Optimus knelt on the banks of the lake they’d been abducted from. He dipped his blade below the surface, letting the clear waters wash away the energon coating his sword. Then he felt something round and hard rest on his shoulder. “Are you alright?” Celestia asked. Optimus kept staring at the reflection, as the last energon on his blade passed through it.
“I am fine, Celestia, just disappointed. I’d hoped the Changelings would be my chance to undo some of the damage done by our war, to prove to myself my race is meant for more than destruction, but now that their chansellor is dead, I doubt they’ll be willing to accept the help of any of Cybertronians, regardless of faction,” he told her as he retracted his blade. He stood, removing his mask as the ends of his mouth crept upwards ever so slightly. “The relic should not be far, if you’re still interested in pursuing it,” he said.
Celestia gave him a confused look, before shrugging her shoulders as she too adopted a thin smile. He changed forms, once again opening a door to let her in. She climbed inside, puzzled as he closed his door with the utmost gentleness.
A bead of sweat ran down Celestia’s brow.
“Optimus, can you stop. I’m not feeling so well?” she asked. Optimus obliged, grunting as Celestia used her magic to throw his door open. She lunged out of his chassy, only to fall flat on her face. She tried to sand, only to wobble and fall again. She began to panic as she lost the ability to tell up from down, as well as see double. She clutched her stomach with her hooves, desperately holding down her last meal. Disturbed, Prime changed forms, rushing to her side. She began wheezing as her eyes darted about. Optimus knelt beside her, lifting her out of the dirt, though she couldn’t tell what he was doing as she’d lost feeling in most of her body.
Prime stared at the pony in his arms. She looked up at him, her deep purple eyes filled with terror, silently begging for help. He may have know little about ponies, but it was evident she needed medical aid immediately. He wracked his processor as he considered his options.
“Optimus, help me,” she pleaded in a weak voice.
“Ratchet! I need an emergency ground-bridge to Smokescreen’s coordinates now!” he shouted into his comlink.
“Optimus? I thought we were assuming com-link silen-”
“NOW!” he barked. Suddenly, a blue and green vortex appeared in front of him. He held Celestia close to his chest before he charged through the portal in a blur of speed, instantly arriving in the royal palace. Smokescreen, Luna, Twilight, and two guards sat at a medium sized table, with tea and small sandwiches laid out upon it.
Twilight instantly sprang into action, lifting Celestia up with her magic, and sweeping aside their lunch. Luna dropped her teacup when she saw Prime, freezing in place as the porcelain shattered on the marble floor. “Get a royal physician, now!” she ordered. The guards heeded her command, nearly slamming into each other as they trotted off. “Optimus, what happened?” she questioned as she laid her mentor out on the table.
“I truly wish I knew,” he answered. Twilight examined Celestia’s whole body horn to hoof, checking for something, anything that might have done this too her. Then she looked at her rear hoof, gasping as she discovered two small, swollen puncture wounds.
“A snakebite?” she said, puzzled. Optimus’ eyes widened in realization.
“She was bitten by a changeling!” he told her. “We were captured by an enclave a day ago. She must have been bitten as we escaped.”
“Changeling's, of course! How could I have not seen it before,” Twilight scolded herself. Just then the royal physician entered the room, recoil in as he saw the princess laying on the table before him.
“Princess Twilight, what’s the matter?” he asked, unsure what he should do.
“I’m sorry doctor, but your services won’t be needed,” Twilight said as she turned to Optimus. “I need you to call Ratchet and tell him to find Zecora; if anypony knows the antidote to changeling venom it’s her.”
Prime heeded her command, though his voice faded away as she turned back to her mentor. “Luna, I need you to get a towel and cool water,” she said. Luna nodded before galloping out of the room. Moments later, another ground-bridge opened, and after another moment more, Zecora stepped through. She placed her hoof over her mouth and wobbled, then righted herself.
“I was going to get some food, when Rainbow Dash came to me in a panicked mood. She said that Celestia had become sick, and I needed to come to Canterlot quick,” she told Twilight.
“We think she’s been bitten by a changeling. We were hoping you’d have a cure,” Twilight said.
The zebra set about examining the princess just as Twilight had done, humming as she stoked her chin. She looked at the bite on the princess’s hoof, then opened her mouth and placed some herbs from her saddlebags within.
“Is she going to be alright?” Twilight asked.
