Avatar: Legend of Diamond Tiara. Book 2: Discord

by Jeweled Pen

Chapter 25: Ancestral Meeting

“Hiyah!” Button yelled before leaping through a bush, posing dramatically while his eyes scanned the area. He then nodded and gestured a hoof forward. “Okay, all clear. It's good to go, ladies. And Luna.”

“Wonderful,” Diamond said with a roll of her eyes as she kept walking forward, Celestia, Silver and Luna besides her. “You know, there's really no need for this. I've been here a few times, if anything was going to hurt us, it'd probably, you know... have to exist first.”

“What about the evil monkey?”

“The evil monkey spirit that is likely days away by now and, if it attacked, would be actually good for us since we'd be able to get the amulet? Yeah, I don't think he's much of a threat,” Diamond said with a roll of her eyes. “Relax, we're almost there.” She looked up. “See? We're almost to the smoke trail.”

Button sighed, sitting and pouting. “But I'm just trying to be useful...”

Luna walked up besides him and gave him a little nuzzle on the nose. “I think you're being very useful, Dear Button.”

His cheeks turned red and he gave a little nod. “O-okay. A-as long as I-I'm useful to you,” he said with a little squeak.

Celestia rolled her eyes. “Oh, gag me with a spoon. If you two are going to make out, I'm telling grandma on you.”

“Oh?” Luna asked with a cocked eye. “Perhaps I should tell her of some of your past indiscretions? Perhaps with that minotaur, what was his name again?”

“Point taken!” Celestia said quickly, her cheeks turning bright red. “A-and it was just one date and you shut your mouth.”

The water bender snickered and then smiled to Button. “Come along, there's no need to scout ahead for us. Besides, I'm feeling far better now, there's no need to be so protective.”

He nodded. “I-I know. I just... worry a bit cause... stuff and...” He looked off to the side.

“And I appreciate it. You treat me marvelously, darling. But I am more than capable of taking care of myself, giant monsters of purple ooze aside.”

“We're here!” Diamond called out, pointing towards the small cottage. The table was set up outside, but there were no signs of the two elder unicorns. She frowned and trotted forward, knocking on the door. “Hello?”

After a few moments, the door opened and the elder Luna stood in it. She smiled down at them. “Ah, Avatar. A pleasure to see you again. Did you...” The words trailed off and she looked over at the others. “Oh, my. Could it be? Tia, sister. You're going to want to see this.”

“Hmmm?” elder Celestia came out and gasped. “My goodness. It is like looking into a tiny, age regressing mirror.”

“I'm... going to let you four get re-acquainted,” Diamond said quickly before trotting away and tugging Button and Silver behind her. “Come on, there's some great... trees over this way to see.”

“What? Trees? But I want to see them--” Button started, but was thwapped on the back of the head by Silver.

“Shush, you,” the earth pony said quickly.

“O-oh, right,” Button said, his face red. The moment they were out of sight, he sighed and sat down. “So, uhhh... how you two been?”

“Pretty good. You know, doing Avatar things,” Diamond said with a shrug. “Which I'm finding seems to usually mean nearly getting me and everypony I care about killed. But other than that, pretty good.”

Button chuckled. “Hey, we always pull through in the end.”

The alicorn nodded. “So uhhh... you and Luna. You two are cute together. I never really thought... well...” She coughed into her hoof. “Err... never mind.”

“Huh? What?” the earth bender asked, cocking his head to the side.

“Nothing. Don't worry about it,” she said with a shake of her head.

“Come on, Diamond, you can tell me.”

“It's nothing, really.”

“Diamond...”

“Just forget it.”

“Come on, we're friends, you can tell me--”

“Oh my gosh!” Silver said with a shake of her head. “She thought you just liked mares, okay? She was surprised you liked stallions, too.”

The earth bender blinked, his cheeks turning red before he poked his hooves together. “I... I do. Just... uhhh... like mares.”

Both the other two ponies blinked a few times, before staring at him. “What?” they asked in unison.

“I mean, I did. I uhhh...” His cheeks turned scarlet. “I... kinda... thought that... well... Luna was a...” He chewed on his lower lip for a moment. “A mare.”

“WHAT?” the two said in unison, louder.

“Shhh!” he said quickly, shaking his head. “It's not... well...” He face hoofed. “I just don't know any more, you know? She was... I mean, he was really cute. And... and he responded to my advances and I just... I mean, I-I didn't really notice much and... I guess I just wasn't paying attention, okay? Or maybe I was just in denial. It's not exactly like ponies are really interested in me... normally. So... maybe I just denied it since he was, okay?”

