As Celestia and Cadance stared at one another, the ticking of a clock was the only sound in the room. Being the only sound during the staring match, it seemed to possess a strange magic all of its own, growing louder and louder with each passing second, until each tick and tock was a thunderous sound that made velvety ears twitch with the passing time.
It was Celestia who broke the uncomfortable silence. “I just wanted to know what you two talked about, that’s all.”
“And I can’t tell you, I’m sorry.” Cadance’s eyes became apologetic. “If Gosling wants to tell you, he can. But I can’t.”
“But we’re to be married… I’m close to him… I need to know if he’s okay… I need to know how to help him—”
“And I need to respect his right to confidentiality.” Cadance’s lower lip protruded as she stood up to her aunt. “I’m sorry, but this is one instance where you just can’t have your way.” As Cadance spoke, she took a step forward and held her head up as high as possible.
It was Celestia who backed off, her ears pinning back, and she took a step backwards. “I didn’t mean what I said earlier in the way that you took it. Look, I’m just worried, okay? I’m sorry. We shouldn’t fight about this.”
“No, we shouldn’t,” Cadance replied, agreeing with her aunt and relaxing her defiant posture a bit. “He’s asleep. Our meeting exhausted him. He had a lot to say and in his current condition, talking takes a lot of effort. Once he wakes up, I’m certain he’ll want to talk to you.”
Celestia took a step forward, drawing closer to Cadance. “You set Luna and I up…”
“Yes I did. I told you, leaving something in the past isn’t the same as dealing with it. You forced my hoof… next time, take responsibility and deal with your issues and I won’t have to get involved.” Cadance stepped forwards, tilted her head to one side, and kissed Celestia on the cheek. “Sisters share a special love, and like any other love, it needs nurturing and tending. Now that the scab has been torn off, we can let the poison drain out and get some healing going. Luna’s already agreed to some therapy.”
“And I intend to follow through with my promise.” Celestia looked down into Cadance eyes as the two mares stood snoot to snoot. “I suppose you’ll be heading home now that you are done here.”
“Nope, I have to go and talk with Skyfire Flash. My work isn’t finished.” Cadance blinked and turned away from Celestia. She stood, blinking, one ear bobbing, and her tail swished around her hind legs. “It isn’t going to be easy. I’m hoping that Sleet has softened her up a bit.”
“What?” Celestia shook her head, not comprehending what she had just heard. “I’m sorry, but what?” A growing tightness in Celestia’s barrel was accompanied by a feeling of alarm. “You left Sleet with Skyfire?”
“She needed somepony,” Cadance said, sounding defensive, “her own mother didn’t want anything to do with her and neither did her father. She’s scared out of her mind right now. She’s alone, and scared, and pregnant, and she feels that her entire life is over and Sleet has been there, right where Skyfire is right now, and Sleet agreed to look after her and scratch her nose and get her drinks because Skyfire is still tied down in the bed and Sleet has shown an amazing level of understanding about the whole thing and everypony should be a bit more like Sleet and Equestria would be a better place.” Cadance sucked in a deep breath and let it out in a huff, her lips flapping and making a flatulent sound.
“Sleet is okay with looking after her?” Celestia asked in an incredulous voice.
“Well, when I first asked her, she was a bit miffed, but Sleet is driven by maternal morality. Once I appealed to that, it was easy. She caved.” Cadance shifted from her left hooves to her right hooves and then back again. “She’s been there, right where Skyfire is right now.”
Flummoxed, Celestia changed the subject. “About getting Gosling’s ears fixed—”
“Let me stop you right there,” Cadance said in a soft voice, “before you say anything else, that’s not going to be easy. I’ll let you talk to him and maybe you can talk some sense into him. You’ll find out his reasons soon enough.”
“He doesn’t want magical healing?” Celestia’s brows creased. “I swear by the sun, I am going to slap some sense into that colt. He’s stubborn and proud—”
“Which is why I put the two of you together… I wanted you to get a feeling of what it is like for others when they have to deal with you.” Cadance leveled her stare upon her aunt and there was no trace of a smile upon her muzzle. None at all.
