7DSJ: Treasure

by Shinzakura

Pandora

Celestia looked at the empty bedroom in her townhouse. For the most part it served as a guest room, mainly whenever Luna came over, got drunk and crashed on it instead of simply passing out on the couch. But at her age, the educator hoped it would have been much more than that by now. She’d hoped that she would’ve painted the room’s tan hue something more child-appropriate by this time in her life, having shared moments with the husband she didn’t have and the children she likely wouldn’t, either.

It was always Christmastime that put her in this kind of funk. True, she was in her mid-fifties and was blessed with a body that still looked like she was in her early thirties – she didn’t even have a single gray hair yet, much less crow’s feet or the other marks of time’s ravages – but she had none of the benefits of that time, either. Nor, for that matter, did her younger sister, Luna, though Armonia had managed to have one child of her own, at least.

That child, Mi Amore Cadenza, turned out to be engaged to the oldest child of Celestia and Luna’s life-long best friend, Twilight Velvet. Velvet, a mere three months younger than Celestia, looked every bit of her age, though, admittedly, did look very good for all those years: Velvet had almost no gray hair – not that you could really tell due to half her hair having been gainsboro gray since birth – and fortunately all her wrinkles were minute and easily overcome by small amounts of makeup. Besides, Velvet was more than happy in her life, and having been married to the same person for over thirty years, didn’t feel the need to continually beautify herself.

There were days that Celestia wished she could trade places with her friend. And she wasn’t about to make some sort of “how the other half lives” Christmas wish, either. Given the status of Velvet’s foster daughter – a status that Velvet was not aware of and Celestia had promised not to tell her – who knew how capable Sunset Shimmer was of making a realistic enough illusion.

Still, it’s not as though I’m at the end of my life, she thought, and I can always still meet someone, adopt a child, maybe even have one naturally. Not too late yet. Still, one had to have a social life in order to do so, and when one’s social circle consisted of mainly her sisters and her best friend, things were generally not looking good.

I really hate to say it, but I guess I should think about one of those online dating sites, she sighed. I am never going to live that embarrassment down, however.

The next day, however, she had lunch with her sister and their best friend. That did not turn out as expected. To be truthful, given the subject, she was mostly tuning it out, instead looking over work emails on her phone. Another reason, she knew, why she couldn’t find a date: she was married to her job, and said career was an all-encompassing thing, as far as she was concerned.

Meanwhile, unaware of Celestia’s inner turmoil, the band played on: “And so I was telling him that if he even wanted that, he’d better put a ring on it!” Luna’s laughing voice rang out as clear as a bell, making Velvet laugh in turn.

“Lu, you know that reference is years old!” Velvet faux-admonished, “and you have no excuse for not knowing that!”

“Maybe,” the starry-haired beauty said with a grin, “but apparently he didn’t know that. Fortunately, he was quite the gentleman that night, given that he stayed over.”

“Stayed over?” Velvet asked. “And you two thought I was moving fast when Night and I got engaged after a year.”

“No, not like that,” Luna corrected.

Celestia looked at her sister oddly. “How, then?”

Luna’s grin was wolfish. “Gaming, of course – we make a great team in Team Fortress 2, if I do say so myself.”

Velvet replied with an equally impish smirk. “Only you would consider a night of gaming a perfect date.”

“We each have our particular interests in a significant other, don’t we, Vel?” Luna replied. “I want someone I’m comfortable with, and we know how well things turned out with you and Night. And I’m sure that Tia has her own view on what the perfect mate is, don’t you, sis?”

It was at this point Celestia looked up from her phone and said, “Sorry, did I miss something?”

The answer to that was Velvet taking the phone out of her friend’s hands and said, “You can have this back after lunch, addict. Anyway, Luna and I were just discussing who you two were going to take to the County Employee Social Soiree tomorrow night.”

“Oh, that’s an easy answer: nobody. I wasn’t going, since technically school district employees don’t work for the county,” Celestia replied.