“Oh Button,” Diamond said with a sigh. “You're a great stallion, plenty of mares would--”

“Be happy to have me as a friend, I know,” the earth bender said with a roll of his eyes. “But... Luna wasn't like that. I just found out a few days ago and I just... I don't know what to do. I mean... well... I think I know what to do. I didn't before but...” He lifted a hoof to his chest. “When he fell in the Smooze, I didn't think, I just acted. The thought of him... dying, it tore me up inside and I couldn't let it happen, no matter what. I would have given anything to keep him safe. And I...” He tapped the ground nervously. “I don't know... you know? I mean... I like mares. I didn't think I liked stallions. But... I think I like Luna. I really, really do and I have no idea what to do about it.”

“Well... maybe you do?” Silver said with a shrug. “Maybe he's just... the exception to the rule? He is pretty feminine. I mean... he's the splitting image of his grandmother.” She moved around to see around the trees, eying the four ponies sitting at the table, discussing the past few years. “Yeah. Pretty much exactly like her. So... maybe you just like feminine stallions too?”

Button nodded slowly. “I... guess. So, uhhh... what do I tell him?”

“Nothing,” Diamond said.

“The truth,” Silver said.

The two blinked and stared at each other.

“What?” they said in unison.

Button groaned. “Well, that's clear as mud.”

“He can't tell him,” Diamond said with a shake of her head. “It'll just hurt Luna's feelings, make him feel inferior. Buck, it'll probably make him think Button won't like him the moment some pretty mare comes along.”

“Luna has a right to know,” Silver said with a shake of her head. “This can, and probably will, lead to problems down the road if he just hides it from him. A loving relationship like that can't be found on a basis of lies and hiding things. It needs to be based on trust. Mutual trust.”

“Why would he want to know something that might hurt him?”

“Because look at Button,” Silver said with a gesture of her hoof. “He's panicking and anxious because of this. It's already affecting his relationship. It's just going to get worse and worse until he gets everything out in the open. Otherwise, this'll be hanging over his head the entire time and--” She blinked. “Speaking of hanging over his head. You two still need to talk.”

“W-what?” the two said in unison.

“Button, you're still crushing on Diamond. Like, horribly crushing. You're avoiding her now, anypony can see that. You two need to work this out. Diamond, you're... well, you want him as your friend, don't you? That means all of this, ALL of it, needs to be cleared and settled. Okay?”

Diamond gulped and looked to Button, who looked as worried as she felt. Finally, she took a deep breath and nodded. “She's right.”

“N-no she's not, I don't have any, I-I mean, I--”

“No, Button, she's right. What I did...” The alicorn took a deep breath. “I'm sorry. I know... I know rejecting you probably hurt. But please, you have to understand, it had nothing to do with you.”

He blinked, then sighed. “Yeah, yeah. I--”

“No, I mean it.” Diamond stepped forward and put a hoof on his shoulder. “I want you to look at yourself. You're an amazing bender, a lava bender now. You're one of the kindest, most forgiving ponies I know. You're generous, inventive, sometimes a bit silly. You're dating a prince, even if the circumstances are a bit odd, and he likes you a lot. Trust me, it's pretty obvious.”

“W-wait, he does?” Button asked, perking up. His cheeks then turned bright red. “I-I mean, err... o-of course he does. I-I knew that.”

“Yes, he does. It's obvious he does. I see the way he keeps looking at you. You're amazing and you're one of my closest friends. I'm sorry we can't be more. But...” She took a slow, deep breath. “I don't even know what I want right now. I don't know if I'm going to want anything. Romance is the last thing on my mind, especially with everything that's going on. If... it weren't, well, I might have--” She shook her head. “No, that's not right, either. You're with Luna now. I want you to be happy. I want us to be friends. I'm sorry I hurt you. I am so, so sorry. And... I'm sorry I forgot about the kiss. When... I did it, I was just so scared I thought I was going to die. I barely remembered anything then about it, except for you saving me. I should have realized I was leading you on when I did it and I never, ever intended for that to happen. I would never do that to you.”

Button sighed, lowering his eyes. “I... know. I should have known that... you wouldn't...”

“Don't,” Diamond said with a shake of her head. “You're amazing. It's perfectly reasonable for me to have fallen for you. Buck, I might have if things were different. But... can we just be friends? Please? You have Luna, I want you to be happy. And I don't want to come between that.”

He sighed and gave a small nod. “I... I know. It's just...”

“What?”

“I thought...” He nibbled his lower lip. “I thought you... I mean... it's usually... ponies don't tend to go for ponies like me. They usually go for... the tougher guys. Ponies more like... Big Mac, I guess. Strong. Big. Powerful. I'm not really...”