“Changeling venom is meant to keep their prey still, so they may extract love, not kill,” she told the young alicorn. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“Tell me Prime, is their village’s location your recollection? I would love some changeling venom in my collection,” she asked.
“I’m...afraid I can’t call it to memory”, he lied.
“Oh well, ‘it’s no big,’ as they say. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must be on my way,” she said.
“Understood. Ratchet-”
“Though your gestures is quite kind, I think I’ll take the train, if you don’t mind,” Zecora told him nervously, already turning green.
“Very well,” Prime said kindly. The Zebra exited, as well as the physician, leaving the three princesses alone with Prime. The Autobot put a gentle hand on Twilight’s shoulder. She looked up to see a warm silver smile hanging over her.
“You’ve done well, Twilight. When she wakes up, I’m certain Celestia will be proud of you,” he told her, causing a slight pink hue to appear in her otherwise lavender cheeks.
Luna returned from her expedition, panting as she carried four towels and six glasses of water in her magical grip. “I have what you requested Twilight. What should I do with them?” she asked. Twilight took the items from the princess, putting down the water and strategically placing the towels on various parts of Celestia’s body. All the while, Luna loomed over her shoulder, her face laden with concern.
“Zecora said she’ll be fine in a few hours, she just needs some rest,” Twilight told her. Luna breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
“Thank you Twilight,” she said, wrapping a hoof around her young counterpart.
“I didn’t even do that much, but you're welcome anyway,” Twilight said.
Luna released her, turning to Prime. “And thank you Optimus Prime. If it was not for you, I wouldn’t have a sister,” she told him.
“I need no thanks,” he said, looking down at the unconscious Celestia. “I’m only glad she will be alright.”
“As am I. Now, I must ask both of you to leave. I need to have a word with my sister in private,” she told Twilight and Prime. The two exchanged a glance, before Optimus climbed off the balcony. Twilight followed him, hovering not far from his shoulder.
Luna took a seat next to her sister, patiently waiting for her to wake up. She placed a hoof on her shoulder, smiling warmly. “I love you, sister. Know I do what I am about to do because of that,” she said, before kissing her lovingly.
---------------
Optimus strode through the palace’s garden, following his young companion as she fluttered in front of him. “So, are you heading back out?” Twilight asked.
“No, I think I’m going to wait for Celestia,” he answered.
“Why?” Twilight asked again.
"The other Autobots are needed in Ponyville, and I feel as though I’ll need her help to retrieve the relic,” he explained.
“Well, while you wait,” She flew over a golden railing, landing on the railing it was attached to. She walked into the room behind her, returning a moment later with a large chest. chests he opened it with her magic, revealing a large stack of scrolls. “you can read these if you want. You’ll probably think they’re probably really boring, but they might teach you about our world,” she told him.
“Thank you, Twilight,” he said, taking one of the scrolls. The lavender alicorn trotted away, leaving Prime alone.
“Dear Princess Celestia,” he read.
---------------
Celestia slowly came to, instantly wishing she was asleep as she felt her brain trying to beat its way out of her head. “Here sister, drink some water,” a familiar voice told her. She opened her eyes, seeing a glass of water surrounded by a navy blue aura floating in front of her face. She grabbed the glass with her own magic, pouring it into her muzzle.
“Feeling well?” Luna asked.
“Yes, thank you Luna,” she said. She sat up, only to have a towel flop down over her eyes. She giggled, removing it with her magic. As she did so, she saw a pair of angry blue eyes staring at her. She suddenly felt the temptation to put the towel back on her face.
“Tell me, dear sister, is this a habit you’ve developed during my absence?” Luna questioned harshly.
“What do you-”
“You know what I mean! Abandoning your royal duties!” the younger sister shouted, all but slipping into the Royal Canterlot Voice. “Running off with Spike to find a telescope lens! Fighting cockatrices! These are jobs for merchants and footsoldiers, not princesses! We are needed to run the state, not go on fanciful treks,” she turned away from Celestia, snorting as she paced back and forth. “And let us not forget the time you disappeared into the mirror portal.”
“Now hold on a minute Luna! That was-” Yet again, the younger princess cut her sister off.
“Insane! Do you have any idea how worried I was?! You didn’t even tell me where you were going! And then you came back half dead! Actually, now that I think about it, maybe I should be grateful for this little excursion. He may have brought you back half dead, but at least I knew where you were going. Seems he’s doing better than S-”
“Don’t you dare insult him!” In an instant, Celestia was on her hooves, her eyes locked with Luna’s. “You know, I’m not the only one who has secret little adventures, or did you forget about the Tantibus?” Celestia questioned.
