Titles and Tribulations
Celestia stumbled towards the light, bumping into the walls on either side before she found her footing. How long had she spent in the darkness? How much time had passed since... since... what had she been doing before darkness and the inexorably long tunnel? Before becoming aware of the light at the end? What few memories and images came to her were blurred beyond recognition, and the more she tried to remember, the less clear they became. All she knew was that she had to keep going. Had to reach the light at the end of the tunnel.
Time felt... distorted. She had forever and again to get where she needed to be, and yet... she felt antsy. Pressured. A tightness in her chest that felt like it would suffocate her were she to stop and rest. Like she should have reached the end ages ago. Her journey towards the light felt like it had taken forever already, and she knew, just knew that something was waiting for her there. Something she needed. What that something was, didn’t matter, be it a source of eternal happiness, the way back to a place where things made sense, or simply a chance at some peace and quiet.
It had taken her an eternity before she felt like she was actually making progress, and another one before the visible differences became pronounced enough to make out. When she finally got close to the end of the tunnel, she was met with a sight that took her breath away. Before her lay a field of stars, numerous as grains of sand upon a beach and brighter than any she had ever seen. It seemed to stretch out into infinity, and beyond. An endless field of light that filled her with joy just to behold. And then, after a long moment spent appreciating the field itself, she spotted something that made her even happier. Fillies. Fillies in all colors of the rainbow, laughing and playing with each other. They ran around, diving over and chasing after one another in a game with rules that did not seem to have been clearly defined beforehoof.
Despite her joy at no longer being alone, the cavorting fillies were completely unfamiliar to her, save for one. A very special one. Even from the distance at which she viewed them, she could clearly make out a crescent moon against a dark background on the flank of a light blue filly.
“Luna!”
Her voice rang in her own ears. Loud and crass, in a way that seemed to shatter the serenity of her surroundings. She paid it no mind, rushing up to the exit of the tunnel, intending to grab her sister in a bear hug and never let go ever again. Her plan was rudely and irrevocably derailed when she smashed into an invisible barrier headfirst. She reeled back and cursed loudly before rushing up to the barrier again and pressing herself against it. Perhaps, if she believed in it enough she could phase past the wall through sheer force of will, dogged determination, or simple desperation. She was so torn between the exhilaration of seeing her sister and the frustration of being unable to reach her that she cared not which, as long as it expedited her reunion.
Though the invisible wall felt cold, clammy, and even seemed to shiver, her desperate plight, or at least her voice, seemed to have carried beyond the barrier. For all that went wrong, Luna looked up at her and smiled.
The filly broke away from her play with the others, much to their vocal discontent, and cantered towards Celestia. She began to change before Celestia’s eyes, growing with every alternate step. In the distance that had separated them, she grew from a filly with short stubby legs, into a teenager where her legs lengthened, became lanky, and changed her gait to a slower, more nervous one. Then, in the last of the distance she quickly matured into the adult mare that Celestia had known almost a thousand years ago.
At some point in time, Celestia couldn’t remember when, the memory of what her sister was supposed to look like had lapsed and been lost to her. Now, with Luna smiling at her mere feet away, she wondered how she could ever have forgotten.
After her eyes’d had their fill, she noticed that Luna was holding out her hoof. A clear invitation to join her in the Elysian Fields that lay beyond the tunnel. An unspoken promise for an eternity of bliss without worries. And yet, an impossibility. Celestia reached out, or tried to, but was met with the unyielding resistance of the barrier that seemed determined to keep her from what she truly wanted. She banged on it with her hooves and shot a pleading look at Luna.
Luna’s eyes filled with sadness, her smile slowly turned into a resigned mockery of one, and she dropped her hoof back on the starry ground in a gesture that filled Celestia with a depressing sense of finality.
“Luna!” Celestia shouted again when her sister turned away from her. “Luna don’t leave me!” She pleaded when her sister walked off. “Please...” she croaked, her voice breaking.
She might well have been talking to a brick wall for the impact it had. Not only was Luna leaving her behind, but the further she got, the more translucent she became. A strong feeling that letting her sister go here would mean losing her forever overcame Celestia, and hot tears stung behind her eyes while she tried desperately to break through the barrier.
At the same time that she was convinced Luna had disappeared completely, a young voice spoke up from right beside her.
“Come on, Princess!” it whined, and she felt a hoof tug on her own. She did not resist, too lost in the feeling of dread that had haunted her for a millennium and now seemed to have become a reality. “I want to play too!”
She cared for naught but for the loss she felt. Until her hoof, guided by the young voice’s comparatively tiny appendage, reached the barrier, and passed through it with ease. Just like that, the barrier yielded and she found herself standing in the field. Immediately, she galloped in the direction Luna had been walking in, hoping against hope that if she were just fast enough, she could undo everything she had ever put her sister through.
When she came close enough, she could just barely make out the cheshire grin that was Luna’s joyous smile, and a great weight fell from her shoulders.
Everything would be okay.
Returning to the field, she found that there was a new filly in the fields. A young purple filly she recognised as Twilight. Twilight, whose voice had called out to her, and whose hoof had pulled her through the most important barrier she’d come up against. Twilight; laughing and playing with the other fillies, whose forms remained indistinct but whose laughter became more clear now that the barrier was no longer holding her back from experiencing everything. She watched them play, for a time, content with simply seeing the young ponies enjoy themselves. But while she caught a glimpse of a shimmering filly that resembled Luna among them every once in a while, her sister did not return to talk with her. She took a seat, intending to watch, and listen, and rest. The ground was warm and comfortable beneath her barrel, and the lights seemed to dim to accommodate her sight. Now that the barrier had been broken, everything around her seemed to care only about comforting her.
“Princess! Princess!” Twilight bounded up to her, out of breath from all of her playing with the other fillies. “Look!” she said when she arrived, skidding to a halt, and pointed up to the sky. Following her gaze, Celestia found something she hadn’t seen in a long, long, time.
A moon. Without a mare.
Celestia awoke to the clattering of utensils, and the smell of freshly fried eggs and sunflower seeds. Upon opening her eyes, she was met with several strands of hair which obscured the sight of two stallions eating around a small table. The two were softly conversing amongst themselves, and although she was surprised to find that she had a hard time recognising Aegis without his helmet, recognise him she did. The other stallion was Mead, who looked about a decade older than the last time she’d seen him. Her first worry was that she might indeed have been out for that long. The poison, as her sore limbs reminded her, had certainly been potent enough for such an outcome. Briefly, she ran though the most important aspects of that possibility. The country had gone to hell, of that she had no doubt. With her ‘in the saddle’ it already teetered on the edge at times. Without her leadership... she shivered to think what might have happened.