“But we have been invited every year as a professional courtesy,” Luna pointed out, “and I already have my date for the night, which I’ve been discussing with Vel all this time.” Luna then narrowed her eyes and said, “And I’m guessing you thought you were going to get out of it this year?”

“That was my plan, yes.”

“Tia, you have to come.” Luna looked at her sister, never releasing her look of reproach. “Aren’t you scheduled to be the assistant superintendent of the summer school system this year? Given your increased profile, you’ll have to ‘be a face’, as the saying goes.”

The pastel-haired woman sighed. “You know how much I hate office politics,” she said.

“Lu’s got a point, though. When I was chosen to be assistant director of Social Services, I had to spend a lot of time getting my face out there, just to let people know who I am. Otherwise, they’re not going to trust you in the long run and that’s just going to cause you more problems than you need. At this high up in the game, people will do anything to derail you from the top spot if they can, and you’ve worked hard for this. I don’t want to see you lose it because of something you might not think important.”

“Vel’s right,” Luna agreed. “Like it or not, Tia, you’re going to have to go to this.”

“I’m really not going to like this, am I?”

“Tell you what, sis: I’ll try to find someone who won’t completely make your night cringe, okay? What about Marble Statue, at the museum? Armonia says he’s been interested in you.”

Celestia shook her head. “Not my type.”

Velvet smiled. “What about my neighbor, Argent Lance? He’s a local recruiter for the National Guard, nice, has two cute kids….”

“Not ready to start a family yet.”

“We’re talking about a date, Tia, not an interview for your vagina.”

Celestia facepalmed. “You always have a way with words, don’t you, Vel.”

“Well, what’s my doctorate in?”

“Child psychology?”

She grinned. “Exactly – professional bullshitter.” Taking a drink of her coffee, she then added, “Look, let me find someone for you – blind date. I promise I won’t troll the county jail for serial killers, and since it’s a blind date, you don’t have to give him your digits if you don’t want to see him again.”

Luna clapped her hands together as though that was a really grand idea. “That’s perfect! Trust Vel, Tia. She’s not going to steer you wrong.”

“I know I’m seriously going to regret this, but…fine. Have him pick me up at my place at eight on the night of the party.” Rising from her chair, she then added, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go buy a dress worthy of this mess you two got me into.”

“So, looking forward to tomorrow night?” Night asked Velvet as the two sat at the table, going over their respective work.

Velvet looked up at her husband gave him a pixyish smile as she lifted a glass of wine to her lips. “Of course. I get to spend a whole night being wined and dined by a roguishly handsome man, and then I get to come home with him. It’s a win-win situation for me.”

Night and Velvet were just about to kiss when Twilight came into the kitchen, carrying a phone. “Mom, you have Mrs. Meadows on the phone for you.”

“Guess I better go get that,” she sighed. “But you owe me a kiss, mister.”

“Lips ready and waiting,” Night told his wife as she took the phone.

“Hi, Misty! What’s up? …Yeah, I remember, wh—…Wait, it’s tomorrow?…No, actually, I thought it was next week! Seriously, I thought the email said the 28th!…So we’re short-handed as well? Great, great…No, I’ll be there; I did promise.…Yeah, I’ll bring it, no problem. See you tomorrow, then. Bye.” Setting down the phone, Velvet’s hand immediately went up to her temple. “Forget the kiss, I’m going to need some Advil.”

“Something wrong?”

“Yeah, Misty’s party for all the kids in the neighborhood? It’s not the 28th, it’s tomorrow.”

“Well, don’t we have that little shindig of yours?”

“Yeah, but I promised Misty, and she’s shorthanded, so I can’t get out of it.”

“What about the kids?”

“Cady and Tavi are out of town, Shiny’s working overtime this week, and Twily and Sunny are going Christmas Caroling with their friends that day.”

A flat look came onto Night’s face. “Yeah, sounds like you’re stuck.”