“I’m not that bad,” Celestia said in her own defense as she glowered at her niece.
“Well, neither is he.” Cadance’s eyelids settled over her eyes, leaving them narrowed, and her pupils were black half-circles beneath them.
“Cadance, darling, I think those mommy hormones of yours—”
“Are making me irritable?” Cadance snapped. “Or maybe, just maybe, I’m frustrated because some ponies hold themselves to a different standard than they do others.” Cadance blinked. “When you’re stubborn, you’re tenacious and brave and steadfast. When other ponies are stubborn, they’re just being difficult, frustrating, and unreasonable. It always rubs you wrong when somepony is stubborn against you and what you want.”
Ears drooping down, Celestia flinched. “You’re right.”
“And so are you.” Cadance’s flinty expression softened. “I think the mommy hormones are getting to me. I feel all kinds of unreasonable anger about the fact that my uppity alicorn uterus betrayed me somehow.”
“What do you mean, Cadance?” Celestia asked, confused by Cadance’s words.
“I was on the pill.” Cadance let out a snort and rolled her eyes. “I was on the pill and somehow, this still happened. And I might have lied to Shining Armor just a little bit and told him that I planned this and now, I’m trying to figure out a way to be honest and come clean, because my conscience is eating at me like little nibbly piranhas.”
“What’s a piranha?” Now looking even more confused, Celestia extended a wing and touched Cadance on the neck, trying to comfort her.
“They’re a carnivorous fish with a rapacious appetite. Daring Do encounters some and she drops a bad guy into a river full of piranhas and in minutes, they strip all of the flesh from his bones.” Cadance’s ears perked up a bit at her aunt’s touch.
“That sounds ghastly. Nature is so fascinating.” Celestia cleared her throat. “I’ll have to go and read about them.”
“I need to go and check on Flurry and then I need to get to work with Skyfire.” Cadance put on her best professional face. “You need to schedule an appointment for some face time with a therapist.”
“Okay, I promise I will. Things are busy at the moment.”
“Things are always busy,” Cadance replied.
“Things are busier than usual. I give you my word that when things calm down a bit, I will make a real effort to get myself straightened out, okay?” Celestia looked her niece in the eye.
“I have your word?” Cadance asked.
“You do,” Celestia replied.
“Super secret alicorn promise?” Cadance’s eyes narrowed again and her ears angled forwards.
“Cross my heart and swear on my horn, may all of my feathers turn into candy corn.” Celestia cringed as she spoke the most sacred of all promises. “Really, Cadance, this is as bad as ‘Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs—”
“Not another word!” Cadance snapped in a commanding voice. “I will not have the sacred words profaned!” Cadance lifted one long, gangly foreleg, reached up, and booped her aunt on the nose. “I’m going, before you mess things up. Say goodbye, Auntie.”
“Goodbye, Auntie,” Celestia said with as much snark as she dared to muster.
The two mares began giggling, came together, and touched necks for a moment. Celestia wrapped her wings around Cadance, pulled her closer, and gave her niece a kiss on the cheek.
“Go and do what you do best,” Celestia whispered as she gave Cadance a squeeze, “and know I love you.”
The two mares stood looking at each other, one looking up, the other looking down, and once more, silence had arrived like an unwanted and unwelcomed guest to make things difficult. Celestia could not help but notice that Sleet looked tired and in need of rest. All of this had to be difficult for her—and somehow, she managed.
“Sleet…” Celestia’s single spoken word was hesitant and drawn out.
“Yeah?” The smaller mare yawned and covered her mouth with her foreleg.
“I won’t keep you… I’d imagine you’re eager for a break and maybe something to eat. Or some coffee. But I would like to thank you. You did something very nice and what you did says a lot about your character.” Celestia lowered her head so that she could be down at eye level with the pegasus that she had a growing respect for.