She slowly turned her head, trying to get a read on her surroundings. While the stallions were being illuminated by a lone candle that had been placed in the middle of their table, the rest of the room was dark. Judging by the feel and size of the bed, she was in her own chambers, something that only reinforced her belief that she’d been absent for far too long. In which case she needed to get started on putting it back together sooner rather than later, lest more suffering happen due to her absence.
Further examination revealed a soft ball of warmth against her chest. A ball of warmth that whinnied softly and pawed at some unseen danger, making the conversation over at the table stall out, before it pushed against her and became still once more. That one action was enough to put all of Celestia’s fears to rest, and she found she could smile when she heard the barely perceptible snoring. Unless Twilight had grown up to be the tiniest mare in existence, she couldn’t have been unconscious for that long.
Trying to move, now that wasn’t the smartest idea she’d ever had. A pained groan escaped her when she tried to get up, and her muscles protested against the movement in the worst possible way. Regardless of how long she had been out for, it didn’t seem to have been enough for the poison to filter out of her system entirely. All of her thoughts were covered by a layer of fog, and every inch of her still felt like it was being used as a pincushion.
The stallions were up and next to her before she’d even had a chance to lift her head, to the sounds of spilled drinks and upended stools. “Don’t try to move too quickly, Princess,” Mead’s deep baritone warned her.
Too little, too late as it turned out. The moment she reached what could be considered an upright position, a woozy feeling overcame her, and her treacherous legs threatened to give out. She would have fallen (and likely landed on Twilight) were it not for Aegis, whose quick reaction and strong frame provided her with enough support to remain upright, albeit barely.
She slumped over, resting a hoof, and most of her weight on his back while she tried to shake the lightheadedness. Darkness lingered at the edges of her vision, seemingly determined to swallow her back up. “How...” She coughed. “How long was I out?”
Aegis and Mead exchanged an uncomfortable look right in front of her, but did not immediately respond. “Might wanna hold off on that, Princess. Y’know, take some time to wake up ‘nd such.”
Celestia shook her head vigorously. Maybe a little too vigorously and she had to blink several times to clear the black spots from her vision. “I’m awake, and I need to know.” She said, listening to the rasp of her own voice. She turned to the guard beside her. “Aegis?”
“Nearly two whole weeks, Princess,” Aegis replied, shifting a little to better support her weight.
Although he was trying to hide his relief, Celestia could sense it clearly, woven through every syllable like chocolate through a chocolate cake. I could really go for something sweet right now, she thought. Or anything at all for that matter.
Before she could express her sentiment in that direction, however, Mead held a bowl of croutons up to her. “Thought ya might be hungry,” he said with a firm smile.
Remembering to use her hooves, Celestia took the bowl from him. Just about every part of her body had been screaming about aches, pains, and ouchies from the moment she’d woken up, and she was hesitant to add her head - and horn - ache to that cacophony. What she couldn’t help, however, was the disbelieving look that sat upon her face. She’d always attributed an uncanny sense for hungry ponies to the rotund earth pony, but this... this was borderline clairvoyance.
Perhaps it was unsurprising given her state of mind, but her thoughts got away from her, turning to the question of whether or not it would be possible, or wise, to employ such a talent and use it for the betterment of the country. Even if it were perfect, it would take some getting used to... It took her an exceedingly long time to corral her thoughts and put all of them back where they belonged. It took longer still for her to form a reply that wasn’t a hysterical plea for the world to slow down and start making sense for a change.
Sadly, the world looked to her for that sort of thing, no matter how much she would like to leave it in somepony else’s hooves.
When she finally had a reply ready, she found that Mead had taken the bowl of croutons back and was looking at her with a worried expression. Though Aegis displayed no signs of discomfort, she knew that she was resting on him rather heavily and tried to right herself once more, without any apparent success.
After an apologetic smile, which Aegis returned with a much more joyous one, she asked; “What’s the damage?”
Mead chuckled. “It’d probably be quickest to list all of the things that haven’t gone wrong. The palace has been in an uproar, several ponies have demanded to know who would dare attack you like that, and the rest are afraid...” He looked off into the distance. “Much like the rest of the country I reckon.”
“A lot, Princess,” Aegis said, nonplussed, before falling silent. “I’m... just not sure where to begin.”
The more she heard, the more letting the darkness swallow her and going back to sleep seemed like a good idea. Celestia pushed the notion out of her head, and cleared her throat. “At the beginning, Aegis.”
He seemed to think for a moment, and curiously, Mead didn’t immediately jump into the gap as he was wont to do. “To start with, there have been riots when ponies learned of what had happened. We tried to keep what happened to you as quiet as possible, but as you know, such things always get out eventually.”
Celestia nodded thoughtfully. There were certainly ways of making sure that nopony ‘spilled the beans’ as it were, but that required the spilling of blood in its stead, and was generally frowned upon.
“So when word got out,” Aegis continued, picking up steam. “There were a surprising number of ponies that seemed to be waiting for one calamity or another. They began spouting about ancient prophecies and inciting the masses...”
“How many?”
“Several. At least a dozen.”
“What are their demands?”
“Uhm...” Aegis fell silent, continuing only after Celestia fixed him with a pointed look. “They didn’t really have any, Princess. Sunny Scrolls ordered the instigators jailed, and ever since then things have been mostly quiet. Though I heard there was another one yesterday.”
“Small wonder,” Celestia grumbled, slowly pushing some of her hair behind her ears with a hoof. Having it hang in her face the whole time was becoming rather irritating.
What in Equestria is Sunny thinking? she thought with a growing sense of dread.
Imprisoning instigators always, always lead to more problems. If history was anything to go by, and in her experience, history tended to repeat itself, imprisonment only lead to further dissatisfaction and more unrest. Still, it was arguably better than the alternative.
Which didn’t mean that everything was okay, however. Far from it. A tight feeling had blossomed, and pressed upon her chest. It demanded she do something about the mess her absence had caused before it escalate into something truly dangerous. “I have to get to the throne room,” she blurted out, trying to make her way to the double doors that market the exit to her room, and failing before she had taken a single step. The ground rushed up to meet her, but she instead landed on somepony who let out a deep ‘oof’.
Her first thought was to thank Aegis for his quick reaction, but as she turned her head to do so, she found that it was in fact Mead who had kept her mostly upright. Perhaps that explained the trembling. Mead was a few years older than either of her guards, and most of his weight couldn’t be attributed to muscle mass.
He took a step back once Aegis’d had a chance to step up beside and support Celestia’s weight again and looked at the floor, catching his breath. “Just so you know, Princess,” he said between a few deep intakes of breath. “I’m putting you on a diet from here on out.”
