//------------------------------// // 8 - Sweetheart // Story: Takes The Cake // by sunnypack //------------------------------// Chapter 8: Sweetheart The morning came as a shock to Celestia. It was a subconscious thing, to gauge the time and to know the moment when the sun would need to be lifted from its slumbering position over the horizon. In actuality, the sun’s journey was a constant motion that required only the faint boost of her magic. Most of the ‘effort’ of lifting the sun she showed during the Summer Sun Celebration was for tradition rather than execution. Even the glow around her horn was exaggerated. In her half-drowsy state, Celestia registered a faint resistance to her magical tug on the giant orb and she awoke with a start. Panicking for a moment, she tugged at the sun harder until it suddenly let go. Surprised, she let the sun travel halfway across the sky before it was suddenly arrested by some unknown force and it sank below the horizon. That day, Equestria’s sun dawned twice. “Princess!” There was a muffled sound behind the door to the infirmary, and the doors suddenly burst open, admitting a puffing Twilight. “Princess!” Twilight repeated. “Don’t move…” *wheeze* “Sorry-I-just-galloped-all-the-way-from-the-West-Wing—” *gasp* “Don’t move the sun!” Celestia stared at Twilight as she doubled over from the combined effort of letting her know in the span of a few seconds and also rushing all the way from the other side of the castle. The unicorn wasn’t the most fittest of ponies, but surely she would teleport most of the way? “Teleport?! No, no, no! That spell is much too advanced for me!” Twilight exclaimed, eyes wide. Celestia realised that she had been thinking out loud. She put aside the feeling of disconnect she felt whenever the facts didn’t align. Twilight took a couple of deep breaths, trying unsuccessfully to bring her excited state to something manageable. “Princess, would you like some food?” Twilight asked, after composing herself. Celestia realised that she was hungry, inadvertently her gaze shifted to the tiramisu that sat on the table. Twilight followed and started. “Princess, where did that come from?” Though Celestia would share anything with her former student, for some reason she hesitated. Telling Twilight about Benny’s visit would stress Twilight, and her own temper wasn’t exactly in check when she thought about the infuriating human. Trapping her here without so much as an explanation! He spoke as if, as if she weren’t Celestia at all, like she was… This world’s Celestia. “Princess? What’s wrong?” Celestia made an effort to smooth her expression. “Nothing,” she said a little more quickly than she liked. “Just a passing thought.” Twilight studied Celestia in the ensuing silence. “Princess, I’ve been thinking….” Twilight paused, her brow wrinkling with the difficulty of arranging her chaotic thoughts. “About what you said to me yesterday.” Celestia took a deep breath and tilted her head humorously. “Where I’m from an alternate universe?” Twilight nodded slowly. “I still don’t believe it,” she said with brusque bluntness. “I-I mean it’s not that I don’t believe you personally, I just think that there are more plausible explanations…” Celestia shook her head. “Is it so hard to believe?” Twilight shook her head. “It’s not expressively forbidden in the theory I’ve read. I just think… could somepony cast a spell on you? Maybe you remember something of before?” “No,” Celestia replied. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember anything of that because I’m not the Celestia you know.” Twilight nodded slowly. Then she perked up. “Luna is expecting you!” she said suddenly. “I still haven’t told her about… what you’ve told me. I’m flattered that you could confide so much in me.” Celestia nodded genially. “Maybe, my sister will have a more open mind.” ————— Luna spat her hay flakes all over the table. “W-What?” she spluttered, trying hastily to wipe the mess on the table and her mouth. Celestia tried to hold back a giggle, but failed to do so. “A fantastical tale!” Luna continued, after dabbing away most of the milk. Celestia ran a hoof along the table in the Recessive Room. The small room was named so due to its unassuming appearance and unobtrusive entrance. Celestia had always loved to eat in this part of the castle. The sounds of rushing messengers, murmuring bureaucrats, and prim nobles did not make it far to the centrally isolated chamber of the Recessive Room. Apparently, this universe’s Celestia also liked this room, because Luna had already taken a seat in the room and food had already been prepared. The first thing that Luna did when Celestia came in was bow to her. Surprised and taken aback, Celestia couldn’t help but sweep up her sister in a warm hug. Though she knew in her head that this Luna was not her Luna, her heart felt filled with warm ichor. “Luna, I miss you already,” Celestia mumbled into her sister’s mane. A speculative pause followed. “Sister, though I do enjoy such ministrations, it doth seem out of character,” Luna replied. “It is most unlike you to be so…” Celestia eyed the pancakes on the table, the delicious scent of walnuts, hazel and cream with syrup wafting over. They knew her weakness, and she sat at the table, taking small, measured bites out of her food, though she had the urge to devour it all. Celestia hadn’t realised how hungry she was until she smelt the food. Truly, confectionaries were a terrifying thing. In between bites, Celestia relayed to her sister the circumstances surrounding her unusual arrival. When she got to travelling between worlds, that was when Luna couldn’t keep the hay flakes in her mouth. “B-But we hath not heard of such a thing! How would it be possible?” Though Twilight didn’t say anything, or even move to indicate a partiality to the conversation, her eyes told the story of which side she believed in. It made Celestia feel a little alone, but she could not fault the closest ponies to her heart. “Luna,” Celestia began uncertainly. “Do you believe me?” Luna hesitated, but then shook her head. “I have faith in thee, sister. I just couldn’t conceive of its likelihood.” Celestia nodded, disheartened by the fact that both were in opposition to her narrative, but strangely bolstered by her relief in imparting it. “I am stuck here,” Celestia said, “but at least there are ponies I know and cake to partake.” Luna