Dear Rainbow Dash,
I doubt you have heard but the griffon emperor passed away last night. His successor, his youngest daughter Dixie(that's right, Dixie!), will be crowned tomorrow morning. I will be attending the ceremony and would be very interested in you joining me for the occasion. If you are unable to make it please write so on the back of this letter and burn it, any fire will do. If you can join, then please present this letter to the guards at Canterlot Castle and ask where I am at the time. Formal attire will be required, I'm sure what you wore at the Grand Galloping Gala will do, minus the headress. I will need an answer by 1500 today, or I will leave without you.
Your most gracious Princess,
Princess Celestia.
The pink coated pegasis Guard nodded at the letter and held it out for Rainbow Dash. "You may find Princess Celestia in the her private chambers, or Library Spire."
"Thank you." She trotted past him and flew up to the balcony looking over the plains east of Canterlot, where Celestia often raised the sun from. Knocking on the glass doors, she slowly pushed on open and called out. "Princess? I got your letter? I'm up for a trip to the Griffon Realm. Celestia? If you're not here I'm going to go and shout your name all over a library." She waited several seconds before answering for herself. "Okay. Heading out."
Rainbow left the door she came through and glided to the tower where Sunset Shimmer once lived. Since her relocation to Ponyville, it had been reverted back to it's use as a paper grave before Celestia decided to keep Sunset close to her. The door on this balcony was not locked either, and she opened it slowly, a sneaky grin growing across her face. Sliding into the silent room, she crouched and slithered her way to the stairwell, ears perked, listening for the rustling of paper.
Peeking over the edge, her face between guardrail supports, Rainbow saw Princess Celestia inspecting each book before setting it aside and picking the next one, perhaps hoping to find something. Smirking, Rainbow fluttered over the railing, and flapped the outer most tips of her wings. Sticking her tongue out of her mouth, she carefully lost altitude, and thought she saw Celestia pause for a moment. That was when Celestia's horn illuminated and she found her vision became a shimmering gold. With Rainbow's wings unable to move, she forced a pout onto her face and sighed.
Celestia turned around and called out right in her face. "Rainbow Dash! Thank goodness you're here! I felt an assassin approaching me, and she must be nearby. Help me find her!" Celestia bounded around the spacious room, looking behind boxes, between shelves, under tables, all the while keeping Rainbow locked in place. She found her legs able to move and crossed her front ones while waiting for Celestia to realize she was stuck.
Celestia whispered harshly, "Oh Dashie, quit fooling around! We have uninvited company." She let Rainbow go, who crashed to the ground as her host walked up to her. "Have you found the assassin? She must be nearby. Oh dear me, whatever could she be planning?" Celestia lay on her belly, her hooves holding down her ears, shivering like a foal afraid of the dark hiding under the covers.
"Uh, yeah. I might know who she is." Dash smirked, waiting for Celestia to raise her head. "I was sneaking up behind you. I was going to pounce on your back." She smiled, rather proud of herself for getting as close as she had.
"You?" The pegasis nodded. "My, absolute, favorite pony in the world?" Another nod. "Were going to tackle me with me back turned?" A third bob of her head. "This will not go unpunished."
All four of Dash's very sensitive hooves were caught in a golden aura each and she found herself lifted off the ground, her chest directly facing Princess. "Wait! You're not-" She was cut off by Celestia grabbing her around her lower back and shoving her face into her belly and giving a fat, sloppy, wet raspberry. Rainbow Dash lost all control of herself as she chortled and giggled and guffawed into the open, empty space of the old library. Her raspberry's did not go on long, and when Celestia pulled her face away, she still felt the tickle of her moving lips.
"Are you fully rehabilitated and ready to be released back into normal society Rainbow Dash?" Celestia asked, with the seriousness of a High Judge.
"No."
Keeping her firm, authoritative tone, she continued. "The state's experts have reached a consensus that you will struggle, you will face unique hardships that few, if any can relate to, but you can live a normal, meaningful, peaceful life. But only if you choose such a path of course. And should you find yourself back in bondage like this, the state can not predict what would happen to you at such an occurance. You will be released at this time."