His remark made her chuckle, which in turn made her cough and wish for something to quench her thirst. Still, it helped ease the tightness in her chest somewhat. “Duly noted.”
Aegis, however, wasn’t as forgiving. “Princess, you can’t just run... try to run off like that!” He proclaimed hotly. “You are in no state to move, much less to do anything.”
Celestia sighed and slowly, painstakingly, lowered herself to the floor until she found a position she could actually sustain without using her guard as a crutch. “I’m sorry, Aegis. Truly. But the kingdom is my responsibility. You can understand that, surely?”
“And your health is mine,” Aegis countered, moving to adjust a bandage that was wrapped around her wing. It hurt, a little, and she wondered why for a moment until the memory of the dagger she’d caught with it resurfaced. Aegis’ hooves moved with a fluidity that suggested it wasn’t the first time he had adjusted or changed the bandage, which in turn made her wonder where the other half of the duo was.
“Where’s Rook?” she asked, pushing the conversation in that direction.
“Conscripted by Sunny Scrolls, Princess.” Aegis pulled on the bandage with his teeth, making the pain flare up in her wing. He gave her an apologetic smile before adding: “She conscripted me as well, believe it or not. She wanted ponies she trusted implicitly to help her give orders to the other guards.”
Celestia arched an eyebrow. “Meaning?”
“We had to resort to taking turns guarding you and Twilight, and even got Mead—” he nodded towards the cook who responded with an exaggerated wink. “—to help out.” He grabbed the bowl of croutons Mead was still holding and brought it to her lips for a second before blanching and offering it to her instead.
From the deft movements with the bandages to the way in which he offered food to her, it was obvious that he had made it his obligation to be the one guarding her more often than not. It was sweet, and perhaps a little unprofessional, but she chose not to mention it. There was something else that had caught her attention. Something arguably more important than the difficulties her guards had faced, or the food. “Blueblood?” she asked, taking the bowl of croutons again, and absently popping a few into her mouth. She found, much to her relief, that her worries regarding Mead were unfounded. The croutons were stale, as if they’d been there for a day or two already, thankfully disproving the stallion's supposed omniscience.
“The young lad has recovered, though I think he’s still shaken.”
That was at least one potential problem put to rest. Celestia turned around. The stallion’s reactions to her question weren’t as important as something that had entered her mind like a sneak. Blueblood was important, yes, but not more so than Twilight.
The filly was still asleep on the bed. She was slowly sliding into the indentation that Celestia’s body weight had left, curled up with a book, in the way that she always seemed to adopt whenever sleeping next to somepony. She looked almost exactly like she had before the poison had caused Celestia to black out. Her mane, although combed, still had traces of burnt hairs in it; and her coat was similarly not nearly as clean as it could have been.
“Hasn’t left your side since the guard brought you here,” Mead said behind her. “She was right there on the bed the whole time. Talking to you about all manner of things and asking questions like nothing was wrong, and reading to you when she couldn’t think of anything else to ask... when she was awake anyway.” He smiled when Celestia looked back at him. “Wouldn’t even leave your side to eat, hence the bowl.” he motioned towards the croutons. Celestia nodded, popping a few more into her mouth and handing the bowl back to him. Her stomach insisted on something more substantial, but that could wait.
She was hit by the inexplicable urge to pick up and hug the filly. Hearing of her devotion was... she didn’t want to use the word ‘incredible’; she had seen too much in her lifetime to think of anything as being beyond the realm of credibility, but the sentiment applied. However, that, too, would have to wait.
“I imagine the troubles didn’t end with just rioting. What else did I miss?”
Half an hour later, Aegis was still talking, and Celestia had learned that Sunny had a lot of things to learn regarding the handling of crisis. A little odd given that she’d seen Celestia handle quite a few of them, but perhaps having to be the one that actually makes the decisions was a tad more difficult. Not only had the mare put tension on the country’s relationships with the zebras and the minotaurs—the dignitaries of whom she’d brusquely told that they were doing what they could and that their presence was not only unhelpful but unwanted— she’d also issued a state of emergency; had troublemakers detained for longer periods of time; and had apparently told all of the nobles where they could stick their opinions. Separately, the ideas seemed sound, even if some of them might have been a little less diplomatic than was strictly clever. Taken together, however, Celestia could already see the perfect storm of troubles it would create in her mind’s eye.
A brief question regarding dinner had seen Mead return to his kitchen some time ago. Celestia had moved back to the bed— with Aegis’ help — and had sat there, nodding and asking for clarifications when she thought it necessary. After twenty or so minutes, she’d told the guard that looking at him standing there the whole time was tiring her out, after which he had reluctantly taken a seat. “—And then there was a riot which required almost all of the guard to disperse,” Aegis continued his rapport. “Two massive dragons landed in the middle of the courtyard. Fortunately, nopony was injured, but most everypony was convinced they had come here to level the city in your absence.”
That made Celestia’s ears perk up. “Do you remember their names?”
Aegis shook his head. “Sorry, Princess. This is just what Rook told me. I was in here when it happened. Apparently they were a couple, however.”
Celestia sighed and nodded. “Continue.”
“Like the dignitaries, they wanted to know what had happened to you, and when Sunny explained it to them, they...” Aegis ran a hoof through his unkempt mane that hadn’t seen a comb in far too long. “Well... they called for the charred corpse of whoever was responsible for doing such a thing to you.” He fell silent for a moment after that, staring at Celestia with what she could only describe as unadulterated awe before asking: “How did you earn such respect from dragons as big as the castle, Princess?”
“I fought and killed their matriarch some eight hundred years ago,” Celestia replied absentmindedly. She was trying her hardest to come up with the names of dragons bold enough to go into Equestria after the last time she’d visited their lands, but came up short every time. She only realised her mistake after she looked at Aegis and took note of the slack jaw. “It’s not something I’d care to elaborate on, Aegis. Suffice to say the previous Dragon Lord was a tyrant that did not respect boundaries. Her children were more reasonable. Now, what did you, or I suppose Sunny, tell them?”
“According to Rook, she told them that we were working on it, but that you ‘wanted to deal with it personally.’ Which they seemed to accept easily enough.”
“Good.”
Truthfully, it was just about the best answer they could’ve given the dragons, which made it one more thing she wouldn’t have to worry about in the immediate future. One thing niggled at the back of her mind, however. “How...” She took a deep breath. “Did the dragons or the dignitaries explain how they knew that something had happened?”
Aegis looked at her as though she had just proclaimed grass was blue. It lasted for a good few seconds before it turned to worry. “Princess... the sun is stuck ever since the duel. Nopony could find the spell you were talking about, so it has been early morning for two weeks straight.”
