Spike woke up wrapped in a blanket cocoon, a stray beam of light from the balcony shining upon his face. With a grunt of annoyance, he extracted himself and looked around his surroundings, the night theme of the room complimenting the rising sun. He saw Diamond Tiara on Luna's bed, while Luna herself was in a trance on the floor pillow they were reclining in before sleep overcame him.
Luna's wings ruffled slightly as she rose from her trance. Spike giggled as as she worked her mouth in odd contortions and stretched various parts of her body. Looking at him with her serene teal eyes, Luna whispered, "What? One's mouth always feels funny after so many hours of dreamwalking, and I always start the day with a good, relaxing stretch."
"Sorry, it's just that your mouth looked funny doing that. Like you were kissing a giant fish or something," Spike whispered mirthfully.
"Better a fish than a frog," Luna replied with a smile.
"So should we wake her?" Spike asked, gesturing to the still sleeping Diamond.
"No, let her sleep for now. I'll have one of my day aides give her orientation when she wakes. I still find it strange my sister outsources her attendants and workers through companies rather than in-castle apprenticeships," Luna said with a shake of her head. She picked up a quill and paper, writing a note as she talked to Spike, "When was the last time we had a filly or colt under hoof instead?"
"No idea," Spike shrugged, "Twilight would probably know. She read The History of Canterlot front-to-back five times now. Says it's a good story to read before going to bed."
"Probably because it's so boring. I tried reading it a few times, but it makes a better table than it does reading material," Luna chuckled conspiratorily.
"I said the same thing, and Twilight banned me from my comic book collection for a week," Spike replied.
"Well, shall we go to our sister before her day truly begins? It would be nice for you to join us for breakfast," Luna said as they snuck out of a room. A note Luna had been writing with her magic as Spike and her were talking floated down near Diamond Tiara to read when she awoke.
The dining area that the two sisters ate in was one of Spike's favorite rooms. Not because the view was stunning, with wall sized windows overlooking the garden, nor for the fact that the entire room was made of beautiful mosaic marbles traced and embroidered with interconnected patterns of pure silver and gold, nor was it the fact that it served the best food from the best chefs in all of Equestria and beyond.
No, it was Spike's favorite because of the memories the room invoked. Before Twilight got so carried away in her studies that they barely came by here. Memories of epic food fights, of Celestia helping Twilight and Spike make miniature gingerbread cities, which were ravenously devoured soon after their creation. Even memories of all the times they just sat and talked without Celestia's work interrupting, being one of the rooms Celestia mandated as a sanctuary for her and any guests.
Spike stared in awe at the tiny mountain of emerald and topaz muffins in front of him, basking in their glory. It took him awhile before he recognized that Celestia was speaking to him. "Huh? What did you say? I didn't hear you."
"I was saying, it's been too long since you ate with me," Celestia repeated.
"Yeah, the last time was when I went to Canterlot’s ComiCon, and Twilight had her first sleepover."
"And you were so stuffed from eating carrot dogs and funnel cakes that you passed out in the middle of our meal," Celestia chuckled.
"Oh! I remember that. Spike looked like an overly large berry, and we had to roll him to your suite," Luna gasped.
"Haha! Yeah," Spike replied, his face flush with embarrassment.
"I miss having you and Twilight over, truth be told," Celestia said, before cutting to the chase, "So Spike, I received a rather interesting letter from Twilight this morning. Is there anything you want to talk about?"
"What did she say?"
"You first, Spike, then I'll tell you what she wrote," Celestia replied. She leaned forward, giving Spike her full attention.
"Well, you heard about Raindrops, right? And her visit?"
"Yes, I looked into her background. She seems like a nice pony, a bit caught up in her job, but nice nonetheless. Go on," Celestia waved her forehoof for Spike to continue.
"Well, Twilight finally acknowledged me as her son, and I was ecstatic. We went to town hall so I could be officially adopted, but they said that I'm legally considered a pet."
Celestia stood up, her wings flaring aggressively. "They said what?!"
"The receptionist gave all the points on how the citizens of Ponyville think of me as a pet, and well it makes sense in hindsight in how I was treated here in Canterlot."
"How were you treated as a pet here?"
"For one, most of the nobles tossing me table scraps and asking me why I wasn't on a leash. Then there was when a lot of ponies that treated me like they do in Ponyville, not badly, but kind of like a puppy. The biggest one, though, comes with a question. How many of my graduations did you go to?"