The golden aura's released Rainbow and she fell to the ground, landing on all four hooves. Looking up to Celestia, she found herself wrapped in a tight wing hug. "How are you doing today Dashie?"
"I'm doing great!" She was released from her Princesses wings. "I got your letter this morning, and I'm up for a trip to the Griffon Realm. The capitol city is...Keep?"
"Nope. Castle Edric. Honestly Dash. Did you sleep through all of your geography classes?" She ruffled Rainbow's mane with her wing as she walked by.
"Just the boring ones. So, are you looking for something particular in this pile?" She asked, looking at the discarded pile.
Celestia looked into a new box of books. "Not a book per se. The former Emperor sent me a letter with a marble bust during his first year on the throne as a token of peace. His predecessor(his wife) caused a fair bit of friction during her time, so he wanted to show how he wanted to smooth things over. He always loved the bust, and I appreciated the gesture, but really, I knew he was not her, so I told him I would return it after his death, which he was fine with. 'Can't have my children running the country without The Lion-tamer looking down on them. Can I?' I know where the bust is, I want to find the letter he sent with it. I put it in a book, which was put here...I just don't know where."
"I guess I'll check over here. Did you look through these ones yet?" She opened a box as tall as herself and staring looking for loose papers.
"No. I set it in a book called 'Let the Silence Sing' by Aegsis Sheild. It would be in fiction/literature, and those are public records." Dash's head popped out of the box and turned her head to Celestia, grinning again.
"'Let the Silence Sing?' That's about YOU falling in love with an earth pony stallion, right? You read it?" She was on the verge of laughter.
Celestia turned to Dash too. "Read it? I had it commissioned by the greatest romance writer of the day, seventy years ago, specifically for me. I was supposed to be the only one to read it at all. As with all commissions I have issued for me, after he passed away I decided to have it published en masse, and his inheritors got their royalties. So yes, I have read it." Both ponies were grinning. The alicorn kindly, the pegasis trying to hold back her laughter, and failing.
"Bwhahahaaa! Hahahehehe. That's good! Hahahahehe. I always wondered..."
"And what is so funny this time Rainbow?" Celestia gently asked.
"Oh hhhh, nothing. I...we had to read it in high school. Later when I meet Applejack and Big Macintosh, he reminded me of Brandywine. And I got this image in my head..." She lost herself in a fit of giggles again, rolling onto the floor.
"You know better than to picture your Princess in such lewd situations without giving me proper protection Rainbow Dash. This is a serious offense and calls for the most serious of Noogies!" Celestia leaped for Rainbow and tried wrestling her into a headlock. Dash slipped out of her grasp and poked at Celestia's belly with her front hooves, tickling her. The giggles and laughter of both ponies continued to echo through the old library.
** ** **
The night before, sounds very different from laughter and general silliness sounded out in the bedroom of the dying griffon Emperor, Winston Boragus. He remained silent and gently stroked the head of his youngest daughter as she sobbed into he chest. Dixie had always been stronger than she claimed, and she had humility worthy of an empress seeded deep in herself. He had faith in her, as did his entire cabinet, soon to be hers.
"Dixie. Please don't cry. You may mourn me later, but not now. Don't let your last memories be of me be your tears interrupting me." Dixie's sobs slacked off, "Lift your head dear." Dixie lifted her golden eyes to meet his, flooded with all her regrets, all the time they did not spend together, and never would.
"Dixie, you are in good hands, surrounded by griffons who love you. Your uncle Judas is your Right Hand, Doctor Utobitha knows your entire medical history, the Empire is at peace. And I know you can maintain it. You have nothing to fear. I know what it's like to become an orphan dear. I know." Dixie's jaw quivered. "But it's just part of life. Tell me sweetheart, do you have any idea what your death would do to me? No. You don't. A father is supposed to pass away before his daughter. And you, and your brother and your sisters will have to help each other through this."