“Tell me about it.” The matron sighed, adding, “And as for my other problem, just about every guy I know who I’m trying to fix Tia up with for the party is either busy, out of town, or gay – one of them actually so and not just BSing me.” She leaned back in the chair. “Why did I even agree to this?”

“Because you like meddling?” Night said without a trace of irony.

“Oh, hush you. So, I’m stuck here, and Tia has to go and she can’t go stag….” She then looked at her husband, her eyes glimmering.

He understood in an instant. “No way in hell.”

She just gave him an even look.

There was a knock at the door, and Celestia moved towards the door while trying to put on her earrings. She was wearing a white, off the shoulder Greek-inspired gown with gold trims, complete with golden heels. She had her hair woven into an ornate braid and had matched it off with a golden tiara and torc she thought worked well, especially the amethyst-hued crystals that shone within them and her genuine amethyst earrings.

I hope the guy Vel hooked me up with is cute, she thought as she moved to the door, because if he is, I’m really hoping to get to know him better. “Just a minute!” she sang out, making sure she had her matching violet clutch, her longcoat and a pair of sensible shoes to wear until she got to the site.

She then opened the site to see Night standing there, leaning against the doorframe. “Hi, Tia,” he said. “You look good.” His breath crystalized in the air, and she had to admit, he did kinda look good in a tux.

When he didn’t answer, Celestia merely smiled. This had to be a joke. “Ha, ha. This is cute, Night. So, where’s my date?”

He then brought out a small bouquet of roses that still had the supermarket tag on them. “You’re looking at him.”

When Night’s face did not turn into a smile, she looked at him again and said, “Please tell me you’re joking.”

“I’m not.” He then explained the whole situation, much to her surprise. “And so, it’s you and me. Hope you’re not disappointed.”

The look on Tia’s face was awkward. “Would you be offended if I said I was and I wasn’t at the same time?”

He chuckled. “You wound me, dear lady. Anyway, shall we go?”

“Sure, let’s get the humiliation out of the way.”

“You are not helping, Lulu,” Celestia sighed, fighting the urge to hide under the table. Her sister had already shown her up in the most incredible way possible: Luna had only shown up wearing a midnight-blue version of Celestia’s dress with silvery trim, but also wore a darker-colored version of the same tiara and torc combo she had, accompanied by the diamond earrings Celestia had gifted her sister for her last birthday.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Luna said, unsuccessfully attempting to stifle another giggle fit by covering her mouth, “I’d say that your choice in a date is a definite plus, as Night’s a real catch. Too bad he’s already caught.” Luna then snuggled up against her date; he looked a bit younger than her, but given her very youthful looks, pretty much everyone was younger than her. “Now as for Moonshadow here, he is quite the gentleman. Oh, and also single.”

Night gave Moonshadow a look that encompassed whole volumes; the younger man picked up on it easily. “I think I’ll get another glass of champagne,” he said. “Shall I bring back enough for the table?” When the three nodded, he wandered off.

Celestia let him get out of earshot before she laid into her sister. “You know, at least Vel tried not to humiliate me, Luna. What’s your excuse?”

“Sorry; that wasn’t my intention. But you need to relax, Tia – I wasn’t trying to insult you. Besides, you’re completely wound up right now.”

“And why shouldn’t I be? I’ve got the second-hand date here, with my sister laughing in my face an—”

Night coughed just loud enough to interrupt his date’s tirade, then whispered in her ear, “Tia, you’re not doing yourself any good freaking out like this. People are going to notice and it’s going to cost you.” She looked at him worriedly; it was clear that she was more than a bit worried about the whole thing.

He took action immediately. “C’mon, let’s go dance,” he said, taking her hand.

“Why?”

“Because these soirees bore me, to be honest, and you look like you need to talk in private – and nobody ever listens in on a conversation while dancing,” he said, as he led her to the dance floor. The chamber quartet played elegant classical music, and with that, he took her in arm. She looked as though she really didn’t want to do it, but then again, he was her date as well as a friend, so she would have to make the best of it.

