//------------------------------// // Sugar-Butt // Story: A Fork in Time // by Pav Feira //------------------------------// Celestia affixed one final document with her signature, placed it in her outbox, and stretched her neck from side to side. A gentle breeze swept in from her balcony, carrying in the sound of chirping songbirds. Everything just felt brighter, as if somepony had taken the film of life and oversaturated the colors. The whole ordeal with Glitter-Flanks had been taxing in its own right, but thanks to her, Celestia felt like she had discovered a brand new friend in Twilight. Her paperwork was done for the afternoon. Perhaps she could spend more time getting to know her friend even closer. A sharp rapping at the door broke her reverie. “Your Highness? May I enter? Please?” “Rain Storm?” Celestia rose from her writing desk and crossed her chamber. “Of course. Is something the matter?” She opened the door to find Rain Storm standing outside, his face cast in a bright-pink hue. It complimented quite nicely with the item he was levitating beside him: a sheer pink teddy on a hanger. Celestia froze, staring at the recognizable garment, wrought from the fires of Tartarus itself. “Wha…” Rain Storm cleared his throat in a loud, extended effort. “I, uh, I was instructed to return this… outfit, Your Highness.” “I see.” Celestia tightened her jaw. “How did you come across that, if I might ask?” “P-Princess Twilight dropped it off this morning,” he said, his blush turning luminescent. “We were able to wash out all of the stains. From the wine.” He swallowed the lump in his throat before continuing. “And as you can see, we were able to repair it. You can’t even notice the stitching.” Don’t ask. Do not ask him. Ignorance is bliss. Don’t. Celestia sighed. “Stitching?” “From the, umm…” Rain Storm tightened his stance at attention, focusing everything into his professional training. “The garment was given to us… ripped. Down the entire length, Your Highness.” Celestia let out a slow, painful sigh, and brought a hoof to her face. “Rain Storm, I would like to assure you that there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this.” “Yes, Your Highness.” Shaking her head, she raised one of her hooves, holding it about a head above her. “Princess Twilight. When she delivered the… outfit to you this morning, you must have noticed she was much taller than usual? With her mane in a different style?” “Your Highness?” Rain Storm blinked vacantly at Celestia, before holding his hoof only slightly above his own head. “Princess Twilight appeared much as when I let her into your chambers last night.” He inhaled with a hiss, as though he’d stepped on a foal’s building blocks. “I-I mean, I wasn’t meaning to insinuate—” “Rain Storm?” Celestia cut him off before he dug himself any further, and smiled reassuringly. “Thank you for returning the outfit. Is there anything else?” He licked his lips and shifted his weight on his hooves. “Your Highness, as one of your loyal guards, I would just like to stress that your privacy is always our highest concern. If there is anything—” “Of course, Rain Storm. Thank you.” “Yes, Your Highness.” Rain Storm bowed sharply, turned, and retreated as fast as his professional training would allow. Celestia closed the doors behind him, scrunched up her muzzle, and tossed the teddy onto her bed. “Alright, Sparkle.” She grabbed a fresh parchment and a quill from her desk, floated them in front of her, and stared at them a moment. A gleeful smirk crossed her face, and she began to write. “You brought this one on yourself.”