“You're an amazing pony. You're plenty strong and powerful,” Diamond said with a shake of her head. “You're a bucking lava bender for goodness sake. How many earth benders can say that? You're also very, very cute. Need I remind you that you have the attention and affection of a prince? How many ponies do you know have that?”

Button kicked the ground with a hoof. “Not... many, I guess.”

“You're charming and awesome and you deserve all the love and happiness in the world.” She leaned forward and gave him a hug.

“T-thanks,” he said softly, chewing on his lower lip. “I'll try and... you know... get over it. Just... well...”

“I know. I'm really sorry I hurt you,” Diamond said with a small smile. “You mean the world to me, as a friend. And I'd never want to do anything to endanger that.”

“I know, I know.” He then sat down, gulping a bit. “So... do you both... think I should tell him? Really... uhhh, talk with him?”

The alicorn groaned. “As much as I hate to say it, Silver has a point. It's affecting your relationship now.” She then smiled. “You made a mistake when you first started dating. You're confused, but you risked your life to save him. If that doesn't prove you care about him, what would?”

Button nodded, chuckling a bit. “I... guess you're right. I uhh... so, when?”

“Tonight,” Silver said firmly.

“W-what?” he asked with a squeak.

“We're going to be on a long trip the next few days,” the earth pony said with a shake of her head. “You two won't have much privacy during that. Once we get back, there won't be much time either. I'll see about getting you two a nice, private dinner and you two can talk it all out, okay?”

Button whimpered. “I... I don't know. I-it's pretty soon and--”

“Best to strike while the iron is hot,” Silver said with a nod. “Otherwise, you might chicken out and panic. Is that what you want to do?”

“Yes. Yes it is.”

“Is that what Luna deserves?”

The earth bender groaned and face hoofed. “Buck... no. He deserves all the... ugh. Why does everything have to be so complicated?”

Silver smiled. “I don't think it's complicated at all. You like him, he likes you. So what if things aren't how you initially thought they were? It's not like it matters.” A knowing grin flashed on her face. “Besides, he's not heir to the throne so I don't think he's required to have children of his own.”

Button's face turned bright, bright red. “SILVER!”

The mare snickered into her hoof. “S-sorry, I just couldn't resist.”

Diamond snickered as well, shaking her head. “Besides, adoption is always an answer.”

The earth bender groaned into his hoof, his cheeks flaming red. “I-I don't really want to talk about this with you two.”

The alicorn just grinned. “Awwww, you'd make an adorable dad. I could see you out there, tossing the dirt clump around with--”

“Not. Talking. With you two. About this,” he said firmly, banging his head into his hoof.

Silver's eyes widened. “Oh dear. I don't think the aspect of children had really occurred to dear Button. Your mom has told you about how they are made, has she not?”

“I will bury you both,” Button said, his cheeks bright red.

Diamond grinned wider. “You see, when a stallion and... well, in this case a stallion love each other very much--” She let out a shriek when a wave of dirt rose up and buried her. After a few moments she dug her way out, coughing out some dirt. “Point taken.”

Button turned to Silver, who eeped. “I'm done!” she said quickly and flailed her hooves about.

“Good,” the earth bender said. “So, how about we talk about something other than my love life. Silver, how about we talk about yours?”

The earth pony blinked, then rolled her eyes. “Ugh, no. I'm really not interested in any pony right now. I've still got soooo much I need to do before I even consider dating.”

“Like what?” Button asked.

“Taking over the world, obviously,” she said with a grin, making the other two chuckle. “So, Button, have you been practicing your lava bending?”

“Huh? Oh, uhhh, no. Not really,” the stallion said with a nervous chuckle. “To... be honest, after... well...” He took a slow, deep breath. “After what happened, I haven't done any bending. I've mostly just been resting. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help when you guys went back here, I just--”

“Don't,” Diamond said with a wave of her hoof. “After falling into that thing, I can't blame you. I think anypony would need a nice, long rest after that. Are you actually feeling better, now?”

“Yes. I... mostly am. I mean...” He put a hoof over his chest. “It just... felt odd. You know? I keep thinking about it. It felt like I was being eaten from the inside. Can you imagine?”

“Yes,” Silver said softly.

“Huh?” Button asked.

“I-I mean, it had to feel... weird, right? I imagine it would feel really weird and awful. Thank goodness it's over now, right?”

“Yeah. I wouldn't wish that kind of... thing on anypony.”

Silver chuckled darkly. “Yeah, it does seem like a horrible way to go. But I imagine it won't be much of a threat to anypony now. I mean, we all know about it and... well, what other ponies would come here of all places? That spirit left it behind, too. So there's no point for us to be near it. Right?”