Celestia's, whose wings were twitching irritably, stopped as she tilted her head in thought, Celestia gasped, her eyes widening, "Oh Spike, I didn't go to any of them! I'm so sorry!"
"Well, there weren’t any anyways. They mailed honorary diplomas to Twilight," Spike said glumly.
"Honorary?" Celestia asked.
"Yes," Spike said, slouching into his seat.
"But you did the course work! I remember Twilight drilling you with questions that she felt would come up in your exams. I even proofread several of your theses!" Celestia exclaimed angrily, "Why didn't you tell me you didn't get recognized for your work?"
"Well... Until yesterday, I didn't think it meant anything. After all, I did the work, and it was like proof that I was worthy of Twilight. But now... It just hammers in the point that they didn't see me as an equal. Other than a few of my friends... Well, my friends before Ponyville."
"Why wouldn't they be your friends now?" Celestia asked concernedly.
"I haven’t had much free time to talk to them since we moved to the library, even though a few of them spend most of their time in Ponyville since we moved there."
Celestia got up from her spot and wrapped Spike in a tender hug. "Oh Spike! I'll have a talk with the dean at the college, and a few words with your instructors. Just remember, you were never a pet to me, Spike."
Luna coughed. "Now you've got some explaining to do dear sister."
Celestia looked at Luna incredulously. "Can't you see I'm having a moment?"
"You'll either having a bigger one, or you'll facehoof yourself hard enough to make another Ghastly Gorge," Luna retorted.
"We promised never to talk about that again, sister," Celestia replied, glaring at Luna, "Or should I tell everypony what's on the dark side of the moon?"
"Stop deflecting, Tia. We all know that we have enough dirt on each other to fill Twilight's library house. Now as I was saying, do you remember when Spike was young and he gave you and Twilight, Mother's Day cards?"
Celestia smiled and chuckled lightly, giving Spike a squeeze. "It was adorable. Why?"
"And how you two laughed at it, somewhat akin to what you just did?"
"Well, yes, but Luna, you have to know it was the most endearingly adorable thing he made..."
"Yes, Tia?" Luna retorted, goading that trail of thought to complete itself.
Celestia backed up and looked at Spike. "You told Twilight that you viewed her as a mother yesterday?"
When Spike nodded, Celestia looked back and forth between Luna and Spike as it sunk in, and as Luna predicted, Celestia facehoofed.
Spike was sure that facehooves weren't meant to create sonic shockwaves, nor were they supposed to make the ground feel like an earthquake as the room practically exploded. He was glad Luna had the foresight to place a shield around him, as he looked at the aftermath of Celestia's facehoof. Celestia looked at the obliterated room, the sudden flood of guards that burst into the room, and the tremors outside. Looking at Spike, she sighed, "I'm an idiot."
"So what's the damage?" Luna asked.
"I didn't make another gorge," Celestia retorted.
"Well you did make an avalanche."
"It wasn't a big one... It wasn't a big one, for the city of Canterlot. Most of the damage is located in the Everfree forest below the mountain, so that's a plus." Celestia sighed.
"It was still an a~va~lanche," Luna sang, "But on a more serious note, what about Spike?"
The two sisters were sitting in the gardens while chunks of the castle that were publicly accessible were being repaired. This gave them plenty of time to talk, and for Spike to wander the maze while they did so.
"How was I supposed to know he was being serious? I’ve received tons of letters from colts and fillies over the years. I thought it was like Twilight's Hearts and Hooves day letters; A sweet, innocent gesture from someone who didn't grasp what the concept of that day means," Celestia groaned.
"Sister mine, my most favorite living relative, you know I love you, right?" Luna said, patting her sister's shoulder.
"Yes," Celestia asked looking questioningly at Luna.
"But you are the most daft, blind, thickheaded pony I've ever known when it comes to those close to you. And that's saying something, since I've been regrettably introduced to Blueblood."
"He's not that bad, he just sometimes ... Doesn't use the right words when in public."
"When I first arrived, he told me Nightmare Night was months away, and that I should have somepony make my alicorn outfit look more realistic."
"In his defense, you were a surprise for most of the world when you got back."
"Then he wandered into my chambers drunk, and asked why my moon was always mooning him."
"You know how drunk ponies can be."
"After the last Grand Galloping Gala, he asked why I haven't gotten my visa like the rest of the foreigners in our country. The mare that was stuck to his side bolted with such speed you'd have thought the gates of Tartarus were about to open before her."