“But...” She looked around, only now noticing the makeshift heavy curtains draped over all of the windows before looking back to her bodyguard. Aegis looked tense, as though expecting her to get up and try to make another break for the doors. She didn’t. There was no more room for urgency in her head. She needed time. Time to absorb all she’d learned, and time to plan. The only thing she did was close her eyes and sigh. “Aegis?”
“Yes, Princess?”
“Should something like this ever happen again... Could you lead with that?”
Aegis nodded. “My apologies, Princess, I thought you were aware.”
Keeping her eyes closed, Celestia nodded to her bodyguard while she reached out to the sun. She felt weak. Disastrously so. But she found that moving the sun was still within her capabilities. Made easier by the fact that it was part of her talent no doubt. It almost felt as though it wanted to move as badly as she wanted it to, and even though she was struggling to breathe before the sun had reached the horizon on the other side of its arch; and her head pounded like somepony had repurposed it as a drum, she felt... lighter, somehow. Like a burden that she had subconsciously felt since the moment she had woken up had been lifted.
When she opened her eyes, Aegis was close enough that she could hear him breathe. Even over the sound of her own gasping.
“Are you okay, Princess?” he asked softly.
She shook her head. “No... Aegis... I’m not okay.” The truth of that statement continually made itself known. It put a ticking clock on what she could do, and the conversation which had lasted fewer than forty minutes already seemed to be dangerously close to her limit, and likely would be for some time yet. “...but... I will be.” She winced while trying to shift her weight, her wing in particular seemed sensitive to motion. And although she bit back a half formed curse at her body’s expense, she couldn't help the sharp intake of breath, which also hurt in its own unique way.
Aegis was on his hooves in a matter of seconds, and had circled her one before she even got the chance to catch her breath. She waved him down with a hoof.
“It’s nothing major. Just my wing reminding me that I shouldn’t be moving around.” She yawned unabashedly, shielding her mouth with a hoof. “And it seems like I could use some more rest as well.” Tired as she felt, however, she already knew that she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep with Aegis around. The stallion was three parts worry to two parts nervous energy, with an unhealthy dose of what appeared to be insomnia. “When was the last time you yourself got a good night’s rest?”
Even as she said it, she realised that her question was poorly worded, given that it hadn't been night for weeks, but Aegis seemed to get the gist of it. “Three, maybe four days ago,” he replied with a halfhearted shrug. “It’s remarkably hard to fall asleep when the world is turned upside down and you’re to blame.”
“You are not to blame...” Celestia sighed deeply. She didn’t have the time or the energy to play the blame game. There was too much to be done. “We will talk about that later. Right now, I need you to inform Sunny that I’m up, and that I’ll take over for her in about an hour. If you haven’t slept much, my guess is that she hasn’t slept in two weeks, which is unhealthy and dangerous.”
Aegis merely shook his head. “Sorry, no can do, Princess.” He placed a hoof on her chest and softly but insistently pushed against her when she attempted to get up once again. “Sunny figured you’d want to go back to, in her words: ‘running around taking charge as soon as she wakes up’ and ordered us to keep you in your room until she had a chance to make sure you wouldn’t kill yourself walking around.”
Celestia stared at him in disbelief. The gall of that mare... She was going to give Sunny a piece of her mind, but in order to do that she’d actually need to get to the courtroom. Which meant that she’d need to get past Aegis. Weak as she was, overpowering him wouldn’t be a problem, or perhaps that was the problem. Knocking out a pony without outright killing them required a certain amount of finesse. To a degree she wasn’t quite capable of right now. A sleep spell then? She tested her horn and the pain was enough to make her collapse back onto the bed.
Aegis rushed towards her. “Princess?!”
“I’m okay... ungh... I’m okay.” In truth, she wasn’t okay. Far from it. Even the simple act of breathing was sending spikes of pain up her side, and the feeling of helplessness was making her doubt herself. What if she wouldn’t be okay? What if that poison... whichever one it had been, crippled her for the rest of time? She breathed in deeply, winced, and crawled back onto her bed, brushing Twilight out of the way with a forehoof lest she crush her student upon laying down. “I think...” she paused to take another breath, and tried to find a position which made at least breathing a little more comfortable. “I think I need some more rest.”
“That’s a good idea, Princess,” Aegis replied, settling down on one of the stools. “If you need anything, I’ll be here.”
“That sounds...” Celestia felt the weight of everything she had done crash down on top of her, making it hard to keep her eyes open. “That sounds good.”
Perhaps a little more rest isn’t such a bad idea after all. She thought, before letting her eyes close and her mind drift back into the black abyss of subconsciousness.
“—But what the dastardly Doctor Caballeron didn’t know, was that Daring Do always kept a spare knife in her jacket. She shuffled and sim... shim shasha...shimshim...shishiishii?”
“Shimmied, Twilight,” Aegis’ voice rumbled from across the room. He sounded half asleep.
“Right! She shimmied until it was close enough to grasp with her teeth, and began working on severing the ropes.”
When Celestia crawled her way out of the miasma that was her poison-addled subconscious the second time, she awoke to the adventures of Daring Do. More specifically, Twilight’s retelling of the adventure. The filly was reading the book to her which, was a wholly unique experience. At least, to her it was. She’d read to Twilight, and had learned that most foals had their parents read to them before bed-time, but to her... She couldn’t recall anypony ever reading to her before.
“It took her several minutes to get through the rough fibres, but that didn’t matter. The death trap Caballeron had left her in worked so slowly it might as well have been standing still. So after putting on her trusty pith helmet, she tested her wings and flew right out of the top where the ancient ponies that had built the place had left a hole in the ceiling so that the sun could illumi— shine on the altar.” There was a pause, followed by a sigh. “Did everypony leave holes in their roofs? Wouldn’t that be very inconvenient during the rain?”
It felt nice, simply laying there, eyes closed, listening to Twilight sound out a tale of action and adventure; being part of a world where good and evil were more black and white than in the real one, and where the bad guys always got what was coming to them. The filly having decided that she needed entertainment filled her with a warmth she was only just starting to remember.
And while she felt the gentle insistence of the sun press on the back of her mind, she didn’t want to open her eyes and have it stop.
“Aegis?” Twilight asked after a few more lines of story in which Daring got the tools she needed to put Doctor Caballeron behind bars again. “Did the Princess really wake up?” Celestia felt the pressure of a tentative hoof which lifted her eyelid giving her an eyeful of curious filly face. Twilight looked well rested, and even happy while she examined Celestia’s pupils, lifting the other eyelid after closing the first one again. “I mean... what if you just dreamed that it happened?” She continued, closing the other eyelid again and settling back down in the spot she had seemingly occupied for as long as Celestia had been out.