“Yeah,” Diamond said with a nod. “Silver, are you okay? You're acting a bit... odd.”

“What? No I'm not! I'm just... stressed. Worried, that's all. L-leave me alone,” she said quickly, looking away.

The alicorn blinked, looking to Button. She then sighed. “Ohhhh, I see what it is.”

“You... do?”

“Yeah. Don't worry, though,” Diamond said before patting her on the head. “We're going to be fine tomorrow, okay? I mean, your dad might be... eccentric, but he's really pretty smart. I think. He's so good at building a lot of those... things. The stuffs. I'm sure the boats will work just fine. And if they don't... well, most of us have wings so we'll be fine.”

Silver chuckled softly, covering her mouth with a hoof. “Y-yeah. I guess most of us do, huh? And I'm sure daddy will... probably have this all figured out. It's still hard not to worry.” She glanced back. “Do you think we should go check on them, make sure they're doing okay?”

“Nahhhh,” Diamond said with a shake of her head. “It's been a long time, they probably have so much to catch up on.”

------

“Mom says once she retires from being the Water Lord and Colgate takes over, she'd like to open her own boutiques across the world. She already has a place in Canterlot she's been eying and she has been tossing around the idea of opening one in Manehatten, in honor of dad,” Prince Luna said before sipping his tea. “She also said she'd love to open one in Ponyville, the Fluttershy Memorial Boutique, but she's a little worried her friend wouldn't have appreciated that.”

“Wow,” the elder Luna said, sipping her tea. “My daughter has certainly been keeping herself busy,” she said before shaking her head. “I'm delighted to hear she's keeping out of trouble.” She then gave a sigh. “I do hope all the trouble I caused over the years hasn't caused her too much grief. I know I hardly left the Water Nation in the... best condition.”

Princess Celestia snickered. “Oh, please. We all know that was more Discord than you. Mom and aunt Sweetie have everything under control. Heck, between the two of them we haven't had much trouble. Well, aside from the Dazzling incident.”

“Dazzling incident?” the elder Celestia asked. “What was that?”

“A-ah,” Prince Luna said nervously. “A... well... how to put it. Dazzling Sapphires. He was mother's... student. Sorta. He was...” He then shook his head. “He was an assassin. A... relic of the previous age. Back when the Water Nation... was different. He'd been trained from birth to...” He sighed. “Well, it's no matter. Mom tried to fix him. Auntie did too. But it just wasn't... for all his talents, he just wasn't... his training wasn't...”

Elder Luna frowned, her eyes lowering. “Say no more. I can... imagine a pony like that.”

“Yeah. They managed to stop him, but he was just...” Princess Celestia said softly. “What he could do to a pony just... wasn't pretty.”

Elder Celestia smiled and patted her sister on the back. “There there. The Water Nation has had a long, horrible history with assassins. Those times will, hopefully, fade into memory. I am sorry that this pony has caused such troubles, however. I trust my nieces were more than capable of stopping him?”

“Oh yeah,” Prince Luna said with a nod. “Mom was able to crush him with ease. She's one of the greatest water benders around now, you know. She used to tell me how bad she was, is it true?”

Elder Celestia snickered and shook her head. “Oh, heavens no. Rarity was quite talented, she just refused to ever see it, or believe it. But she had quite a few skills and talents. In fact, her skill with that weapon of hers was just incredible. She knew just how to mix her magic, physical and bending talents together. A shame she never quite understood how impressive she was.”

Princess Celestia snickered. “Well, I'm not surprised. If half the stories she told us about you two were true, she had quite a bunch to live up to.”

“Oh, I was nothing special,” Elder Luna said with a shake of her head. “My power came from the corruption I had with Discord. My sister was always the skilled fighter of us.”

“Oh, you underestimate yourself, dear sister,” Elder Celestia said with a shake of her head. “Don't listen to her. She was a marvelous water bender, she had far more grace than I ever did. I just happened to have more raw power.”

Elder Luna snickered. “Oh, of course. I heard all the stories about you out in the battlefield. Why, even our father wouldn't have wanted to fight you and he wasn't afraid of anypony.”

“He was only afraid of being shamed. I would have never stood a chance against a pony such as him,” Elder Celestia said before sipping her tea. “If I could have... perhaps things could have gone differently. Anyway. Rarity was incredibly skilled, just not always in water bending. Even so, I heard about her fight during the... well, during some of the darker events in their past. I imagine she has developed all kinds of new styles since her crowning.”

Prince Luna shook his head. “No, I'm afraid not. She barely even trains any more, to be honest. Well, she does a little, but it's mostly just practice. She's still amazing, though. But actually inventing new things... well, no. