23 - Nostalgia is Resplendent
The imagination had to be what had caused that rainbow-colored blur. Surely Twilight's wings weren't emitting that speed streak on their own whenever they moved in involuntary but gentle reflex. Then again, Pinkie Pie had been doing it earlier and it made Rainbow Dash worry that her trademark colors and abilities were getting served up on a silver platter free of charge. Whatever the hivemind was doing, it was getting out-of-hoof.
“You mean that you can actually change that into whatever you want? More than once?” Rarity asked wide-eyed. She was still skeptical but was making the effort for Twilight.
“Oh, yes,” Chrysalis insisted from her new seat beside the unicorn. Spike had reluctantly given it up and just stood in front of the row. “There's a special material I can make that I can then change into clothing as well. Perhaps one of my most useless skills I learned from my mother. You see, changelings never really need-”
Rarity's squeal of excitement drowned out the rest. “Oo, oo!” she enthused with her odd little coos and bright sparkling eyes. “Just imagine! The most complicated and time-consuming ensembles out of thin air right before the event!”
Chrysalis, as she had attempted to indicate, was never much for fashion. She had tried a few things throughout her life either out of boredom or curiosity but clothing was never something she felt she needed. After all, she could simply transform into whatever she wanted. She didn't even know why her mother taught her the clothing magic. Must have been one of those things only old changelings cared about.
“I don't have any with-”
“Even silk!” Rarity cut her off again.
Spike leaned up to Chrysalis and whispered quickly into her ear. “She's in her own world. Just let her run her course.”
The changeling frowned but nodded a bit and looked back to Rarity who was still sparkling away, devoid of any awareness of her surroundings. Chrysalis sighed and started a new conversation with Spike to pass the time until Rarity was “available” again.
“I'm kind of surprised AJ wasn't interested,” Rainbow mused from across the car. She and Twilight had somehow gotten onto that topic. “How could she consider immortality to be just a chit-chat?”
Twilight shrugged. “She's entitled to her opinion,” she decided on, “and it's not as if she won't find out anyways. Applejack has always been patient like that.”
“Yeah right,” Rainbow blanched. “Maybe when it comes to some things. AJ sure isn't patient when it comes to proving she's better than everypony else.”
“She's never done that, Dashie,” the alicorn defended her absent friend.
The pegasus gave a “pfft” before going on. “Oh yeah? Then why is she always challenging me to stupid contests? She's always trying to make herself look better than me.”
“That's you,” Twilight deadpanned.
Rainbow's mouth was open but it hung like that without uttering anything. Finally, after an added look of “just admit it” from her queen, she confirmed it. “I...yeah...”
“When are you going to loosen up, Dashie?” Twilight switched tracks on the conversation. “I know you want to be different around me. I saw it in your mind. So why don't you?”
Rainbow didn't answer that quickly. The sound of the train tracks clacking seeped in between them at a volume lower than any normal compartment. On top of the special diplomat's car being overly plush, ornate, and clean, it also happened to be built for sound resistance. Twilight didn't like to think how expensive the car had to be or what kind of high-tier ambassadors might be carted around in it. Twilight herself might have been one of those high-tier officials now given her widely-publicized position as princess, but she didn't like to think of that either.
“It's...hard...you know?” Rainbow answered with painfully long pauses.
Twilight could be socially inept at times when it came to reading between the lines. Rarity was certainly better with such things, but the queen would have to be impossibly dense not to get what her blue friend was trying to say. “Habits die hard?” she guessed gently.
Rainbow nodded slow and solemn.
“It's on your own time, Dashie,” Twilight encouraged while being careful to keep her gentle tone. “I'll be happy when you're comfortable. But don't take too long, okay? I like the pony you keep hiding.”
The pegasus caught Twilight wink at her at the end and felt her face light on fire. She felt some kind of heavy emotion in her heart. Only, it wasn't a bad heavy. It was a good heavy. Taking a few days off of weather duty was shaping up to be well worth it already.
Pinkie Pie was laying sideways on the last row of seats during all of this. The back row was actually one complete sofa with cushions so thick that it was practically a mattress and a red so deep it was nearly black. Pinkie was doing well to take half of it up with her spread out form and work that nopony had noticed yet. She was messing with some sort of mechanical-looking pieces and two metal frames that appeared suspiciously like a unicorn's horn and a pegasi's wings.
Canterlot was a great city. There was no doubt of that. Any argument over whether or not “great” should refer to size, population, or class could be left to others for, at the moment, Rarity was recalling how long it could take simply to get from the train station to the castle. And that was to say nothing of all of the crucial stops that had to be made in-between. Nevermind that immortality business. This was Canterlot!
They were on hoof only because Twilight insisted they had made good time in transit and were a bit early. Chrysalis had wondered aloud why this mattered in the slightest and Twilight gave her a small piece of information that few actually knew. Apparently there was a certain time of the day and night that it was best not to disturb the two ruling princesses. Twilight was not explicit about the reason but did suggest sideways that it had to do with the times both sisters were awake and had time to each other.
The actual trip to the castle was not a short one. Nor was it an inconspicuous one. The scene of the newly crowned princess once more in Canterlot accompanied by not only her guards but also a towering changeling would make a good ninety-nine percent of the populace stop dead in their tracks. It made Twilight feel a little guilty when one particular unicorn, a waiter serving the outside tables at an expensive restaurant, actually half tripped and spilled the contents of his tray with a resounding crash. She hadn't intended to be such a distraction but did see in hindsight that her party would be just so.
Sure, there had been rumors about her housing a reformed changeling and even word that it was the former Queen Chrysalis. But seeing something with one's own eyes was worlds more powerful than simply hearing of it, regardless of how true one believed the words to be. Twilight had not considered it as such, but the image of her leading the former changeling queen through the streets made her seem somehow more powerful than she had been before in the public's eyes.
Several of her friends wanted to stop here or there at various points in the city and Twilight simply had to let Rarity have some time at one of the apparel stores on Mane Street. In fact, she had to be left there along with Spike, who was trying to up his game with the mare. Twilight couldn't help but think he deserved an A+ for his effort, nevermind the results. In any case, he'd have better luck communicating with her there since she seemed to have become so engrossed in the latest Canterlot trends that she became oblivious as to the entire reason they were in the city in the first place.
So there the alicorn queen was, once more at the gates of Canterlot Castle. The pearly white stone of the gate and wall was intimidatingly massive. It was easily a dozen ponies high and was decorated all along with engravings of Equestrian history. Only Twilight, who had read countless history books both common and obscure, knew most of the events that the depictions told. There were a few on the farthest end, however, that predated the Canterlot Grand Library's dustiest tomes of history.
Pinkie Pie was on Twilight's left side and Rainbow Dash on her other. Chrysalis towered directly behind her and was looking as relaxed as she could, though there was still a tick at the edge of her mouth and around the corners of her eyes. Something about the place bugged her.
The guards on station at the gate would have easily let in Twilight Sparkle, especially after her ascension to princesshood made her so well known. Still, they hesitated and glanced at each other for some manner of assurance they could not find in themselves. It was obviously the presence of the changeling that bothered them, regardless of any orders they might have been given prior from Celestia relating to the subject.
Chrysalis rolled her eyes. It was a real joke to her that ponies that lacked any kind of uniqueness would make a fuss about a race that was also seemingly without individualism. The guards here, after all, were all either gray or white. They also seemed to share eyes, voices, and bodies that were so uniform that they might as well have been clones.
Finally deciding that any breach of code regarding changeling entrance was somepony else's problem, the guards made the signal to the gatekeepers through a small servants entrance near the main doors. The fact that the large primary stone doors had been closed in the first place was odd to Twilight. She knew for a fact, being Celestia's former private student, that the gates were almost always open. They were open so often, in fact, that some ponies didn't even know there were gate doors.
She and her party stepped through and were not a hoof's distance past the threshold when the gatekeepers, powerful-looking earth pony stallions, closed the stone doors again. The ominous thud that was made upon the seal was unnerving to say the least. Pinkie was oblivious but Chrysalis took on a nervous stance. Twilight noticed simply because it was so uncharacteristic for the normally confident shape-shifter.
The queen leaned close to Chrysalis to say something nopony else in the garden courtyard would hear. “Don't worry. Celestia would never do something bad to you and, besides, you're always safe with me.”
Chrysalis tried for a reassured smile as a response but it didn't come out well and she looked just as concerned.
Rainbow Dash squeezed in between them suddenly. “Personally, I'd be more worried about Pinkie Pie,” she nodded behind them to where the Earth pony was following with her signature bounce. “She's been weird ever since yesterday. And I mean weirder than usual.”
“Something is definitely off,” Twilight agreed but still filed it away as she had done before. She came to Canterlot to address one particular issue and didn't want to get too sidetracked. “I'll look into it later.”
They finally reached the main entrance to the inside of the castle, which was the grand foyer. As they passed by the tense-looking guards and the white stone pylons upholding the magnificent entryway, the grandeur of the place took on a fresh view. Twilight had been there often as she grew up and had little notice of it, but the others were in awe again by the size and expense of everything. Even after multiple visits, it was still an overwhelming experience. Chrysalis was as impressed as Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, but she made an effort not to display any such feeling out of her disdain for the inhabitants.
The ceiling was high, the banners thick, and every surface was spotless. The marble floors shined and the forked stairway reached to an epic height without being overly exhausting to traverse. Perhaps the architects and decorators had measured and designed everything for Celestia's unusually tall alicorn stature but the castle was too breath-taking to care about such quizzical details.
Rainbow Dash was busy admiring what it would be like to live in such a massive place and Pinkie Pie was having daydreams of impossibly big parties to hold there. Chrysalis was starting to feel uncomfortable, now noticing how so much space lacked the adequate number of bodies to fill it. She didn't like large empty places because they gave her a disturbing little chill for some unknown reason.
Twilight glanced only for a half-second to check on her own guards that were keeping her safe. The Castle of the Two Sisters, as some took to calling it in the past, was hardly a place she needed to worry about safety, but she still wanted to make sure her guards were okay. Hadn't some of them served here before being assigned to her? She thought, according to her shared memories, that a few had.
Twilight saw all four guards following along in formation and was making her way to the first step of the grand stairwell when a familiar voice called out to her. There was no mistaking that mature but gentle tone. It was one that Twilight associated only with the pony that was basically her second mother.
“Princess Celestia,” Twilight beamed cheerfully, her mood lightening by loads. She found the tall elegant alicorn of question standing at the top of the stairs. The smaller Luna was also there with her more serious look she tended to have for some reason, but she still looked like she belonged with her sister in some portrait of perfection.
If she had more training then Twilight might have tried forgoing the steps and simply fly upwards straight to the top. But she was too unsure about her wings to do so. Even without them, she was at the upper level in no time at all merely with her own hooves.
“I told you to stop calling me Princess,” Celestia joked with a smile and then regarded the two other Elements of Harmony present. “I'm glad to see you two again,” Celestia nodded to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie at Twilight's side.
“I love castles,” Pinkie bounced about oblivious.
“Anytime, Princess,” Rainbow saluted smugly.
Celestia turned tense and monotone at the changeling. “And you...”
Twilight watched Chrysalis out of her peripheral vision.
“A...pleasure...” Chrysalis replied just barely in check. One could almost hear the gravel in the words, as if it was back-breaking work just to pronounce them.
“Why is the changeling here?” Luna asked.
“Luna,” Celestia made a quick correctional glare at her sister.
“It's okay,” Twilight intervened. “Princess Luna, I'm glad you're here. There's something I'd like to talk about to both you and Pri- Celestia,” she caught herself on the second one. “Something besides lifespans.”
