely possible. She then yelped in pain and started frantically massaging her neck with a hoof. “Twilight?” Celestia said, her eyes bulging in surprise and worry. “Cramp!” Twilight croaked, tears streaming from her eyes. Celestia hesitated for a mere second before rushing to the other side of the table, using her gold-shod fore-hooves to massage Twilight’s throat muscles until they eased up, allowing her student to close her mouth normally. She looked down into Twilight’s tear-stained eyes, concern etched on her own face. “Better?” Twilight looked back up at her, her face reddened, cheeks damp. “Y-yes,” she stammered. It was only then that Celestia pieced together the position she was in, cupping her student’s chin with her hooves, looking down while Twilight’s head was tilted up, their muzzles mere inches apart— Do it now! There will never be a better time than this moment!  Time froze. In that instant, and Celestia saw both paths clearly. In the one, she gave in, kissed her student, and immediately found the kiss reciprocated by a surprised but enthusiastic Twilight. In the other, she turned away, and Twilight would receive yet another wound to her heart. However, in her hesitation, she never noticed the third path, as Twilight lifted herself just enough to close the distance between them. As first kisses went, it was clumsy, and over far too quickly. Twilight quickly backed away in horror, stammering apologies, the tears back for an entirely different reason. “I’m sorry!” she cried out. “I...I just couldn’t not do it! I know you don’t feel the same, but you were so close, and I just couldn’t stop thinking about how it would be to kiss you, please don’t hate me!” Go ahead, turn away from her. Make it awkward. Break her heart all over again. Tell her it’s fine, you know she didn’t mean it. Celestia just sat on her haunches, dumbfounded at this turn of events. Her sister’s words ran through her mind as she simply gazed at her terrified student. “My fall took decades, and you have yet to even falter in your path.” The princess knew, with absolute certainty, that she was faltering now. Though perhaps not the way Luna had meant. Twilight stood up with four shaky hooves, eyeing her as if she was a dangerous animal. And perhaps, to Twilight, she was. She had hurt the unicorn before, after all. “Twilight,” was all Celestia said, but it was enough to give the unicorn pause in her escape plans. Twilight simply stood where she was, making no movement to stay or go. “I could never hate you, Twilight.” Celestia said at last. Ah, but you leave the more important words unsaid. “I’m sorry.” Twilight repeated softly, still not moving. “I’m not.” Celestia said with a gentle smile. At these words, Twilight finally did move: she collapsed back down on her haunches. Nothing was said for some time as both struggled for something, anything they could say. Well, I suppose it goes without saying that her feelings about you haven’t changed, doesn’t it? What do you do now? “I’m ba-ack!” Pinkie sing-songed as she came through the door with coffee and donuts. “P-pinkie!” Twilight stammered, her eyes bulging in panic as she looked guiltily between Celestia and her marefriend.  “Yeppers! Now, how much longer do you two think before we can sleep for a little while?” Pinkie glanced around the room, her eyebrows raising. “Hey, you okay, Twi-twi? Did you fall down?” “I...” “She did, actually.” Celestia said quickly. “We had a bit of a magical mishap and there was a backlash. She’s fine, but dazed.” “That’s why you need some sleep!” Pinkie said with severity, her gaze softening as she rushed forward to help Twilight up. “You get tired and things blow up!” “I think you may be right, Pinkie. Perhaps you should take her to bed.” At Twilight’s attempted protest, Celestia shook her head. “We can continue after you’ve had some rest, Twilight. It will be easier to think, then.” Hopefully, for both of us.