"Dad?" She struggled to say, it was the first time in years since she called him by Dad. "I don't want this. I just want to go back to Wandering and being Gilda; no duties, no obligations, no-"
He put a single claw to her beak. "No Dixie. I know what you want. And you are not going to get it. And I wanted something similar when your mother died. I know. But you were chosen for this. There is honor, respect, and not much of a choice. No, you can either accept it with dignity and maturity, or be known as the child on the throne. And heaven knows we have had too many of them. Is that what you want?"
Dixie held eye contact and almost, imperceptibly shook her head.
"I don't want things to change Dad," she whispered.
"You know the story of the Boy and the Two Suns. So you know it doesn't work like that Sweetheart." He pulled her close, wrapping his wings and claws around her. "Now go. I doubt I will see the sunrise, and I don't want you haunted by my last breath. I love you Dixie."
"I love you Dad. I'm going to miss you so much."
"Goodbye Dixie." The next time she saw him, he was laid in state, and she had become Empress after shedding the names Dixie and Gilda forever.
** ** **
After hours of half searching, Celestia and Rainbow Dash finally found their prize. With the letter in hoof, Celestia said they would stop off at her private chambers for her formal wear before leaving on their flight east. "What formal wear? You look fine without anything special." Rainbow asked.
Celestia looked down seriously at her. "Dashie, I usually wear my crown and breastplate. My shoes will be fine, but do you think it appropriate to wear a crown and regalia at the coronation of a foreign sovereign?" Dash looked away in thought.
"No, it would not. Therefore I am going to significantly dress up without looking royal. The Empress will be wearing the least clothing, a little more than you will remember seeing her with. She shall stand out by being the least, and as her invited guests we will do right by her."
Dash looked to Celestia as they entered her chambers with a confused look. "Celestia? What you mean 'remember seeing her'? Have I meet her before?"
Celestia levitated the griffon bust into her traveling sack along with the letter. "Yes. I think she would be rather difficult to forget. Sunset mentioned her recently, I doubt if she forgot her actions toward Pinkie Pie, you would."
"Woah! Woah. Back up! The new Griffon Empress did not meet Pinkie Pie and Sunset Shimmer. Gilda did. My friend from Flight School." Rainbow held her hooves up and spread her wings.
Celestia turned around, not sure what to make of Rainbow's words. "Did you really not know? I guess if she was getting away she wouldn't say much, I find it difficult to believe she would say nothing at all. But I suppose it makes sense."
"What nothing?" Rainbow was getting impatient.
Celestia sighed and sat on her bed, patting the space next to her inviting Dash to sit. "Rainbow Dash, Dixie Boragus has always been a bit of a rebel. She decided one day she was going to come to Equestria for her secondary education. In her rebellious teenage years, she unofficially dropped her name Dixie and took up Gilda." Rainbow's eyes shot open. "Imagine my surprise years later when I learned from Sunset Shimmer that the griffon Princeling Dixie had long ago befriended the great Rainbow Dash. Hehe. I'm glad you treated her like an equal. Since she was pretending to be someone else she would crave attention like an equal. But now you know and can greet her as Empress."
Dash stared at the wall blankly, trying to process this. "But, well, she said she didn't want to grow into her parents. And she wanted to be her own griffon. But...Did she lie to me Celestia?" She looked at her, her face full of confusion.
"How about you ask her when you get there? Now, I believe you have your Gala gown in your bag?" Celestia asked climbing off the bed and throwing her saddle packs over her back.
"Yep. I left the crown at home like you said. I also got money for the road, tolls, a cheap motel, you know the drill." Dash trotted to the balcony and stretched her wings for take off.
Celestia grinned broadly. "Oh my Little Dashie. You are a guest of Princess Celestia. You may find yourself treated as my own daughter; a grand bed in the royal apartments, breakfast fit for a princess, you are not getting out of tolls though. All foreigners must submit to a credit check at the border, and a deposit, nonrefundable if you break any law. Now come, let us be off!"
With a running start, she and Rainbow Dash leaped from the balcony and took to the skies, beginning their long journey east to the Griffon Realm.
