Light. Some are drawn towards it, hypnotized by its radiance, artificial or natural. Some, however, are repulsed by it, comforted by the black embrace of darkness. The latter is all I had known for the past two and a half weeks; my sleep was dreamless, but at the same time, I could just make out some visions. They were never in reach; they were a blur, forever encoded to me. And on a random day during the beginning of the week, I met an old friend again, and Celestia, was I drawn to it.
That was unfortunate, because when the room was first full of it when I woke up, it felt like my retinas were on fire. I hadn't the slightest clue why, but the last thing on my mind was figuring it out. I quickly stumbled over to the blinds in my room, shielding my eyes the best I could, and clumsily shut them; the relief was immediate.
And so, in the almost complete darkness of the room, I stood.
I was breathing heavily, and sweating, I had realized. It wasn't hard to tell that I still had a bit to go when it came to recovery, and I wasn't quite feeling up to standard as a result. It wasn't too bad, though; Sunglasses would effortlessly solve the light problem, and walking around a bit more after a very long time sleeping (I didn't know exactly how long at this point) would solve that problem. For now, though, I could just do some thinking.
That little incident I had was almost very, very bad; not only that, but I passed out in front of an entire class of ponies at Celestia's own school, none the less. That was regrettable, but not nearly as bad as that time I made up my own friendship problem; that day will always sit on my own personal wall of shame as the absolute worst day of my entire life. That particular day at the school, however, certainly made a strong case for joining it. At any rate, I was very glad that I was up again, and the only thing I could think of was seeing my friends once more; I certainly needed it.
As I was heading towards the door to walk out of the room, I was surprised to find that it had opened up without me. Into the room came Starlight Glimmer, and when she saw me up, her eyes widened in surprise. Mine did, too, and the very first thing I said to her upon her seeing me awake for the first time became one of our running jokes.
"What in Tartarus did you do to your mane?" I almost shouted. I didn't mean for it come out like that, but I was genuinely shocked. While she used to have a mane that reminded me of my fourth grade teacher's or my grandmother's in her youth, she had it drastically changed. It now resembled Rainbow Dash's, but whereas Rainbow Dash's was very rough and unkempt, this one was unnaturally straightened and well maintain, gleaming in front of me when there was no light to make it shine. It looked fantastic, of course, rivaling even that of Rarity's, but it was just so...different. For now, however, Starlight completely ignored my remark and ran to me full speed, locking me in a hug.
"You're up! Celestia, I was so worried!" she exclaimed, holding on tight. I laughed a bit and gladly returned it, and we held on for quite sometime before releasing. Starlight's smile was contagious, and I couldn't help but grin back at her.
"And as for my mane, I got asked by a little foal standing behind me for an interview for what I presume was his school newspaper while he was standing behind me. When I turned around, he told me he thought I was older and walked away. As it turns out, he was trying to interview older ponies for an assignment from Cheerilee about what life in Equestria was like in the past. I knew then it was time, Twilight; it was time," she said, the last line causing me to laugh.
"Well, it looks fantastic. Hey, you, uh, got any Sunglasses? I could very much use them," I told her. Starlight's eyes widened again.
"Oh! Celestia said it would take a little bit to adjust to everything when you got back up; Sunset left you these to put on," she said. She levitated a pair of glasses on the counter towards me, and I was grateful for them, until I saw the specific pair that was suspended in the air.
It was the first thing Starlight had ever bought with her own money; her pair of sunglasses. They were really cool looking, I had to admit, but I couldn't ever bring myself to wear them; it seemed like a very personal item, and I didn't plan on tainting anything like that. I held my hoof up and shook my head.
"Absolutely not. I'm sorry, but those don't belong to me," I said. Starlight rolled her eyes.
"Sunset thought you might be a bitch about it. She told me specifically that she really wanted you to have them, and she's more stubborn than you, unbelievably. Take them. She's gonna whine about it if you don't wear them," she said. I stared at them for a few more seconds before grabbing them with my magic and donning them. I never wore sunglasses a lot, but whenever I did, I felt like a total badass; I made a mental note to start wearing them more often.
"I'm gonna go tell Sunset you're up; she's just outside talking to somepony. Celestia told me to tell you when you woke up so she could come see you, but...I wanted to leave that up to you," she said. I immediately nodded my consent for the action, as Sunset was right; I needed to talk to her, and desperately. Starlight nodded and ran out the room, and, very slowly, I followed her.