“At least my ‘adventure’ was born from a quest for penance, not a cheap thrill or a coltfrie-”
Luna’s heart skipped a beat. She recoiled in horror as she saw Celestia’s cocked hoof. Tears streamed down her older sister’s face, and she ground her teeth in anger. There was a soft ‘gugh’ sound each time her throat moved. Suddenly, Luna realized what she’d done. Her stomach attempted to turn itself inside out as she felt a wave of guilt rush over her. Then, without warning, Celestia fell upon Luna, enveloping her in a massive hug.
“I’m sorry Luna,” she said, before she started balling. Luna slowly wrapped a forehoof around her older sister, still reeling from the shock of what she’d done. She felt something wet run down her cheek. She gently pushed her sister back onto the table, placing a comforting hoof on her shoulder.
“No sister, I’m the one who needs to apologize, that outburst was uncalled for. I just worry about you” she confessed to her sister. “When we were younger, I thought you untouchable. Even after you sent me to them moon, I still believed you were nigh invincible, but now, after Chrysalis, the plunderseeds, your alternate version, and Twilight’s trip to the alternate futures, I’m scared I’ll lose you.”
Celestia again seized her sister, wrapping her soft wings around her, and snuggling affectionately. Realizing there was no escape, Luna embraced her older sister, losing herself in a warm sea of white.
“Sister, do you remember when we used to take our ‘Royal Tours?’” Celestia asked.
Luna placed a hoof to her chin, struggling to call back the memories. “Ah yes, I remember! We would go into the city streets and help ponies with our magic. If I recall correctly, you once gave a blind filly her eyesight,” Luna paused to giggle. “the first thing she saw was you nearly falling on her after you fainted from exhaustion...Now that I think of it, we haven’t done one of those since I returned, why is that?”
Celestia hesitated, swallowing as she held back tears. “Well, after your banishment, I was overcome with grief for the next three centuries. I began to binge drink and eat, and assigned most of the royal duties to my aids. Anything that previously involved you became too painful for me to bear, including the Royal Tours. After a while, every pony just forgot about them,” Celestia explained. She chuckled quietly. “I retreated more and more into my castle; became more of a myth than a flesh and blood pony.”
“So all this time, you’ve merely been trying to reconnect with our subjects?” Luna asked.
“Well, not with the telescope lens; that was to thank Twilight, but I do feel guilty about abandoning them. That’s why I went with Spike to fight the cockatrices, and into the mirror,” she told her. Suddenly, she saw a tear run down Luna’s face. “Don’t start blaming yourself! It’s all my fault, not yours.”
“Do not worry sister, I’ve moved past my guilt. I’m just sorry for being so cruel,” she said.
“It’s alright Luna. You were right, I haven’t been completely honest with you since your return, but I’m changing that now, understand?” Celestia lamented.
“I understand sister,” Luna told her. Her sister looked down at her, smiling widely.
“If you still want me to stay, than I will,” she told her.
“And endanger the relic for my safety? Never,” Luna answered. Celestia cocked her head, confused. “Besides, is this not your royal duty?” Suddenly, Celestia understood.
"I love you Luna," she said, nuzzling her gently.
"As do I sister," Luna responded.
“Very well than, little sister, I must be off,” she said, releasing Luna from her pleasantly soft grip.
“Do take care sister of yourself sister,” the younger sister ordered.
“I will Luna, I will,” Celestia assured her.
“Yes, I know; you have big strong Optimus to protect you,” Luna teased. Celestia chuckled quietly, before taking a running start and leaping off the balcony.
---------------
“-Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,” Optimus read as he finished another report. He gently resealed the scored, before placing it back in the chest. Suddenly, a dark shadow passed over him.
“Enjoying yourself?” a voice asked. Prime stood, turning to see Celestia standing on her balcony. The princess looked down into the box, her eyes widening slightly as she realized he’d read every letter Twilight had ever sent her. “Ready to go?” she asked.
“Of course,” he answered, changing forms. She jumped off her balcony, using her wings to slowly land on his back. “Ratchet,” he called. “open the ground bridge.” Moments later, the large blue portal appeared directly in front of them. Prime drove through, allowing it to close behind him. From another balcony, Luna watched them leave.