** ** **
After several hours of non stop, magically enhanced flight, Dash and Celestia made it to the border. After submitting to a one thousand bit credit check covering both of them, and a separate two hundred bit security deposit with receipt, the two ponies still had another two hour flight until reaching Castle Edric, and Dash was busy summarizing the government lesson she received after the border. "So, the Emperor chooses his own successor, even before receiving the crown. They are typically family, but are under no obligation to be. The Emperor can change his mind at any time, and the only one he is obligated to tell is the successor."
"Good. Keep going." Celestia encouraged as Edric came into her view.
"Once the crown sits on their head, they normally surrender much their property, and more personally their names. Few called Emperor Boragus by his own name. Just those he allowed, everyone else simply called him Emperor. And both are because he's given up his personal life; he now serves the Realm, and even with so much honor, he is the lowest servant in the state."
"Good job."
"And they were not always like this. Years ago, the Emperor was a powerful and dangerous griffon. He ruled through strength, obedience of his followers and fear. He still choose his successor then too, but it was normally his child or Right Claw, his steward to the throne. One Emperor, Ratonhnhaketon, saw how you ruled, and spent the rest of his life changing how the state was run. It took a few more rulers, and an unsuccessful rebellion, but the end result is what we know today. As a result the Emperor listens to his kingdom, their economy is roaring faster than Equestria's, and the state is significantly smaller and less corrupt than it was in the past. Did I miss anything?"
"You got the idea my Favorite Student. And now your old friend Gilda, AKA Dixie Boragus rules. I wonder if you might be able to visit with her tonight before bed time." Celestia spoke casually.
"Rainbow Dash is too cool for Bed Time." She smirked.
Celestia gave a few extra powerful flaps of her wings and found herself flying backwards directly of Rainbow, talking baby talk, gripping her cheeks and making silly faces. "My Wittle Dashie is going to need an extra early bed time so she can wake up extra early and let her Mommy make her all pretty for the big coronation in the morning. But I know she can still get some play time with her little friend Gilda after she eats all her alfalfa and veggies."
Rainbow Dash was giggling and trying to push Celestia's hooves away. "Okay! I yield! You win. Dinner, talk to Gilda, bed. I got it." She remained silent while they dropped altitude, heading toward the gate. "Say, do you think after what happened with Pinkie she'll still want to be my friend? She wasn't happy, and I haven't heard from her since."
"How about we make meeting her the first stop. I can take your bag to the room, make myself comfy, and you go make amends with your friend. What does Sunset say always about friendship?"
"Friendship is magic. Friendship with benefits is even better." Celestia gave her a cold gaze. "She...had a bit too much cider, and was staring at Big Mac when she said it. Obviously I brohoofed her." They both chuckled.
** ** **
The needle fell into it's place along the edge of the track of the vinyl record, the silent grooves, producing only the faintest of static from the speaker before a song her father had sung to her many times blared across the bedroom she had slept in most of her life, and now the new Master Bedroom of the castle. She was Empress, if she wanted the smallest bedroom in the royal apartments with a narrow view facing southwest to be the Master Bed, it would be so in her castle.
"Being ruler is not all that is seems, there's a cost to be a ruler supreme,
A heavy burden rest utop our brow, it demands of us a sacred vow.
Dixie now, thou must understand, the will of the griffons and the way of the land,
Tis not enough, to know great things, this must I teach, this thou shalt learn, now it's thy turn.
The weight of the crown, demands our judgement, the weight of the crown demands our time.
The weight of the crown, means acting selfless, the weight of the crown, their fate in our claws."
Gilda climbed onto her bed, sitting upright, her food tray sitting above her hind legs. She sang softly, out of pitch, hardly noticing. She kept herself locked away all day, getting breakfast, lunch and now dinner delivered to her room. Maybe she could move her desk in here and she wouldn't have to leave that often. Sit in Open Court for a few hours in the morning, stretch her wings after dark, and she could pretend she was governing while Dad was away on an extra long hunt.