She shot down the stairs in excitement, but I casually walked down them. It was nice to be awake again; The daze I had been in during my sleep wasn't necessarily unpleasant, but not an experience I would recommend partaking in again. When I was halfway down the stairs, I saw another very friendly face; Spike the Dragon, my extremely faithful assistant, reading a comic book with his back to the edge of the stairs. It wasn't until I got to the base of the stairs that I realized exactly what comic it was in particular, and I raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't I tell you you weren't allowed to read The Poison Joke?" I asked. When he heard my voice, he jumped, but after really comprehending what had just happened, he turned around, a grin wider than Starlight's.
"Twilight!" he shouted, before hopping out of his seat and running towards me. He embrace me as well, and I wrapped both my wings around him; when he looked at me, I raised my eyebrows once again.
"You still haven't answered my question," I told him. He looked down to the floor, something he had always done when he was caught doing something he wasn't supposed to.
"Well, I mean, you were asleep for two weeks, a-and I had just finished the Matterhorn v. Radiance: Dawn of Friendship series, a-and Starlight recommended these to me, and I kinda didn't tell her that I wasn't allowed to read them..." he said. I looked over to see Starlight, who had stopped by the door to witness our touching reunion, recoiled in betrayal.
"Dude!" she exclaimed, directing her voice at Spike. When I gave her the very same look, she held a hoof up in defense before pleading her case.
"It's the graphic novel of our generation, Twilight; he'd be ashamed to call himself a fan of Batmare if he didn't read it! And of course, Spike mentions that you've been asleep for two weeks and that doesn't freak you out?" she said in her defense. I processed her words and then looked to the ground, giving off a long sigh.
"I suppose it's fine, though this doesn't mean you get to read The Dark Horse Returns, you hear me?" I told him. Spike looked at me very awkwardly, as did Starlight, and they both stared at each other, beginning a long silence; I turned back to her again, giving her a "really?" look that, despite my sunglasses, was not held back in the slightest.
"Oh, come on! You can't read Poison Joke and not read Dark Horse! They're quintessential to the Batmare universe! And besides, like, only a few ponies die." At that statement, I held a hoof up in defeat.
"...alright, fine! You can read all of the Batmare comics; I suppose you're old enough now. But I do not want to see you reading any of the Reprimander comics, you hear me? This isn't a free pass," I told him. Grateful that he wasn't in trouble, he nodded eagerly, and with those words, Starlight went outside to go call Sunset in; Spike came up right behind her, and they didn't even call her name before they announced my presence.
"She's up!" they both exclaimed. It took a few seconds, but they moved out of the way, and sure enough, out came Sunset.
I was expecting a third hug, of course, and it started out the same; she ran towards me, said something, and wrapped her front hooves around me. There was something different about it, though, and it probably stemmed from the speech she had given me when I first saw her in the hospital during my extremely momentary period of being awake after the incident. She held on longer than Spike and Starlight, maybe both combined, and when she left go, I saw something I had never expected to see from Sunset; tears. Just a little bit, of course, but they were there, so I gave her a reassuring smile.
"Thanks for the sunglasses, Sunny. I really appreciate them," I told her. She quickly erased all evidence of the water on her face before nodding.
"They look better on you, I promise. Now, we need you to get to Rarity immediately; we don't have a lot of time," she said. I looked at her quizzically, and she smiled even wider.
"Uh, the Grand Galloping Gala is on Saturday! We need to get you ready for it because, well, you're a princess now! Of course, I'd totally get it if you wanna stay here for a while, you know, work on getting back into the groove, but the sooner the better," she remarked. I chuckled and nodded before turning to Spike.
"Spike, take a letter," I told him. I jumped with glee on the inside; I hadn't gotten to say that in a while, and for some reason, hearing it from my own voice gave me a pleasant feeling. He walked over to a nearby counter and grabbed the paper and parchment, waiting for my instructions.
"Tell Celestia I've awoken, and to meet me in my chambers. We have much to discuss."
* * * * * *
Equestrian historians have long debated what made Celestia a good ruler. They've broken down every decision she's ever made, the foreign and domestic policies, the tactics behind battle, and the diction and body language during her most famed speeches; but I'll be the first to tell you that all of it became irrelevant when she was towering above you in the flesh. Her eyes were light with serene joy but hardened from the wisdom of the ruler; he posture relaxed, yet ready to snap into action at a moment's notice. Her frame was serene and graceful, but strong and powerful; in a simple word, perfection.
As a result, there was this stigma; because she was perfect, she'd expect the very same. Perhaps that was the reason I never told her anything; because I, in my mind, was supposed to be perfect like her, when, in reality, Celestia was anything but. Wise, yes. Graceful, yes, but not perfect, and it was only when her behemoth of a frame was towering over me that I finally realized it. Thankfully, she was the first to speak.
"Sunset told me what you said. I did ask you, Twilight, many times, and every time you assured me you were fine. I suppose I was a fool not to see the truth, but...how could I? You've been fantastic," she told me. Her eyebrows were slanted downwards in disapproval, but her face was not tense; it was softened, creating a largely mixed signal. I wasn't sure what my countenance revealed when I spoke back, as I was still wearing the sunglasses, but I'm sure she knew none the less.
"...I know. It was all me. I didn't want to think so, but it was, and it turned out worse than anything I could imagine, even after "lesson zero". I promise it won't happen again," I told her, looking straight into her eyes.
She smiled, and that was the end of it.
She could do that; end something on such a large scale with a smile. When you live forever, you get to practice being a leader for a long time, and oh, how far she had come. I'd like to think I could get half as good as that in a thousand years, and make everypony just instantly trust me with a mere gesture. I hated it, sometimes, but it was true; historians never give Celestia credit for her charm. It was something that, I'm ashamed to say, Luna just didn't have, but it's impossible to blame her for that, of course.
"I'm sure you will. I got what you asked for, by the way," she said. She used her magic to levitate nine objects in my field of vision that I instantly recognized; tickets to the Great Galloping Gala. The sunglasses dulled my vision considerably, but they still managed to gleam like a long lost treasure.
"I'm sure five of them will go to the rest of the elements, and two more to Starlight and Sunset, leaving two left; if any of you have dates or anything, I thought I'd be generous, though I'm sure that won't apply to you," she told me. I looked up at her with a smile.
"Actually, Princess, I am taking a date," I began. "Well, that's the plan, anyways; I haven't exactly asked him yet," I said. Celestia recoiled a bit in surprise, her eyes widening, and gave me a grin that I could only describe as an eight year old filly's upon finding out her friend had a crush.
"Oh, really? Well, I trust your judgement. Does he live here?" she asked me, a mischievous glint in her eye. I shook my head.
"Uh, no, he lives in Canterlot. But I have another question; who's the other one for? I only asked for eight in the letter," I told her. Celestia nodded her head.
"It was Sunset's personal request, actually. I'm curious, too, but I suppose we'll see," she said. I nodded back in understanding, and it was then that another thought came to mind.
"Oh, I have to memorize the greeting for King Sanguis when we meet him at the Gala! I know he shows up every year, and the princesses all have to say the words in Griffonian, and it'll be my first time; oh, what were they? "It est honorem summi, regis Sanguis?" I think that was it," I said. Celestia's cheerful demeanor immediately turned grim, and my face twisted in confusion.
"Well, those are the right words, but I'm afraid we won't be needing them; Excelsi Regis Sanguis Talon will not be attending this year, the first Griffon King or Queen not to do so in my memory. It's very strange; he's come the last three years in a row, merry and happy as he can be, and now, this year, he declines. Not even his staff or any nobles are coming; they've refused outright. They didn't give a reason, and I've written to the king to ask if he's okay; no response," she said. I looked up to the ceiling in thought.
"Well, I'm not surprised," I began. "Sanguis is an odd one, that's for sure. If there was any Griffon King to not show up, it'd be him. It just begs the question of why he wouldn't do so," I said. In response, Celestia merely shrugged.
"Oh well. At any rate, I really should be going back to Canterlot. You said your date was there? Would you like to come back with me?" she asked. I thought about it for a little bit, and determined that Sunset and Starlight could do well without me. I nodded in agreement, and Celestia gave me a warm smile for what had to be the thousandth time in the last five minutes;
Her horn began to glow, and I closed my eyes.