Luna didn't appear happy but didn't speak another word. Celestia indicated for Twilight to follow her down the passage to the left. Twilight, being comfortable with the layout of the castle, knew they were probably going to talk in the lounge room that occupied the fifth floor of the most westward tower. It was a laid back place that only the sisters seemed to use and Twilight as well back when she was being instructed directly by the princess.
Twilight came up beside Celestia as the others followed behind. Luna kept her distance from Chrysalis but stayed close to Rainbow Dash, who separated them. Pinkie Pie started rambling about something to quench the silence but Twilight was more interested in speaking to Celestia quietly.
“I'm sorry if it was too bold of me to bring Chrysalis,” Twilight whispered to her prior mentor. She didn't plan on being sorry for it but she fell into the habit of viewing Celestia as her guardian and teacher, always feeling as small as a dot in comparison.
“No,” Celestia whispered back. “There's no need for apologies. I'm afraid my sister is just being stubborn. She's still very upset about what happened at the wedding and she...”
Twilight tilted her head. It was not common to see the white alicorn pausing mid-sentence.
“She can be a little protective,” Celestia finished whispering.
“I thought that was the older sister's job,” Twilight couldn't help but remark as she took to noticing one of the banners hung up in the hallway they were walking through. It took her attention because it was both purple and green, baring the image of a small dragon. There was a heart in his claws.
Celestia giggled almost too loudly, which made her catch herself to keep the conversation away from the ponies behind them. “It used to be,” she admitted. “But ever since we reconciled after her return from the moon, she's been adamant about not only our relationship but also my physical safety. She thinks I'm too carefree, which is funny considering her own-”
“Luna thinks you're too carefree?” Twilight almost shouted as she snorted laughter through her nose.
“What was that?” Luna inquired from behind. She must have only heard her name because her tone was too blasé.
“Nothing, sister,” Celestia waved it off. “But here we are. I'm sorry these halls are so long. Sometimes even I get winded walking them.”
The others denied it being long at all, as one would likely do in the situation even if it was the truth. What laid before them, however, was an old and unassuming wooden door that had a bright natural light from the sun peeking around the edges. Celestia opened it with a flick of her magic aura.
They entered the small circular room only for Twilight to be struck by a wave of nostalgia. The deep blue rugs, the weird wicker containers holding scrolls upon scrolls of foreign correspondence, the wooden stools and thin-cushioned sofa. It was as if she was walking back into her old bedroom at her parents house. She just spent so much time here on off hours of learning. The sun still glowed through the cracks in the old wooden shutters that didn't do a very good job of keeping the windows protected. Clearly, Celestia had left this place as it was by intention. Perhaps she had some personal connection with it as well.
The pure white alicorn took to the sofa at a leisurely pace and gestured around for those following to take seats. Twilight hazarded the opportunity to issue orders to her guards via the hivemind. The two she had connected with got her message and stayed outside the room with the other two. Neither Celestia nor Luna seemed to notice what just happened telepathically in front of them.
Twilight joined Rainbow Dash in seating against a floor cushion. It looked a little battered but only because Twilight herself, as a young filly, had used it on multiple occasions to practice with her advanced levitational magic studies. In any case, Rainbow seemed happy that she got a sitting buddy.
Chrysalis sat nearby against another floor cushion and Pinkie Pie bounced onto one of the stools, causing it to rock back and forth from her weight and initial velocity. Luna laid fully onto the sofa next to her sister, who again used her magic to close the door behind them.
“There are some things,” Celestia began in her serene voice, “that my sister and I have not made known to the world we now live in. This place will give us the privacy we need to keep that so.”
Pinkie Pie would normally break in at that point but, this time, she did not. Instead, she looked to Twilight. The Element of Magic smiled faintly at her and they shared a minute mental link in which Twilight ordered and thanked her in advance for taking the moment seriously.
Whatever you say, Capt, Pinkie caught herself just before she saluted. It would have been an odd thing to do from the princesses' perspective. Not that Pinkie wasn't usually odd.