"Alright, I'll need to talk to him about not roping you into his mare scaring schemes. Honestly though, you should speak to him privately at some point. But I suppose, in bringing this up, you have a point."
"A few. First, other than Twilight, when was the last time you've personally interacted with the young?"
"There was Sunset Shimmer!" Celestia stated triumphantly.
"And what happened to her?"
"Oh," Celestia's face fell, "Yes, that was my bad."
"Yes, it was, and what about before that?"
"Well... About eighty, eighty five years before that... Around the same time I stopped the practice of bringing fillies and colts into apprenticeship positions at the castle. The nobles were making a stink about it, and there were citizens trying to make things all PR-y, and the whole thing of a castle being unsafe for foals to work in. Then the whole thing with fair wages. After it was cut, it saved the castle nine thousand and fifty bits a month in costs on the average, as well as increasing efficiency by a whole twelve percent."
"Alright, so you cut out children from your daily life to save bits and increase work efficiency. When's the last time you've connected with the citizens of Equestria?"
" I try every few years, but other than judging a few competitions, or in some ceremonial capacity, ponies freak out when they see me. I simply can't do that anymore, after a few centuries of being met with fear and awe. I simply let them view me as some type of perfect being, and they are happier that way," Celestia said sadly as she summoned a tea set to start up a cup for the two of them.
"That's silly talk. I remember when we used to have massive feasts where we mingled with the ponies of our land... Well, you mingled. I either got lucky or ended up stuck in the corner by the bar," Luna reminisced, "But still we were rulers who were of the ponies, not some porcelain goddesses to be viewed from afar. What happened?"
"Well after you ... were away. For the first two hundred years I was either doing nothing but paperwork, or locked in my room grieving. Then the next three hundred years, I basically threw myself into work and was public only enough to attend various ceremonies and events that my ... our little ponies needed to be happy. Then there was the three hundred years where I worked to make the world something you'd be proud of, and working on keeping on top of tons of growth. Both economically, and technologically. It's only these last fifty years where I tried to be more approachable, but at that point ponies saw me as somewhat unapproachable. A paragon of virtue to be admired from afar, or blamed when things go wrong in their lives.
"So by now, well. You've seen how quickly ponies freak out when I simply stop by for a friendly visit," At the end of her spiel Celestia rested her head on the table wearily.
Luna reached over and gave her sister a much needed nuzzle. "I was sad, I must admit, from all the things I've missed. But I'm here now, Tia. We, and I do mean we, don't need to be alone anymore. And I know for a fact that there is a little purple alicorn out there who loves you. I'm quite surprised you didn’t make a move the second she ascended. And now you also have a son, and in all my long years of life, I am finally an aunt."
"Lulu, you shouldn't play match maker. After all, the last time you dated, soap was just being invented."
"To my knowledge, when you last dated, the rope was called a passing fad," Luna teased.
"And your last romance caused the word lunatic to be invented," Celestia retorted playfully.
"Well you're the one who invented the food fetish, and that thing about socks, with your last lover."
"Well at least she was warm and well fed," Celestia harrumphed.
"I love you Tia," Luna laughed, "Now go talk to our nephew, and think about Twilight."
"I'll think about it, but I think she and Trixie are going to start working things out between them."
"The showmare? Hmmm... You know that I can't blab about what I see in others dreams. It's rude, but I don't think she'd object to being in a princess sandwich."
"Shoo! Off with you! I need to find Spike and have an honest heart-to-heart."
"Then I am off to either clear the air with Blue Blood, or banish him to a distant star for a timeout until he learns to mind his Ps and Qs."
The 'plushy' Spike gave me comes with batteries.
Rarity's old colt friends don't have a chance against a fully charged dragon plushy.
Spike our Equestria Electric bill has out stripped the treasury
Energizer Angel Bunny away
img08.deviantart.net/c2cc/i/2015/105/0/9/i_lost_it_by_hillbe-d8ptaov.jpg
A couple of errors
.
And wouldn't Luna have been too busy with trying to modernize herself that she wouldn't have been able to do anything with Spike when she returned after being banished for a thousand years?
5913950
Did you just make that pic? It looks adorable.
______________
5913979
Yes as in "You will have a bigger moment than you currently are having, or ..."
Where's the error there?
"Sister mine *pause* my most favorite living relative *pause* you know I love you *pause* questioning that knowledge."