The two joined the groups already on the floor. Celestia would briefly nod, and say a few kind words to someone on the county senior executive staff or school district board, then breezily make a comment to someone else who was influential. She hated this. She hated all of the petty, stupid politics. None of it helped the students, and only the careers of those involved in supposedly helping those who needed to learn.

As they moved around the dance floor, Night watched her every expression. He’d learned a lot from his wife, and had put it to good use over the years with his own students. She was so engrossed in the conversations that she was trying to avoid that she never noticed. Finally, with a slight bit of a verbal clearing, he asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” she said, hoping to spare him the embarrassment. Though he was a friend, he was the husband of her best friend and she didn’t want to use him unfairly.

“Not really?” he asked.

“I guess,” she said glumly.

“You guess or you know?” Celestia’s words failed her as she opened her mouth to say something, but didn’t. “Tia, I’m not Vel. She might be able to read you instinctively since you two grew up together, but I can’t.”

“Then let’s keep it that way, shall we?” she said in a tone lighter than she felt. “Besides, I don’t need to embarrass myself any further than I already have tonight.”

“Okay, I think you and I need to talk in private.”

“No, we don’t.”

“Yes, we do – you’re being as petulant as your sister and my wife.” She looked away and he knew he made a point. “Fortunately, I spied a balcony out there perfect for a romantic interlude. But don’t get your hopes up.”

“Story of my life,” she murmured. “Besides, I have to stay here and schmooze and play the nice Stepford Principal.” The last word was choked and forced, as though she’d rather have thrown herself under a thousand buses than to even bother with trying to socialize.

“And I’m not going to let you commit career suicide,” he said, ushering her over to the balcony.

Watching from a distance, Luna smiled. It seemed that Celestia was finally going to get the talking to that she needed; however, she’d expected it to come from Velvet or Armonia, not from Night.

Soon enough, Moonshadow returned, bearing four drinks. “I guess your sister and her date moved off?”

Luna nodded, taking one of the champagne flutes. “Let’s just say that Night took her in for a close-zone beatdown.”

“I see. One or two rounds?”

Luna smiled, but it wasn’t a happy one. “Dual Super Art KO. I just wish it didn’t have to happen.”

Celestia looked at the moon, hanging in the winter sky, looking far more serene than she felt. Then again, it didn’t really surprise her; somehow, if such a thing made sense, the moon and night were more her sister’s elements – after all, Luna had been named after the gray rock in the sky – while Celestia was far more at home with lighter, sunnier periods.

Of course, none of that was going to help now as Night looked at her, tugging at his collar. “Ties – hate ‘em, personally. But all part and parcel about looking professional, something I know you’re more than familiar with. And as someone who’s known you for over thirty years, I can honestly say that you are not on your game right now. Thankfully no one here knows you well enough to know that, but it was only going to be a matter of time before you exploded out there.”

“That obvious?” she asked, looking at the moon and leaning over the railing. She could feel the icy cold of the rail’s steel against her bare arms, and she wished she had a shawl or cape to put on at the moment. Maybe if she were lucky, Night would be enough of a gentleman to lend her his coat.

“You’re practically family to Vel,” he reminded her, “and that’ll be literal once Shiny and Cady marry. Plus, you know you can count on me. So please, will you tell me what’s bothering you? And no, I’m not going to let you sidestep this.”

“Do you remember how we met?” she asked him.

He laughed. “Do you really want me to tell you?”

“I was drunk at the time; I barely remember the party at all,” she admitted. “I do recall me, Luna and Vel being very trashed that night.”

“Trashed, nothing: The three of you decided to have a wet T-shirt contest! I recall that you have this roughly sun-like beauty mark under your right…well, you know.”

She sighed. “And here I thought I was imagining all of that. Anything else?”