Luna spoke next, far more serious. “I would rather have speaks with you all that were far lighter than what this one will be. Unfortunately, not everything in life is pleasant.”
“I know,” Twilight agreed thoughtfully and did not miss Luna's pointed stare at Chrysalis upon her last words. “I fear there is still much of that for us to get through.”
“You have something specific in mind,” Celestia more said than asked.
“Yes,” the purple alicorn fought to keep from repeating Celestia's title. “I informed you about Sombra...”
“Indeed,” the white mare confirmed.
“The trail went cold. But we didn't come here about that,” Twilight returned to the main subject. “We came here about-”
“Immortality,” Luna finished.
Celestia looked at her sister out of the corner of her eye but let her proceed.
“We were never the only ones with it.”
Centurion had exchanged a second's nod with Princess Celestia when they first entered the castle and saw each other. He had served with her long enough for her to recognize him, though she probably remembered the names of all four of Twilight's guards anyways. She cared about Twilight like that, as Centurion had figured out over the years.
Flash Sentry, on the other hoof, had been sweating bullets ever since they joined up with Midnight and Direway in Ponyville. For some reason, the lad got it in his head that he had to perform his duties flawlessly for the entire trip or he would be doomed for all eternity. That was common with new recruits but Flash wasn't “green” that badly. Centurion just figured he was worrying about how he looked in front of their purple princess.
There was something changed in Midnight Strike's stance and that of Direway's as well that concerned the older guardpony. They were no less alert or ready but they did seem too comfortable with Twilight. It was no obvious thing by any means. Centurion figured he only noticed it at all because of his age and experience and that was just the thing. They carried themselves the same way he did with Celestia after he had served her for the majority of his life. There was no other way but to put it down as odd. And then there was that “queen” business.
Now that they were all on guard outside of the tower room, Centurion dared to speak. “I'll be honest,” he began. The others all looked to him, Flash at his own side with Midnight and Direway on the opposing side of the door. “I'm not used to being left out of the picture. I could use some explanations now.”
The corridor got silent again and just a pinch creepy. This part of the castle was only ever used by the princesses and had even fallen out of visitation for the past few years when Twilight moved to Ponyville. There were closed doors along the hallway that never seemed to open and some disturbing stories had even cropped up regarding them. Stories perpetrated by the castle staff.
“I'd waste a lot of breath and only give you more questions that you'd want answers to,” Midnight Strike answered.
“Strike is right,” Direway agreed. “The best thing is for our queen to explain herself. It should be pretty quick when she does...”
“Queen?” Flash jumped in confused.
Midnight closed his eyes and set a forehoof to his chest. “I hold by what I said.”
Centurion was not at all pleased but having Direway backing up Midnight Strike made it hard for him to do any more, even if he was superior by experience. Instead, he had to stand there in the dark even though plenty of light was let in from the equally spaced hall windows. Direway struck up a different thread of conversation to pass the time, obviously well relaxed in his position since three princesses were gathered in the room next to them.
An hour later saw two individuals coming down the hallway, which was unusual given the previously established lack of traffic the place got. Even more unusual was the fact that one of the newcomers was a small dragon. The guards all knew him, though.
“Sup?” Spike waved at them as he walked past, acting as if he owned the place.
Rarity nodded courteously but had a similar quality to her. She had a particular gait and a pride in her step, as if to assert that she was somehow born to live in the palace. None questioned it yet and good thing too because the mare was obsessive when it came to all things Canterlot and high society.
Spike tried being the gentledrake by opening the door for his accompanying female, but the wooden barricade wasn't budging. He thought, rather embarrassingly, that perhaps it was pulled out rather than pushed in. No luck there either. He was stumped and Rarity furrowed her brows because she couldn't think how to open the door either if it neither pushed nor pulled. Using magic was really just another way to push or pull on it, after all.