She sighed. It was a wish, a fools wish. She always looked up to her father, she never doubted his judgement, until he choose her to be successor. He choose her for many reasons, none he shared with her. She never learned who he choose before her, maybe that was for the best though. Sipping her wine and looking at dinner, she briefly considered the recent surprise the bathroom scale gave her, and considered tossing the ostrich leg out the window. No need for a civil servant to look fat.
knock knock Her door opened and a member of her guard poked his head through. "Pardon me Empress, a delegate from Equestria wishes to see you."
"Yeah? Tell her I'm too busy. If she wants something, she wait until tomorrow afternoon." Gilda sighed again, not looking up.
"She assures me you will want to hear what she has to say," the guard replied without much assurance.
"Fine. Tell her it better be good, I'm not in the mood." She waved her claw without interest.
The clop of horseshoes on tiles did drive her look up at the rainbow maned, cyan pegasis. She was smiling. Gilda was scared, especially when the guard closed the door behind him. "Hey G. Long time no see," she said with a nervous smile.
Gilda said nothing at first. "Delegate? How many lies did you tell to get here Rainbow Dash?"
"None. I'm here with Celestia, to see your coronation tomorrow. I didn't even know it was you until just before we left. Honest." She was still nervous but took a few steps closer.
"Uh huh. And you just happen to stop by to see me because..." She rotated her claw around, prompting Rainbow to finish.
"I hadn't seen you in a while. And you're my friend. I, wanted to patch things up from the last time we saw each other. You were pretty steamed. And you never wrote back to me so..."
Pushing her food tray away, she leaped off her bed onto the side opposite from Rainbow and crossed her front legs. "You choose your annoying pony friends over me Dash. I don't have time for turncoats like you in my life. Not back then, and definitely not now."
"I didn't choose anyone over anyone. You did. You wanted to be so cool you didn't have pride to accept some ponies so different from you into your life. I wrote that to you before, and apologized for being so lame about how I said it. And asked you to come back and make amends. Pinkie said she wrote to you too."
Gilda turned to see Rainbow standing right next to her, looking just sad. "...I know." She croaked out. "But, I didn't want to make friends with them. I came to Equestria to spend time with the Oh so Cool and Awesome Rainbow Dash. Anything else just got in the way of that. You had work, I understand, I would actually be disappointed if you didn't do that. But Pinkie Pie cutting into our time? When both of us told her to leave us alone? That really ground my gears. I flipped out on her at the party because she was already under my skin. And you stood up for her. What was I supposed to do Dash?"
Rainbow lay her hoof on Gilda's shoulder. "Swallow your pride and make some new friends? I thought maybe we could all get along. You might have learned something."
Neither of them said a word. When Rainbow took her hoof away Gilda threw her forelegs around her in a crushing bear hug. Nearly thrown off balance, Dash adjusted herself and returned the favor. "I missed you so much Dash. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too G. Friends?"
"Yeah, friends, again." came the muffled reply from behind her ear. "Hey, you wanna go for a flight? It'll be just like sneaking onto the hoofball field after dark again."
"Love to G, but Celestia said I gotta get to bed early tonight. Early morning ya know. I guess you do too."
Gilda released her and stretched her back. "Do you always do what your told?"
"No," she replied while shaking her head.
"Me neither. I guess I should be getting to bed myself. It's good seeing you again. Look me up sometime tomorrow afternoon, we can go flying then."
"Great. See ya then G."
Gilda watched Rainbow Dash's tail swish back and forth as she headed to the bedroom door.
** ** **
Rainbow Dash and Celestia sat on their cushions in the throne room, patiently waiting their turn to be called to speak to the Empress during her first Open Court, well, almost patiently. Dash flicked her tail behind her back and sighed. "Cool it missy." Celestia warned quietly. They were surrounded by griffons, significantly bigger than Dash, and with less patience than Celestia.
"I don't like waiting like this. If I knew more people around me it would be different." Dash looked curiously to the griffon next to her. She tried to keep her whining to a minimum, really, she did.
"Well you don't. Deal with it. And we will get to see her soon." Celestia doubted her words though as the minutes ticked by, griffons from all walks of life strolled up to speak with their new ruler; words of encouragement, praise for her father, requests for laws her father would not allow. It all seemed empty and boring to Rainbow Dash, and Gilda, who wore her boredom plainly on her face.