How are the pauses errors? I mean I know sometimes I uses pauses when talking to my brother when setting him up to a "You're being an idiot, but I love you." Talk. I don't know how to give those pauses in a sentence other than using commas (Although I admit that normally there'd be a lot of those buggers there. But I didn't think that using a period would be appropriate.).
____________
As for Luna. This is 4 years after her return. We've seen her integrate with pony society on her holliday. Speak normally at the wedding, as well as when she entered Scootaloo's dream leading to Rainbow Dash being her honorary big sister. So while there are stil things to pick up / learn. I doubt she'd be too busy to help Spike out.
5913980
We got one vote mare ^_^. And yeah how I saw it. Either, he was uninterested in mares, but by making a scene he prevents more from hounding himself for a while (but doesn't care about giving his prefrence. Because titles are a burden he doesn't care for.). Or he's interested, but purposefully drops chivalry on its head because he's so used to seeing ponies look at his title / expendable income, rather than himself as a pony. Which of course leads up to actions like the shows G3, where he's Equestria's biggest troll.
But you're right. I can't really see Gay, Straight, Bi, really meaning anything there. Since Friendship is Magic, and Equestria was built around it. And love is nothing more than a deeper form of friendship. As long as it's a healthy love, and not something used to hurt another (other than the occassional pony who's into BDSM) then it's all good. And if there is a problem with gender, there's nothing that can't be fixed with magic, potions, and / or psychological counciling. At least IMHO.
5914100 Okay and I just thought there were some errors. Eh, no biggie.
5914116
It's all good. I'd rather someone catch something my amazing editor, and I might've missed. Than it ruining someone's enjoyment. And if it's not there, then it's good for me to clarify what I meant .
This just keeps getting better with each new installment. I especially love all the brief "flash back" lines from Celestia and Luna, it well illustrates the point of just how long they have lived.
5914100 yes, It's for 'I Lost It' one of my stories here onfimfiction
img12.deviantart.net/4f95/i/2015/095/8/4/raritys_egg_colored_by_hillbe-d8oj3qg.jpg
Raritys Egg
Her Day
Marked
and No Spike No
5914186 yup.
5914188
Thanks. I loved writing there playful banter, it has (at least personally) an adorable mixture of innumerable age with sisterly fluff. Hopefully more will make it's way in as Celestia and Luna horribly spoil Spike.
5914240
I'm going to read that fic now (Rare's egg is part of that fic right?), right after I wrap up the next chapter of "Golden Crusade". and would you mind me using that for "friendship dolls" one Rare's sends, the other Spike makes for her? It inspired the idea of close friends / family / special someones making dolls for the other. To remember them by regardless of distance (Kind of like having them by your side). Feels adorable.
If that's okay with you that is.
5914319 go for it
5914531
Thank you ^_^.
I like the idea that he has just had it with social climbers and he is actually close to Spike who set him right about Rarity but he decided not to clear the air as he figure they'd never meet again.
5914565
Honestly I never thought about him and Spike, I could see it more as Celestia setting him right on Rarity (but I agree that he thought they'd never meet. So he didn't really go out of his way to set things straight with her.), as for him and Spike ... I don't see him as particularly close to Twilight (or she would've warned Rares about Bluey). And I don't know if he'd be around Spike enough (or Spike would've warned Rares about Blue Blood).
5914616 This was the source of the Spike BB head cannon. https://derpibooru.org/467811?scope=scpe96a54c07baef06fae4e25e526bb62fc385102128 I love the idea he is a better Stallion then the fandom believes.
5914660
Yeah the short fic I'll link in the next chapter is going to have him in a much better light. Well at least a side of him that makes him look like an alright fellow. And when Celestia officially makes him her son (Spike), I can see Spike getting to know the real "Blue Blood" rather than the masks he wears for the aristocracy.
5914699 Your work is good man. It's right up there with the Decendent's stuff.
5914734
, that's quite the compliment, being compaired to him. Thank you.
So Celestia's the Chuck Norris of Equestria by making epic facehooves?
Dammit! Not strong enough.
5927299
.
5979036
That would be a pretty funny little Alt. AU. Spike ending up in the Velvet Room. But then who'd be what Arcana so far? I can see Celestia as either the Sun, the Heirophant, or the Emperor. Luna as The Moon, and Strength. Diamond Tiara is most definitely the Magician. And In a way Spike is the Fool. Just starting his journey to discover himself, infinite potential to achieve anything. He's just a Velvet Room, an Ancient Evil, and a Shadow McGuffin Plane away from Shin Megami Tensei: Dracona.