Celestia just let it happen, still not quite awake enough to actually move, let alone speak.
“I think I can distinguish my dreams from the real world, Twilight,” Aegis replied, sounding ever more tired. “She moved the sun. It’s evening now. Besides, Mead was there as well. You can go ask him if you don’t believe me.”
“Sorry,” Twilight said apologetically. “I just wish we could wake her up.”
“She needs her rest, Twilight.”
“I know. I know.” Twilight’s breath tickled one of Celestia’s ears. “Sorry, Princess,” the filly whispered. “Make sure to rest a lot, okay?”
After that, the room went quiet, and Celestia sank back into the depths of sleep.
Twilight was still in the room when Celestia woke up for a third time, albeit no longer on the bed. Instead the filly was patrolling back and fro in front of the bed when Celestia opened her eyes. Curiously, she was wearing a large guard's helmet. Celestia watched her from her prone position for a moment and was forced to revise her observation, and stifle a chuckle at the same time. The filly wasn’t so much wearing the helmet as much as she was located somewhere vaguely inside the thing, giving the altogether more comical appearance of a metallic tortoise with a shell too small for its body waddling back and forth.
“You have nothing to fear, Princess!” The filly announced to the otherwise empty room. “Super Special Guardsmare Captain Twilight Sparkle will protect you from all of the scary things!” She reached the end of her patrol route and jumped into a combat ready pose. “Halt, citizen! Under chapter fifteen section F-six of the guard manual, you are not allowed to approach the Princess without her explicit permission,” she all but yelled in as deep a voice as she could muster. “I’m sorry, but I am going to have to take you into custody.” She held the stance for a second longer, and then straightened, turning around and continuing her patrol.
Celestia couldn’t help but smile, though she did manage to keep herself from laughing.
Barely.
At the other end of the room, the display repeated itself, only this time it was a mare being detained for the mounting late fees on their library card, which, according to Twilight was a violation of chapter twenty seven paragraph B-zero, subparagraph zero-kilo. It made Celestia wonder if Twilight was making the entire thing up, or if there were actually rules like that in the guard training manual. If there were... she was going to have to re-read and revise the entire thing.
Celestia lost control over her composure and laughed aloud when Twilight tripped, and another imaginary pony was sent to the stockade for attacking a guard without provo- pro... without reason! Which quickly gave away the secret that she was, in fact, awake.
“Princess!” Twilight exclaimed happily, forgetting all about the helmet she was wearing. It tumbled and clanged on the floor while the filly herself nearly tripped over her own hooves to get to the bed as quickly as possible. “You’re alive!”
There was nothing funny about the statement. In fact, some small part of Celestia’s mind recognised that she should probably be worried about the surprised exclamation coming from the mouth of a filly so young. And yet, she laughed all the same. “Hello Guard Captain Sparkle,” she said, chuckling. “I see that my safety is—”
That’s as far as she got before Twilight reached the bed, and jumped up against her, turning the rest of her sentence into a strangled groan.
The filly immediately backed off, ears plastered against her skull. “Are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...”
Celestia sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “It’s fine, Twilight. Just try to be a little more careful.”
“Sorry,” Twilight said, looking down at the floor. “It’s just... I was worried about you. You were asleep for so long, and everypony kept saying they didn’t know when you would wake up.” She rocked from side to side before looking up and trying out a smile. “So I read to you, because when you’re sick, reading helps. My mom always read to me when I was sick and it really worked so I thought I would try the same thing.” Finally a smile broke through on her face. “And it worked! You woke up!”
Celestia returned the smile in kind. “Yes, I did.”
“Are you okay, now?”
Before answering, Celestia gingerly tried to get up, testing her legs one at a time. It hurt, and she suspected it would for some time yet, but at least she was no longer falling over. “No, Twilight,” she said at length. “And I fear I won’t be for some time yet.”
“Oh...” Twilight frowned, and looked down at the bed.
“Are you the only one here?”
Twilight’s head came up with a proud smile. “Yes,” she said, puffing out her chest. “He said that Ms. Sunny Scrolls needed his help, so he told me to stand guard.”
“Reading to help me get better. Standing guard when needed...” Celestia nodded to herself. “You’re quite the little helper,” she said, watching Twilight practically burst with pride. “Although... I think somepony needs to help you take care of yourself.”
“What?” Twilight’s smile faded, replaced with a confused frown. “But I’m fine!”
“When was the last time you ate?”
“This morning! Only... it’s been night for almost a day now, but I ate not too long ago!”
“And when was the last time you had a bath?”
“Uhm...” Twilight thought for a long moment. “A few days ago?” she said, quickly adding: “But I don’t think I need one right now.”
“Well,” Celestia said seriously, stepping forward and nudging Twilight towards the bathroom. “I think that you do.” It was a little white lie, of course. Truthfully, it was Celestia herself that could use a bath, but she’d feel more comfortable if she could keep an eye on Twilight while doing so. If nothing else, the filly could help her reach those places that hurt for her to tend to herself.
“But—”
“Good hygiene is important, Twilight.” Celestia stopped pushing her student and walked on ahead, nearly tripping on strands of her mane that got in the way of her hooves. She looked over her shoulder at the filly and said: “And even if you don’t really need to, you’re not going to let an old, injured, mare fend for herself, are you?”
She watched Twilight think it over for a moment, before the filly got up and followed her.
“So it’s like when my mom had to help my grandma bathe after she had broken a leg?”
Celestia did not reply, opting instead to take a look around the room and see what, if anything, had changed.
Quite a few things as it turned out. For starters, Twilight had likely been telling the truth when she said that she’d bathed, but had neglected to mention that she’d done so in Celestia’s bathroom. Secondly, the maids had apparently been barred from entering her room and anything adjacent to it, because the entire room was one gigantic mess of open bottles; wet tiles on both the floor, walls, and ceiling; and even the bathtub — which was supposed to be a big round indentation in the ground with ample room for her to occupy thrice over — was little more than a mass of bubbles reaching to her withers. It made her wonder just how high the pile had been at first.
“Are you very old, Princess?” came Twilight’s voice from behind her while the filly cantered into the bathroom behind her. “My grandma told me that you smiled at her during the Summer Solstice once when she was as old as I am... but that’s so long ago!”
Celestia only half-registered Twilight’s rambling. Her focus was with the horrific state of the bathroom. “I am very old, Twilight,” she murmured, painstakingly putting a few of the bottles back up on the shelf that was supposed to house them.
“You don’t look old, even if your hair isn’t rainbow-y anymore.”