“She’s just a scared, stupid filly that made some dumb choices… what could I do?” Sleet’s eyes began to glimmer with tears. “She hurt my son and I’m still really angry… but what could I do?” Sleet wiped her nose and her eyes with her foreleg and turned away. “I gotta go. I’m sorry, I don’t want to be disrespectful, but I can’t talk right now.”
Sleet turned away and then hurried off, heading down the hallway, her hooves clicking upon the tiles. Celestia watched her go, admiring her strength and wishing that somehow she could offer a little comfort. She thought of Blueblood as Sleet departed and her heart ached for him as well.
It was easy to see where Gosling got his convictions from. Some ponies talked, others lived by example. Letting out a weary sigh, Celestia decided to go and check in with Raven to find out what was going on. She had spent the day slacking off and she was a bit worried about the state of things.
Looking up, Gosling could not remember ever seeing such a perfect night sky. Stars, billions and billions of them, were visible. The moon shone with a silvery light. He stood in a clearing with tall, damp grass, which tickled his frogs and left his legs feeling wet. The night air was cool and there was a pleasant breeze.
He sniffed, taking in the rich scents around him; loam, the smell of the forest, the faint smell of rotting wood, the smell of the grass, and the smell of woodsmoke. The smoke came from a ramshackle stone cottage some distance away. The cottage was of an old design, it had a sod roof and the grass was both tall and green. A round window next to the front door spilled out warm, inviting light.
Something else was in the air, something like… cinnamon. He couldn’t remember how he had come to this place, but here he was. He felt himself drawn towards the cottage, some invisible force compelled him to go. For him, the door would open. How he knew this, he did not know.
He moved without stumbling, without loss of balance, he moved without nausea, or discomfort, or pain in his ears as he headed for the door. He felt light, airy, and he moved with a swiftness that surprised him. The wet grass clung to his legs and water droplets sparkled like diamonds in the moonlight.
Inside the cottage, he heard laughter. His ears perked as he approached the door. He could hear voices, low, squeaky, somewhat shrill voices. The voices of fillies, and maybe a few squeaky colt voices as well. Intrigued, he closed the distance.
As he drew near, the door opened and a strange yet familiar face peered out at him. Warm teal eyes stared up at him. The strange flowing ethereal mane was gone, replaced with one of light blue, and a short, stubby horn protruded from her forehead. A peaceful smile could be seen upon her lips.
“Oh, thou art much too big,” Luna said to Gosling.
“I am?” Gosling asked, feeling a little confused.
“Not to worry, it can be fixed,” Luna replied. “I am most glad you got my invitation.”
“Invitation?” Gosling peered through the doorway and saw a group of foals gathered around a large table made of heavy wooden beams. He could smell treats, pastries, baked goods, and tea. The smell was mouth watering.
“Many of the foals in the infirmary are napping. We’re having a tea party. Many of the poor dears are far too miserable to have one in the waking world, so we have them here, away from pain, suffering, distress, and discomfort.”
“Oh.” Gosling tilted his head and looked down at Luna.
“Handsome Prince Gosling, would you come and join us?” Luna asked.
Ears perking, Gosling heard giggling from inside. He looked down at Luna and tried to piece everything together. Even when Luna was sleeping, she was working. He blinked and tried to think of something witty to say, feeling that he owed her the best parts of himself.
But no witty words came. Instead, what Gosling said was something very simple. “I would be honoured.” Even as the words were leaving his mouth, the world around him grew larger. The doorway now towered above him, and Luna, who was a filly, now seemed about the same size as he was. The wooden door was huge. The tall grass now tickled his belly and his neck.
“Come, Gosling, and be on your best behaviour. We have to set an example. What we show these foals now will stay with them as they grow into adults. So be the good pony that my sister and I know you to be.”
Nodding, Gosling stepped through the door and felt Luna brush up beside him. He stuck out his head and nuzzled Luna’s neck with his muzzle. He felt her pull away and he heard her giggling.
“Ew, he touched you and now you have cooties,” a filly sitting at the table said to Luna.
As Luna lead him to the table, Gosling laughed.