considered the statement, her expression brightening as she considered the implications. “So you’ll be staying?” Celestia dipped her head in agreement. There wasn’t much choice to the decision, mind, but the action seemed to ring true to her heart. If she were to stay in this similar-but-different land, it would be best to play along. At least until she could find her own way back… or find Benny. With this world’s Celestia missing, she felt as if she should help, since they have been so kind to her. It was getting hard to differentiate between the two worlds. The differences were both subtle and blaring, and they constantly surprised her. Maybe this world will have something more interesting than her own world by way of governance or royal duties? “That’s wonderful, sister,” Luna continued. “Shall we hold Court? I think it best to ease you back into your duties.” Celestia sighed. Day Court, full of bickering nobles and taxation problems. Then again, some things never changed. ———— Benny was furious. Though the simple room was made of brick and mortar, the walls barely echoed his agitated steps, the sounds instead replying with muted intensity as he circled the room. His hands flexed as he paced, as if to take ahold of something and strangle it to death. “I didn’t know this world’s Celestia would be so… prickly,” he said to himself. If the chamber showed surprise to hear its Master’s voice after so long, it gave no indication of such. If the chamber had a voice to speak, it would probably be some ineffectual sound of surprise. “I don’t get it, she was so receptive before, and now… well this one’s one was always headstrong, nothing like….” He flicked a hand. “She made her choice, and her, her own. I was just visiting!” The wall figuratively sighed. Usually, none would take notice, but Benny was keen to these sorts of things. He heard the personification of the wall reaching out and apologised to it with a wave of his hand. “Sorry!” he said. “Mystifying, mysterious, mind-boggling!” He sighed, flopping into an unassuming lounge in the corner. The lounge was something that would not look out of place in Rome. The lounge was housed among the bricks and mortar that covered one side of the room, a mismatched titanium door that was embedded in the other, and neighbouring a variety of strange paraphernalia that wouldn’t look out of place in antique shop mated with an electronics store. It looked no more out of place, than in. Benny shifted his focus to a simple mirror that adorned the wall. It could be loosely described as Venetian in design. Though the mirror had gold paint applied liberally on the frame, the effect of its magnanimity was rather spoiled by the tacky depictions of fantastical creations that were fixed onto the edges. Benny made a helpless gesture at the mirror, but the mirror neither could respond, or chose not to. With a more impertinent gesture, the mirror reluctantly shimmered and revealed was an image of a simple cake shop, situated in a familiar part of Canterlot. “I guess I should see if she’s settled in.” He headed to the door and reached out with a hand. The hand paused at the door. Something had caught his eye. Benny glanced down at a row of simple Nixie tubes that jutted from the dresser underneath the mirror. The lights glowed, shedding warm neon light from the flickering displays. On another occasion, Benny would admire the homely feel of those tubes, but at the moment, he was more preoccupied with what was displayed. “Oh this is bad,” he mumbled to himself. “Really bad.” There are many things Benny could be accused of, but subtlety was not one of those things. ————— In all the years that Celestia had lived, nothing could prepare her for an assault of this magnitude. “Princess! There are monsters lurking in the Everfree, I think some have migrated to White Tail Woods!” “Princess! There’s an incursion of dragons on the Eastern border! They intend to make the same demands as before.” “Princess! There’s been movement in the North, should we go investigate?” “Princess! I have a problem with the division of boundaries between lands.” Celestia opened her mouth and closed it again, did they expect her to do all at once? Luckily, Luna was there to lend some assistance. “I will deal with the fouling incursion, fret not. Monsters in the forests are of no accord. Send a party to the North.” Celestia nodded, impressed that Luna had taken on so many duties. She flushed, thinking that Luna was so much more capable than she gave her credit for. A shard of guilt lodged itself in her heart. Perhaps it was because she never gave her own sister a chance? She stiffened. As soon as she got back, amendments were to be made. Luna glanced up at Celestia. “Would you like to rule on the last petition?” Celestia nodded. “Why don’t we talk and work it out?” she said gently, falling back into her role easily. The two ponies, glanced at each other uneasily. “Princess… we merely came so that you may grant us a request?” Celestia was confused, but didn’t let it show. “And that would be?” The one on the left, who had been silent until now, coughed politely. “The Arena, of course.” The one on the right nodded easily. “Yes, the Arena.” Celestia glanced at Luna who nodded in encouragement. Well, it seemed like the right move. “Granted,” Celestia said slowly. Both bowed deeply. “Thank you, Princess,” they said in unison, then left. As the doors closed, Celestia sat back. “Well, that wasn’t so bad,” she said more to herself than Luna. “I’m glad, sister, that thee hath decided to grant them the Arena,” Luna remarked. Celestia straightened. “Yes, by the way, what is the Arena?” “Surely thou knowest of the Arena, sister,” Luna said. “You hath seemed sure of yourself.” Celestia shook her head mutely. “What is the Arena?” she repeated. Luna grinned. “I expect there shall be a fight.” “W-What?” Celestia said. “L-Luna?” Luna gave her sister a quizzical look. “Surely you remember the purpose of the Arena? Thou hadst created it thyself.” “Remind me,” Celestia said her voice faltering over the last word. “Why the first to best thee in a fair fight will earn the right of a favour,” Luna explained with a proud grin. “Though none hath ever beaten thee in combat. I am sure you will prevail.” Luna skipped forward, oblivious to the growing panic etched across her sister’s face. “Oh this is bad,” Celestia muttered to herself. “Really bad.”