“That’s because...” She hissed softly after trying to lift one of the soap bottles with her magic. The immediate headache that followed made her want to do little else but step into the bath and soak for the rest of the day.
“Are you okay, Princess?” Twilight was standing next to her, looking up with a worried expression which let her know that she had failed to hide exactly how much it hurt.
“It just hurts a little when I try to use my magic, that’s all, which is why I asked you to help.” She motioned to the bath. “It doesn’t have to be right away, and if you join me, maybe we could even have another waterfight.”
Judging by the gay abandon with which Twilight hurled herself at the mountain of bubbles after that, it was clear that she liked the idea.
Once the bubbles settled down, Celestia followed her example, albeit at her own, more sedate pace. She sighed in relief when the warm water closed around her hooves, legs, barrel, withers in order, soothing small aches in each and making her aware of just how long she had gone without a bath.
She spent the next three whole hours soaking in relative peace.
There were only two upsets. At the beginning, it was one soaking wet hoof-stitched doll which came floating up after she shifted. It had apparently gotten trapped underneath her when she’d entered the bath, and caused an uncomfortable itch near her hock. She dragged it out of the water with her teeth and gently placed it on the edge of the bath, looking at it with some confusion.
“Smartypants!” Twilight yelled, and immediately paddled towards the edge. “There you are!” The filly hugged the doll like a long lost relative, and spent much of the time thereafter playing with, and talking to, the doll. Celestia watched her play with a soft smile.
The other upset was from Twilight herself some hours later. After she had gotten bored of playing with ‘Smartypants’ and the doll had reverently been given a place near the bathroom door, the filly tried (and failed) to recreate the water globe trick that Celestia had used against her, soaking herself in the process and dispersing the bubbles that remained in the bath. Celestia put up token resistance in the fight that followed, but it was over before it really started.
Great though it was to take her time and leave her worries at the door, Celestia knew that the troubles caused by her incapacitation wouldn’t wait forever. Even if she couldn’t appear in court with her mane being the way it was without freaking ponies out more, she could still give advice, so some urgency was still called for. “Twilight? Could you help me wash my mane and back?”
Twilight immediately picked a shampoo bottle out of a pile, and floated it over to the bath. It’s almost like she’s been waiting for it. Celestia shook her head. What are you thinking you old mare? Of course she’s been waiting for it. You asked her to.
“Is this the wavy-rainbow one?”
She simply won’t let the idea go will she? Celestia thought with a quiet chuckle. “Twilight, it isn’t something you can find in a shampoo bottle.”
“Then how come your mane isn’t all...” Twilight made a helpless gesture with her hooves, indicating Celestia’s mane. “Wavy and glowy anymore?”
She’d expected the question sooner or later, but Twilight still thinking that it had something to do with shampoo was a surprise. “Because there’s currently no overflow of magic, Twilight.” Shaking her head, she allowed all of her mane to drape around her in a waterfall of pink strands. “Right now, my magic is taking care of me, making sure that I recover as quickly as possible.”
Twilight tilted her head sideways. “But... your hair was still flowy at my exam! You were hurt then, too.”
“That’s because those were smaller injuries. They were more superficial, which is why they didn’t take as much strength, or as long to heal.”
“Really?”
Celestia nodded. “Really. Don’t worry, my hair will go back to normal in due time.”
There was a pause during which Twilight hummed softly and picked up a different bottle of shampoo. She approached Celestia’s mane and squirted a big dollop of the bottle’s contents on several spots before working it in with her hooves. There was no denying that she was using too much, even for a mane as long as the one Celestia possessed, a third of what she used would have sufficed, but Celestia let it be. There was more than enough after all.
“So...” Twilight began after a few minutes of diligently rubbing the shampoo in until it produced bubbles. “Would my mane be all flow-y and rainbow-y if I had enough magic?”
Her voice carried a palpable undertone of awe and anticipation, and it was all Celestia could do not to embrace her young student right there and then.
“Perhaps,” she said with a coy smile. “Of course, you’d need to learn how to take care of it first, and I think you’d have to grow up first.” Leaning in she looked from side to side conspiratorially. “It’s a very dangerous secret that I can’t explain to just anypony.”
Two big purple irises stared back at her, their owner’s whispered voice following behind. “Really? So you’ll tell me when I’m older?”
Celestia straightened suddenly, sending bubbles flying every which way and smiled brightly. “Nope!”
Whatever reaction she had hoped to provoke from Twilight, two humongous eyes and an adorable little pout weren’t it. “Why not?” The filly whined, halting her work on Celestia’s mane to do so.
Seeing that her teasing had missed its mark, Celestia quickly put on a mysterious air, stroking her chin with a hoof and pretending to look at something in the distance. “Because...” She said, in slow deliberation. “It is a secret to everypony. You’ll find out for yourself.”
“Oh... okay.” And just like that the pout was gone, and Twilight went back to kneading Celestia’s mane. She was distracted from her thoughts when her ear flicked at the itchy feeling of a soap bubble that popped against it. That in turn made her aware of just how many there were. While it wasn’t quite as bad as before (an opened shampoo bottle dribbling into the bath had caused that) the way Twilight worked on her mane created a truly impressive amount of bubbles in its own right. The filly certainly didn’t take any half measures.
Celestia was fully prepared to sink into a state of relaxed bliss and set the worries of the world aside for another few hours. Right up to the point where she realised that Twilight had been very quiet. Especially for her. Normally she’d have a question, or twenty.
“What have you been up to while I was asleep, Twilight?” she asked, trying to feel out Twilight’s state of mind. ”Mead told me that you’d stayed with me, but he didn’t say what you’ve been doing.”
“Mead told stories about how he was an adventurer like Daring Do, only he infiltrated temples and ruins to find old recipes and special ingredients for his cooking,” Twilight began with a soft, happy lilt in her voice. “He even said that Daring is an old friend of his!”
It wasn’t hard to picture Mead saying something like that. He had an impressive imagination and didn’t always bother with small details like the truth.
“I tried to practice making illusions, and I read books to you... oh, and my parents came by. They were worried about me, but I told them that I needed to help you because you were asleep, and they said that I could! And then... uhm...” Twilight’s hooves stopped for a moment. “Then Aegis taught me how to play chess; Earth Ponies walk in a straight line, Pegasi do a little ‘L’ hop, and Unicorns walk diagonally! But I don’t understand why the Captain of the Guard can go wherever he pleases, while the Princess can only move one square at a time. And...”
Half of Celestia wanted to stop and explain that it was due to all of the political dead weight that tied her down, but something in Twilight’s voice didn’t seem right. It had lost that... that sparkle of happiness with which she’d started. She turned to face a different filly from the happy one that had started her account with a smile.