Direway hadn't intended it exactly but he solved the problem for them by using the hivemind to talk to Twilight within the sealed room. He asked if the door was locked only to be informed that it was. Celestia had sealed it with magic after they went in because she didn't want any unauthorized interruptions or eavesdroppers. Apparently, she also sealed and sound proofed the room in other ways. Whatever was going on in there had to be seriously important for the immortal Mare of the Sun to want such privacy.
The doors opened with a light yellow glow from Celestia's horn and the dragon and unicorn entered only to have the doors close and reseal behind them. Direway was desperate for more answers as to what was going on. Midnight Strike was as well but Twilight promised them the info later because they were still in heavy discussion now invigorated by Spike and Rarity showing up.
“Do you smell that?” Flash Sentry spoke after a short silence in the hall.
“What?” Centurion looked at the young pegasus weirdly.
“Yeah, what is that?” Direway started sniffing the air as well.
Flash mentally cataloged it as a nice smell – an aroma to be more precise – but still couldn't quite place it. It reminded him of the guard training he had done in the mountains once. His squad had come across this little niche in the ravines...
“Luna's Blossom,” Midnight suddenly spoke up in his usually cool and calm voice.
“Huh?” Flash couldn't help being curious but lost.
“Luna's Blossom,” the dark blue guard repeated. “It's a special flower that grows in a few places here on Mt. Canter. A few specialist shops sell the scent as a perfume. I'm guessing that was from Rarity. The unicorn that just went in.”
Direway grinned and bumped Midnight in the side with an armored forehoof. “Yeah, you'd totally know if there was a flower named after Luna and then if there was a perfume based off of that. You probably even know which shops sell it.”
The hivemind had let Direway into far too much knowledge. Really, he already knew that the stallion not only knew the shops but actually owned a bottle of the stuff. His remarks were more for play than anything else. It made Flash Sentry visibly shocked, though.
“Wow,” the young guard said in awe. “You wouldn't happen to...um...you know...”
Centurion shook his head and rolled his eyes. At least Flash and Midnight were actually talking casually now.
“Yes,” Midnight answered the question. He had already picked up on Flash's fascination with their queen. “There's one shop here in Canterlot that sells a new formula called Twilight's Embrace. Don't tell her, though. She might get upset or disturbed.”
“Or horribly embarrassed,” Direway snickered in a forehoof.
Flash Sentry, on the other hoof, was now looking at Midnight Strike with a new perspective. Truly, this was a stallion to be admired. Or a stallion to be feared. The two could be one in the same, right?
Stats
Page generated in 0.046 seconds
Total duration
913 users online
470,500 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Whoo!
Huzzah, the next chapter shall be great!
Um... yeah... I'm just gonna... *barricades himself in bunker 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles below the world.*
4297681 I'm pretty sure Earth, Terra, whatever is not that big.
So, are you on a protoss carrier?
4297681 yeah... I was thinking about the same. Perhaps I could instead sacrifice a cupcake to the real god of chaos when she overthrows discord?
shouldn't that be "queen" as it's from Midnight's perspective?
4298337
Yeah, it could go either way based on perspective. I changed it to "queen" but it could also be "princess" if Midnight was referring to her from Flash's perspective, which he knows isn't "queen" yet. Toss up.
4295405
Thank you. I do try and I'm always working to improve so that my work is the best it can be.
Oh my god. The InSaNiTy.(or is it iNsAnItY?)
Anyway epic chapter and nice tuch wih the princess prefume.
That's always good to hear; no matter how good you are at anything, there is always something to learn.
Also I'm grateful for your quick updates. Too enjoyable, need more.
Wow, I haven't read this in a while. And dear lord, how has everyone not gone insane from Pinkie being part of the Hivemind?
4297681
Even that won't be enough, silly filly!
Oh there's no "might" involved there. All three will be true.
4298073 ALL HAIL THE PINK ONE!
i.imgur.com/UA7ghOU.jpg
5218314
i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/637/931/951.png
>Twilight's Embrace
Kek.