“Yeah. You asked me to go out with you the next night; I thought it was a good idea and you had my…attention,” he admitted. “Unfortunately, you were so drunk you stood me up, and Vel decided to go in your place because she was bored. The rest, well, is history.”

“I thought you two met the month before?”

“We did – she was the one that invited me to the party. But we weren’t a couple at the time. Oh, she won’t say that because you two are so close, but I’m not going to mince words, because I think differently than my wife. And for what it’s worth, I never held you blowing me off against you, because look where it ultimately led.”

“Yeah,” she said bitterly. “Three kids, ones that you could have potentially have had with me.” He looked at her funny, and she shook her head. “No, I’m not coming on to you, nor am I bitter at Vel – I love her like a sister, and wouldn’t do that to her. It’s just….”

“Just…?”

She finally relented. “Just…I’m reminded of how old I am and how much I let life pass me by. I had to beg for a date because I don’t know anyone. Meanwhile, my sister’s here with a guy probably half her age, flirting with him and looking very much it’s like the kind of relationship I’d like to have. And what scares me is that this upcoming appointment for the summer school superintendent is shaping up to be the crowning achievement so far of my life…but yours and Vel’s are much greater: three children, four if you count Sunset.”

Night, however, had already figured it out. “Neither you nor Lu is in a race with Vel, nor would she consider it so. And you’re doing yourself no favors by putting yourself in one.”

“You’re right; there is no race. A Yugo can’t expect to outperform a Porsche. I mean, look at me: I turn fifty-six in April, and I look like I’m thirty-one – and I’ve got a body that most people that age would kill for. And though Vel means the world to me, she looks her age. And yet she landed the prize…and I didn’t.”

“I don’t know if that’s a compliment or a statement,” Night commented.

Celestia smiled softly. “Why can’t it be both?” she said glibly. “Drunk or not, I saw something in you if I was willing to ask you out that night. And I’m wondering if that was the jumping off point for the rest of my life.”

“I’m not going to justify that with an answer,” Night said firmly.

“I don’t want one, not from you. I want one from someone out there, some guy who will want me!” She turned to look at him, and there were tears in her eyes. “I’m almost sixty, Night. I don’t want Cadance to have ‘Spinster Aunt’ engraved on my tombstone.”

He went over and hugged her; she melted into the embrace. “You’ll find someone, I promise. He just hasn’t come yet. Sometimes life takes a little longer for some people to experience it. I’m sure you heard the story about Secret Spice, right? Was sixty when he started Kentucky Fried Chicken after a lifetime of being told he was a failure?”

“Night, I don’t see what my lovelife has to do with fast food,” she said, feeling miserable.

“It’s not about the fast food, Tia. It’s about knowing when your time will come. And no one ever knows that. Because if we did? Life wouldn’t be worth any of what we know it’s worth.”

“You think so?”

“I’ve got a runaway sixteen-year-old girl in my house that I’m placing that bet on. And even if she doesn’t believe in herself…I believe in her.” He then pulled away from the embrace and she looked like a mess. “Okay, I think we’re done schmoozing. Now comes the fun part.”

“Fun part?”

“I had no idea this place was still around!” Celestia said ten minutes later, happy as a clam. She had a steaming mug of coffee in one hand and a huge Boston crème donut in the other. To her shock, the doughnut shop where she and her friends in college had often did late-night studying was still around, though under a new name and a decidedly younger management.

“Yeah. After Doughy Delight retired, his grandson reopened the place under his own name,” Night replied. “Donut Joe’s come to me and several other members of the faculty for advice, given that his grandfather knew just about everyone on the Canterlot State faculty. And while old Doughy baked a mean fritter, Joe’s far more of an expert on this stuff than his grandfather was.”

A young man at the counter, no older than his mid-twenties, with shaggy hair and a build that was more like a football player than a pastry chef, grinned. “Aw, thanks, Professor! But I wouldn’t be anything if it wasn’t for you and your recommendations!”