Twilight eyes were shining with unshed tears. “A-and that you lose if your Princess is taken and has to leave the board. You’re not going to leave, are you?” She asked meekly, her shoulders shaking with repressed anguish.
All at once, the relaxation was gone and Celestia found herself befuddled at Twilight’s sudden shift . Even with the magnitude of things that had gone wrong, she’d been happy that Twilight seemed to handle everything so very well. She’d been smiling mere moments ago!
“Twilight...” She reached out to the filly, ignoring the pain it brought. Twilight backed away from her.
“The doctors were worried because you were already hurt, and other ponies said you weren’t coming back.” Twilight looked up at her, big tears rolling down her cheeks. “You said not to go to the duel, but I just wanted to prove that I could...”
And then Celestia understood. For a filly like Twilight who had never before seen combat, the entire ordeal had gone from one terrifying ordeal to the next. First the duel which would have gotten her adrenaline pumping; after that a trio of scary ponies that made her fear for her life; and to top it all off, nearly fifteen days in which she had been allowed to watch over her fallen idol while being convinced that it was all her fault. Worse, nopony had thought to tell her otherwise.
Much to her dismay, the insight did not automagically come with a solution. She was no more equipped to dealing with the crying filly now than she had been the first time.
In her mind’s eye, she relived the fever dream she’d had. Twilight pulling her through that unbreakable barrier that kept her, and into a future where she could have her sister back, and compared her to the miserable filly in front of her. It wouldn’t do.
“Twilight, listen to me, none of what happened was your fault.” she told the sobbing filly. “If we had canceled the duel, they would have found some other way to attack me. You couldn’t have done anything about that.”
“But you were hurt because of me!” Twilight countered, trying to dry her tears without any apparent success. “If you hadn’t tried to teach me magic you wouldn’t have gotten hurt! And then they wouldn’t have been able to do anything!”
Celestia bit the inside of her cheek. It was not going to be easy to convince her. Even if her emotions were on the forefront of it all, her logic was hard to argue with. “Twilight.” She reached out again, and this time managed to grab hold, pulling the filly forwards across the wet floor. “The fact of the matter is, these things happen. If it hadn’t been this, it would have been poison in my food, or some manufactured accident.”
Rather than calm Twilight down, her answer only seemed to upset the filly further. The filly shook her head, more tears leaking from her eyes like a poorly maintained faucet.
“Y-you mean they do this to you all the time?” she asked with wide, fearful eyes. “Is that why that stallion called me an assassin?”
“Twilight.” Celestia deliberately brought her head level with the filly’s, holding her chin up and looking her in the eyes. “That was a mistake, which could have happened to anypony. Don’t listen to those ponies. You are my student, and you are very dear to me.”
“But I get you hurt!” Twilight protested. “If it wasn’t for me being your student, that mean old lady would have never gotten upset, and you’d be okay.”
Celestia sighed. They were talking in circles, and it wasn’t helping Twilight at all. “Twilight, that ‘mean old lady’ would have found something else to get upset over. There would still have been a problem, and I still would have gotten hurt.” She looked herself over and pointed to the bandage wrapped around her wing. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have this wound...” She brought her hoof down to her chest and made a cutting motion. “But I would probably have had one here, if you hadn’t blasted that stallion.”
There were many little aches and pains that she wouldn’t have had to suffer were it not for Twilight, but conversely, there were many laughs and joys that she would miss out on. The good easily outweighed the bad.
She grunted in pain when she pulled herself out of the bath, and beckoned Twilight closer. The filly complied, burying her face in Celestia’s coat. “I dum wanna be you studem anymoe.”
“Oh...” For whatever reason, hearing that Twilight wanted out felt like a hammer blow to the chest. She wasn’t surprised, however, most of what Twilight had experienced since she’d come to the castle could be labeled as ‘insane’ by most ponies. Yet, for all of that, Celestia found that she didn’t want to let the filly go so easily. “But what about studying magic?”
Twilight shook her head and looked up at her. “Teaching me magic hurts you.”
“No it doesn’t. That’s just a part of—”
“Yes it does!” Twilight said, poking Celestia’s wing and making both of them wince. “Sorry...”
“That’s not because I was teaching you magic, Twilight. That’s because you were learning, and I didn’t take the proper precautions.”
“That’s why I wanna be a guard. At least that way I can learn how to protect you!”
Celestia thought for a time, trying to find the words to convey what she was feeling. “Twilight, my guards ponies are very brave. They learn how to handle many weapons, and they know a lot about protecting ponies. But you yourself are stronger than any sword or shield they could teach you to use, and none of them could teach you how to use that power better than myself. That’s why I chose you.”
Twilight took that in silently, and after a time said: “I... I just don’t want to hurt you anymore.”
“Twilight,” Celestia said, laying a hoof on her student’s shoulder. “Let me tell you, one mare to another, you can’t bear the weight of the world for long without it wearing on you. I’ve tried, believe me.”
Twilight just looked at her blankly, and Celestia sighed as she recalled she was speaking to a filly, despite said filly’s very grown up concerns. “What I mean is... I’ll find ways to teach you that don’t involve blowing up walls. Let me worry about that.”
“And the ponies that want to hurt you?” Twilight asked with wide, fearful eyes.
Celestia’s eyes, and thoughts, darkened with a sudden smouldering anger. “You won’t have to worry about them anymore either.”
Twilight looked into her eyes for a long moment, then nodded, resting her head against Celestia’s pelt. The filly nodded, and Celestia imagined she could feel just how exhausted the filly must be. How many nights, filled with sunlight, had she gone through, reading to Celestia while the world was falling apart around her? How long had she held these fears in her heart with no one to speak to about them?
“I am so sorry, my faithful student,” she whispered into Twilight’s mane as she nuzzled her. “I promise, everything is going to be fine.”
Fine... Fine implied having the time to teach Twilight everything she needed to know at her leisure. Fine implied that she would spend time with her student, even outside of lessons. If only to get the silly notion that she hated her out of the filly’s head. Unfortunately, fine also meant that she did not abandon the country. Her country. Especially not after her subject’s faith had been shaken like it had.
There were only so many hours in a day.
She knew she wouldn’t have a lot of time for Twilight in the foreseeable future. Between taking back all of the responsibilities she had heaped onto Sunny, and undoing any damage that had been done, time would be a scarcity. What little time she would have likely wouldn’t be enough for any actual lessons. Luckily, she had an idea or two. They probably wouldn’t be enough, but it would at the very least buy her time to come up with more ideas.
“Everything is going to be just fine. I’ll make sure of it.”
