//------------------------------//
// Duty 
// Story: Death Mansion 
// by Masterweaver 
//------------------------------//

	Celestia looked at the papers spread out in front of her, sighing in resignation.

"Why, whatever is the matter?" Luna asked her sister.

Celestia looked up. "You know how it was in the old days? Every ten years we'd go about to noble families, get their oaths of fealty, kick out the corrupt ones or whatever, and hop on back home in time for a feast." She waved her hoof across the papers scattered across the ground. "Nowadays, though, they've wrapped themselves up in the economy and enough political shenanigans that we need to get their oaths just to keep things stable--that, or be ready to replace them, because otherwise it'll be pure chaos." A low groan left her lips. "Even then, sometimes it's just impossible to extract them from the system..."

Luna quirked an eyebrow. "Ah, the joys of running a government. Do you know, the minotaurs have actually experimented with a republic of democratically elected executives?"

"Yes, I'm aware," Celestia grumbled. "Unfortunately, trying to switch over would cause a revolution, and we're already unstable enough with all the ancient threats returning and Twilight's new princesshood... I'll have to wait a generation or two. At least most of the nobles live in Canterlot these days..."

She began flicking papers into three different stacks, mumbling under her breath. Luna trotted closer, looking over her shoulder. "Might I be of assistance?"

"Mmm, sure. This stack is for ponies we have to slash want to keep on, this stack is for ponies we can cut, and this stack is for ponies that don't live in the city--the law requires a princess go visit them before we decide what to do with them."

"And... you don't need to check on Canterlot?"

Celestia grinned broadly. "There is a little loophole there; if they've attended the Grand Galloping Gala and just so happen to live in the city, it counts as a visitation." She peered at one paper, frowning a bit. "Unfortunately, the ones that catch on happen to be incredibly crafty, in my experience... I'm going to have to give Fleur a personal visit and make sure she hasn't gone into organized crime again."

"Mmm. Oh!" Luna held up a paper. "I was unaware Cadance came from a noble family!"

"She's a founder, actually. I was rather forced to give her a title after, well... after she grew a horn." Celestia shook her head. "Quite an uproar, all told--she didn't have any land to her name until the crystal empire returned, but she was considered a noble in training."

"Ah, that does make sense. And what of Twilight Sparkle?"

"Funny thing, actually. She came up with all her paperwork signed and dotted a week ago. All I need to do is visit her palace and give the official speech."

"Hmm. We'd expect nothing less of such an organized mare."

"Indeed."

The two of them sorted through the papers in amicable silence for a while longer.

Eventually, though, Luna found something that surprised her. "Ah... Sister?"

"Yes?"

"...do my eyes deceive me, or... is the Death family still considered part of the nobility?"

Celestia winced. "Oh dear. I'd almost forgotten about them, I had Cadance go last time..."

"I would have thought that, well, after the whole thing with... the wights--"

"The then-current lord Death made quite a convincing argument," Celestia explained.

"Really?"

"...yes. You see, he, ah, pointed out how there would always be some ponies who were tempted to use dark magics, and, well, it would be better if we knew how dark magic actually worked than to cut off research entirely. He... may have cited your transformation as a case study," Celestia added awkwardly, "this was... shortly after, you know, I, ah... enforced your leave of absence. As it were."

Luna frowned. "I see."

She gave the paper a once over.

"...I suppose what's done is done. They are still responsible in their experimentation, I presume?"

"Oh, certainly!" Celestia nodded rapidly. "In fact, given this whole thing--why don't you go visit them? I mean, a princess is going to have to anyway, and I'll be busy with Fleur's potential criminal empire--"

"I do not think I would be comfortable around ponies researching dark magic," Luna replied, putting the paper down carefully. "In point of fact, I would prefer to claim Cadance's paperwork."

Celestia deflated. "I... see. Well, I suppose that's fair enough, I can't really... force you to take on that responsibility...."

The darker alicorn narrowed her eyes. "...you don't seem too fond of visiting them yourself."

"Well, no! I mean--" Celestia cringed. "If they just researched dark magic, that would be fine. But they seem to go deliberately out of their way to act... unnatural." She shivered. "Nothing illegal--at least, nothing I can pin down--but their mansion is just strange and they just... Luna, I only had two real kinds of nightmares while you were gone. The first was that another pony I loved would succumb to, you know, what you did--or, you know, that you wouldn't ever be freed--and the second was visiting that mansion." She hugged herself. "The things I've seen there..."

Luna frowned. "I see... Well, it would seem we are at an impasse. You do not want to go, I... am still nervous around dark magic, Cadance is off in the crystal empire--"

She stopped, her eyes widening.

"...Luna? Luna, what are you--" Celestia eyes also snapped wide. "Oh. No. Nononono, we can't do that to her. No."

"Well... it's either her or you."

Celestia took a breath, let it out slowly. "No, I... I can't. I can visit Death Mansion. It.... it'll be like all the other times, except this time I didn't think about it so I didn't purchase my tea blend that would steel me up for it, so I'll be completely exposed to the whole horror the whole time I'm there and... and..."

She shivered.

"...and I can't do this. I can't go there. I shouldn't have been going so regularly..."

Luna rose her eyebrow.

With a tiny whimper, Celestia took the paper form her and grabbed a blank sheet. "Oh, I'm so, so sorry Twilight..." Her quill descended.

To my beloved former student, Twilight Sparkle...