Night smiled. “Hey, just making sure the best pot of Kona in town stays prosperous.”

“With students here at all hours? No chance of me going under anytime soon. You two need a refill?” he asked, but without waiting for a response, went over and grabbed the Kona coffee, then topped them off. “You two need anything, just let me know; right now I gotta see to more customers.”

“Feel better?” he asked Celestia as she finished off her doughnut.

“Loads,” she gushed. “And I’m sorry. Both for unloading on you and…well, thirty years ago.”

“No harm done,” he said affably. “We’re still friends and that’s all that matters. But I was serious when I said that someone will be there for you when the time’s right.”

“Maybe you’re right,” she replied.

“I know I’m right. Besides, if your body’s anything still like it was back then? He won’t know what hit him.”

An impish grin came onto her face. “Well, I could show you later if you want to give me a consultation, Professor.” He shook his head, and she laughed.

He finally arrived home at three in the morning; Velvet was there, watching TV and lounging around in a bed robe. “Welcome back,” she said softly. “How’d it go?”

“Other than doing your dirty work?” he replied.

“She wasn’t going to listen to me. I love that girl like a sister – probably more so than my own sister – but when Tia gets something in her skull, it takes a lot to get it out of her, and I wasn’t in the mood to fight with her. I’m guessing Lu exacerbated it?”

“Of course,” he said, sitting down next to her. “You know her: won’t stop until it explodes in her face.”

“Yeah,” Velvet agreed. “Anything else?”

“Well, Tia broke down, we reminisced about how we met, she cried, I hugged her, took her for an emergency cheer-up session at Donut Joe’s, and she’s feeling much better. I’m also going to put in a good word for her with one of the English profs I know at work. He’s just getting over his divorce and I think they might be cute together.”

“You think so?”

“Oh, trust me. Tia’s as impish as ever, and if it doesn’t work out, then he doesn’t deserve her.”

“Spoken like a man who obviously had a fun night,” she asked in a roundabout way.

“No,” he said, “spoken like a man who took your friend home, then got flashed by her ‘to see if anything changed in thirty years’, then got deep kissed by her as a thanks and oh, I’m not supposed to tell you about that.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get back at her later for that. But thank you, Nighty, for putting up with it – I know she didn’t mean anything by that, but it’s the little things that make us girls feel special.”

“I see. Well, I’m going to go to pass out for a few hours.”

However, she shook her head. “No you’re not.”

“I’m not?”

A mischievous grin suddenly came onto her face. “Sunny and Twily are staying overnight at a friend’s place. Spike’s staying overnight where the party was. Which leaves us with an empty house.” She then went close to him and whispered, “And I’m not wearing anything under this robe.” He then raised an eyebrow in response, to which she purred, “I think it’s time to remind you why you chose me.”

“As if I need a reason, love,” he said, as she took him by the hand to lead him upstairs.

Comments

[The Literary Lord]

Huh, didn't expect a chapter on Celestia. Glad to see that her friends are there for her. First comment!

[BenRG]

Poor Celestia! She chose her career over her personal life and there is a price to be paid for that. Additionally... well, family holidays are always a time of extra regret for those who have either made this choice or simply have failed to do otherwise.

As trite as it is (and I'm not sure that it would make her feel better) but I can only say this: In her life, she has had thousands of children whom she has sculpted in just as important ways as their biological parents. In whose triumphs and tragedies she has been a player, witness and, sometimes, a participant. Amongst them are her world's seven Elements of Harmony. In no way is this a mean feat.

[Flynt Coal]

It seems like in every universe you make, Celestia's a lonely recluse with a habit of moving in on claimed territory!

Loving these stories so far, bud! I just wish I hadn't waited until after the holidays to start reading them

[SightlessOne]

You know it goes to show the depths of Vel and Tia's friendship that Vel would allow her husband to be used as Tia's "date" (granted, her choices were zilch at that point, but quite a few married women would find that situation far too awkward/problematic for their taste).