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No,she did NOT make up the late fee rule - and was absolutely overjoyed beyond compare when she saw it.
Beautifully done and I'm so glad this fic updated. Speaking as one who knows well the pits of depression, celebrate the highs. And I could see it being a law.
good chapter, and is it bad I want something to happen to twilight parents while the two of them were in bedroom. like twilight parents are attack and kill by other ponys blame them for what happen.
7325849 Um... maybe a little?
7325879 so true
This was a nice chapter hope to read more soon.
...is air.
7325879
Is it REALLY that strong?
7288225
You are indeed, good sir.
7205198
I'd hate to see one of those fall out of the sky
Woo, it updated
And with a very nice chapter at that
Wow, Titles and Tribulations is a terrible name for this chapter. Not at all relevant to the content. An accurate chapter name would have been something like, "Reactions and Recovery"... or "Consequences and Complications".
Ha, I finished reading the last chapter, deciding I hated you for that cliffhanger, when I went to my feed and saw you had just posted the next one! Life's good, eh?
Yaass. Updaate.
First, good use of time gaps. It added depth to her injuries & emphasized different parts of the story.
Current national crisis vs. spending time with Twi.
Plus, the pacing was O'Natural to me.
Second, I kinda want the the late fee policy to be true. Zero-Kilo? Lawl.
Like who came up with that? Not even Celestia knows.
Third, can't wait for Fundraiser Sequel
Overall:
Good chapter, Old Sport.
I think the rule about the late fees is there, but she was too into things to remember all the details correctly.
Is it weird I get this crazy "EEEEEEEEEEHHHH!!!!!" sensation every time I see you've updated this?
I think my favorite part in this chapter was Twilight reading to Celestia; it's such a simple, short scene, but very heartwarming.
And Captain Twilight was adorable too.
I suspect now is the perfect time for Celestia to implement some changes to the government. Don't want the country going to pot if she's laid up for another week.
Poor Sunny, I doubt she even remotely expected a two week morning.
Hey library cards are serious business! Violations can result in incarceration, or a fine of not more than two chickens.
Edit: Thank you for the update! Keep the chaos flowing!
7326567 It's relevant, if you're observant. Twilight earned a title in this chapter, one that will follow her for the rest of her life.
Twilight would absolutely have read and memorized the entire training manual before actually playing guard.
I can't decide whether to shake my head at the unfortunate wording choice or salute your staunch disregard of modern innuendo.
Very nice chapter about Celestia's recovery. It will take some time and effort before everything is back to normal but once the aftermath of the asassination is dealt with Twilight's lessons won't have to be overshadowed by the constant politics.
7327309
Yeah, that sounds about right.
Karrakaz, as you mentioned your depression in passing, all I can do is offer my sympathies and best wishes; and to suggest that you make sure you're getting all the support (medical, familial or otherwise) you need, given that it IS a killer. While have been lucky enough never to suffer from it myself, I appreciate that even with the right support, it can be a long road. As I always say on these sort of occasions, for whatever little worth it is from Random Lich On The Internet, my PM box is always open.
Another great chapter
i think she didn't made it up.
she just ended in the rulebook section of the libary, read through all the handbox and was mixing things up then ...
maybe that's where her obsession with reshelving comes from ... because she did it in her had with all the rulebooks she had consumed back then ...
also where is Spike ? XD
Adorable Twilight is lethally adorable. Gkk! Ded...
I hope Celestia doesn't forgot to dig up that Sun-moving spell in case she's out for another two weeks again. As for the rest of the problems, I'm betting that most will quietly sputter out once she's back on the throne. The rest, mainly that assassination attempt, will just have to be added to the ongoing investigations pile. She herself said it'll just keep happening. Ah well, the problems of the immortal and all-powerful. :)
7326567 title of student or guard. Or regent or despot. Or princess or victim.
The title of the chapter is a subtle nod to how they are all defining themselves by actions, desires, or goals.
That being said this is a heavy chapter with more depth than most expected. Very good show. But on the other hand.... was that really luna dreamwalking or subconscious wishful thinking?
Twilight does not do Anything by half measures.
If she was going to stand guard my guess is that she would ask for the equestrian version of The BlueJacket's Manual.
(for those who have never served in the navy its the book of rules and regulations they give to recruits in boot camp. The Marine corp probably has the same book but i can not swear to it. The air force and army probably have their own version.)
If the Equestrian Guard does not have some version of the Bluejacket's Manual then it Needs one. <3
I love it when you update, and I love your story. Depression sucks, and I hope that you feel better very very very soon, like, tomorrow soon! Or two hours front soon!
...five seconds after you read this message and come to the realization that you have the power to instill confidance, bravery, imagination and true inspiration into the heart of a person you may never meet in Real life.....soon?
*hugs*
Stay awesome, cause you really are.
6872855
Well she should be scolded for that and made to clean it up.
Love it, love it, love it.
Great chapter.
The rule was in an old version of the manual. Nowadays they just confiscate your stuff until you pay back.
Also is Cadance going to be in this story?
Yeah Twy needs a foalsitter.
Yay update, more cuteness please :)
Did they say what happened to the duchess? Or did I accidentally skim over it?
“Err... yes,” said Aegis slowly, “only... you just crushed Twilight Sparkle. She was still sleeping on your bed, remember?” He craned his neck for a better look and hissed through his teeth. “Yeah, I can see her now, sort of... oozing out. That's definitely squished purple filly paste, if I'm any judge.”
Sorry, couldn't help myself.
Hey! You're back! With a fun new chapter for me, to boot!
Happy day!
...I really want to steal this word.
7399463 I didn't patent, or even invent it. Go ahead.
Silly Celestia, she should have studied under the methodology of the Dread Pony Roberts, who spent 10 years making himself immune to manticore venom, which came in very handy in the battle of wits against Whinnycinni.
Great work, keep it up.
7507812 Heh. Well, if you got one gear, I guess you'd call it drive, since there is nothing over just blowing 100% every time.
7327472 disregard innuendo sounds good. We need to bring back older words and use them properly again.
7384133 What story were you commenting on?
Woot! This is getting better and better with each chapter! Please tell me that there will be more soon
7752740
Seconded.
please continue this story soon
7922988
I'm almost six thousand words into the new chapter. It's going to take a little while yet, but it's coming.
7923340 Thx
“It is a secret to everypony."
*Captain America Voice* I get that reference
7933283
Random sleep deprived comment.
Saw your username, and kept misreading it as Bellyrub. Thought that was the most best username of 2018. Still, have a cute Twilight.
pre00.deviantart.net/dfff/th/pre/i/2012/277/3/6/can_i_has_a_tummy_rub__by_tim015-d5gr6k9.png