The throne room emptied as the two waited in silence watching griffons, deer, zebras, an okapi, numerous beings from all over the world made their way to greet Gilda. Rainbow even smiled and waved at Queen Chrysalis's emissary, Cocheko, she recognized him from Shining Armor's wedding. Suddenly, "Princess Celestia and Rainbow Dash of Equestria," an attendant called out. With a single leap Rainbow was halfway to the throne and taking a deep breath in.
Gilda beat her to the first word. "What's up Dash! You ready to blow this lame excuse for a court?"
Rainbow reached the throne, already forgetting her manners and gave her a fist bump. "I thought you'd love this G. You get to sit on the judge's bench now, and there's NO chance of you going to jail this time!"
"Then where's the excitement of courthouse? What about you Princess? Up for a race?" Celestia calmly joined Rainbow on at the throne and bowed her neck, her spine forming a straight line.
"Empress of The Griffon Realm, on behalf of my sister Luna of Equestria, and I, Celestia of the same, have every intention of continuing peaceful relations between our lands as your father before you did. And, I feel it would be too intrusive of me to join the two of you in your fun and fancy. Thank you for the offer though." Celestia held her gentle bow and stared at the floor until her audience replied.
"Whatevs. Come on Dash. Clouds ain't gonna bust themselves." Gilda strolled off to a small door behind the throne, brushing her tail across Rainbow's chest.
"Wait Gilda!" Dash looked between both of them desperately. She nearly whined to both of them. "Celestia, come on, don't be a square. It'll be fun! You know how good it'll be for her, and you should see her moves. Got any new moves in your tricktionary G?" Rainbow grabbed Celestia's hoof and started pulling her awkwardly to the door Gilda held open.
"Yeah. And I wanna try some new one's today, Sounds Above know the next chance I'll get." She was already pulling off the few royal garments she wore and throwing them over her back while guiding them down the hall to her bedroom. "Princess? You got any flight tricks? You've had thousands of years to work on them. I'm gonna be bummed if you don't have something good."
Celestia pulled her hoof from Rainbow's grasp and thought carefully. "Um, well...I don't fly on my own very often, and I don't try flying tricks, at all. So, no I do not have any."
"Yeah," Rainbow said with her hoof behind her head looking around. "Except the Celestial Rainboom! How can you forget that! It's only the coolest thing any pony has ever done!"
Gilda, now as naked as her guests normally were, turned and walked backwards. "Dash? I thought the Sonic Rainboom was your thing? You can do it too Princess?"
"It's more my thing than hers anyway. 'It's alicorn magic on parade,' as Princess Sunset Shimmer says, she's the world expert on Sonic Rainbooms. Mostly because nopony cares to study them, and she has discovered a great deal about them. Written several papers, she always has had a certain fascination with them."
Gilda stared at her for a few seconds before turning around and opening her bedroom door, carefully laying her crown on it's pillow, tossing her clothes onto a chair, and waiting for her guests to do the same. "You two lost me. Rainbow Dash did the first Sonic Rainboom in more than a century, but you can do them too? AND it's alicorn magic? Then...where's her horn? I'm missing something right now."
Stretching her wings, Celestia climbed out the small window and hovered, waiting for Rainbow and Gilda. "Short version: a Sonic Rainboom is a burst of all three kinds of pony magic; earth, pegasis, and unicorn. Alicorns are the only ones who should be able to do it, but so can Rainbow Dash strangely enough. No-one has given a good reason as to how. We know why it can be done, but not how.
Rainbow nodded her head, smirked and Gilda joined her outdoors and they took off, gaining altitude, flying towards the mountains the new Empress would be staring at every sunrise and sunset. "Yep. It's all true! Then after Sunset became a Princess, Celestia wanted to spend more time with me, and I dared her to do a Sonic Rainboom. And guess who it turns out did the last one before me, all those years ago?"
Slamming her butt down on a cloud, she held her smirk while Celestia blushed at the implied praise. Gilda took a seat next to Dash and stretched out her wings and legs. "Hey, I wanna see that. Celestia, show us a Celestial Rainboom."
Celestia rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No, I can't. Not now. It would be showing off, and I doubt being so close to a major city like this..."
"C'mon Celestia! Do it! Show these griffons what a real rainbow is!" Dash egged her on.
Celestia inhaled. "Empress, are there any cloud cities, or houses, or anything like that? It's going to clear a lot of cloud space."
Gilda snorted. "Nah, closest thing like that is a long ways south of here. We griffons like solid ground underneath us. I could never understand Cloudsdale or places like that." Celestia nodded and took off southwest towards the not quite setting sun.
"How long till she gets back?" Gilda asked once she was out of earshot.
"She's gonna take a few to warm up a bit, five minutes I'd say." She thought about the question for a moment. "You're not going to try napping are you?"
She stretched out again. "Lay down for a moment." Dash leaned forward onto her belly just before she felt her friends head drop heavily onto her back. "Mmm. Better." The two of them sat silently for a whole minute, Dash watching Celestia zoom around and Gilda enjoying her company. "I missed you Dash," she whispered.
"I missed you too G. Seriously, why the cat nap though? You're gonna miss a Celestial Rainboom! Was sitting on your rump all day really that tiring?"
"Dash, shut up about the Rainboom. I just, don't, care."
Gilda would eat her words later. Princess Celestia flew around through the open sky, gaining altitude, taking sharp turns, before finally flapping her wings like an falcon at dinner time. Air flowed around her in a nearly unseen cone, electromagic sparkled at her hooves, a whip cracked around her ears and a bomb went off from her whole body. Celestia's vision remained unchanged; an eagle's view of the countryside surrounding Castle Edric, a hunting cabin by a wooded grove, a griffon and pegasis laying on a cloud, only one watching her, in that one moment it was an ideal world.
Gilda did not see the golden explosion spreading from Celestia's body, but she certainly heard the resounding BOOOM and felt her cloud disappear from under her suddenly. Letting out a loud, embarrassing "Craw!" she struggled to stay aloft, meanwhile Rainbow giggled at her antics and gently flew backwards belly-up. "Shut up Dash! That was not cool!"
"Are you kidding me G?" Celestia slowed her pace and circled around them. "Celestia's the coolest pony around! Well, there's my dad, you meet him. Second place is defiantly Princess Celestia! I mean look at her!" Celestia remained humble and blushed as she held her place in midair. "Immortal Princess of the Sun, Keeper of Peace, and an example of Love and Tolerance for all. And my very best friend."
"Dashie, please. That's enough. Today is her coronation, it's her day, and we came here to get away from all that." Dash cringed at letting another hear her silly pet name, and rightfully so, Gilda took her turn to guffaw and tumbled backwards.
"You shut up G." Rainbow's cheeks turned pink.
"How 'bout you Dash?" Gilda pulled her close again. "Got any new moves in your tricktionary, or are you eighty percent old school?"
"'Old school' the mole on my right hind cheek! Watch this!"
Dash zipped off, leaving a faint rainbow trail behind her. The Princess and Empress gazed fondly at her.
"I'm not immortal. Just hard to kill. I've come close to death before." Celestia broke the awkward silence.
"Are you proud of her?" Gilda said, ignoring the statement altogether.
Celestia gave her a confused look. "Why would you ask that? She's not my student or anything. I just like spending time with her. She...reminds me of someone I knew once."
"Uh ha. Got it." She let the unfinished thought hang between them. "How sad are we?"
"Why exactly are we sad?" A confused Celestia asked again.
"Are you that determined to make this a one sided conversation?" The Princesses non response was response enough. "Eugh. Fine."
"Here we are, two of the greatest beings in our world. The nearly immortal Princess of the sun, titles, titles, and the most badass Empress the Realm has ever known. We should be able get what we want. We both want the same mare to love us, and we have to settle for 'just friends'. Princess, one sovereign to another, what good is a crown if you aren't allowed to have what you want?" She asked, her voice betraying the Devil May Care attitude she had lived with her whole life.
Celestia thought for a moment. "Gilda- May I call you Gilda?" She nodded. "First, one sovereign to another, the crown is a reminder of your service. The crown is made of gold not just to shine, but to weigh down on our head. And it is so much heavier on our hearts, but you will learn that later."
"I do. I mean, father always taught me that, am I expect to experience it first claw, soon. But, I mean, why can't I have something I want just because I want it? Is that too much to ask for? Why can't you have something like that?" Gilda looked away and sighed.
"I don't want her the same way you do." Celestia cooed gently.
"No. You don't. You're more...maternal than that." Celestia's eyes flashed dangerously. "Woah! Easy. I can keep a secret. And it's not like I actually know anything for certain, but she's oblivious as a deaf bat, and you...Does she make you proud?" Gilda held her front up to protect herself from a strike she knew would never come.
Celestia's eyes glazed over and filled with tears as turned to look where Dash was at that moment, flying around, doing one trick or another. "..."
"..."
"...More than anything." She sniffed. "I was not the Element of Loyalty. If I was, I might have...I might look on my past with pride. She...She's already surpassed me in so many ways. Even, if she looses her dreams, becomes an addict, and spends he rest of her life picking up the pieces, I will still be proud of her. If only for her unfulfilled potential. So why do you love her?"
Gilda wondered how long Dash would keep herself busy. She needed to have this talk. "She doesn't care about things. I never told her about being a Princeling, or how I feel about girls, but it wouldn't have changed anything. She sticks around you, through thick and thin. And, who doesn't like a tomboy? And there's that mane...It's not love love, or maybe it is, I don't know. She likes her stallions, so I'm stuck here."
Gently Celestia offered, "And you haven't told her anything because you're afraid she'll accuse you of lying to her, taking advantage of her, and you will break her loyalty to you entirely and it will never offer it again?"
"Have you seen-"
Rainbow zipped in between them without warning."Whoo! Your turn G. Beat that!"
"Uh Dash?" Gilda started uncomfortably.
"Rainbow Dash? We were just discussing some rather important issues. Take some more time to spread your wings. Sitting on a cushion all day was not your style." Celestia offered.
Knowing she wasn't welcome, she obeyed. "Ah. Okay. I guess I'll just, yeah." Fluttering off, she circled around the two until they signaled otherwise.
Gilda picked up where they left off. "Okay. Have you seen her snap at anyone like that? I haven't, but...yeah. I think she would." She kept her eyes on the ground.
"No I haven't. But if I told her about her father and I, I fear she would. Loyalty doesn't mean you get to push someone around like that. I could have told her long ago. But even talking to her the way I do, has made the situation that much worse. I, I can't do it. I'm not brave enough."
"So you're perfectly okay with being a 'friend'? It's gonna rip you apart Princess." Gilda offered.
"What about you? She won't be as upset with you admitting your feelings. She will understand why you didn't say anything. You have nothing to fear, you'll lose nothing."
"But she can't take away what you and her have. Or could have had Princess. She could just tell me we are friends anymore. I don't want that."
"But she wouldn't do that."
"And she would forgive you for what you haven't told her, if you told her yourself. Tell me, why did you start hanging out with her in the first place?"
Celestia gulped. "At, Shining Armor and Queen Chrysalis's wedding, my sister joined us at the reception, and Sunset, in a toast, reminded us to cherish the family we do have, now. So, I decided to spend time with my daughter as I always should have. And being an adult, her father can not wave some court papers in my face reminding me to stay away from her. I knew I was playing with a book of matches, but I wasn't going to let her die without getting to know her."
"So, where does that leave us? Two of the most powerful mares/lionesses in the world, too scared to talk to our favorite mare?"
"I suppose."
Gilda took a deep breath. "I'm gonna tell her about me. Not today, but soon."
"I...hope I can tell her someday."
"Yeah."
Looking west, Celestia noticed the sun sitting still on the horizon. "Oh goodness. Would you look at the time. I need set the sun. If you excuse me." She flew off of the roof of the highest spire on Castle Edric, leaving Gilda to plan her next move.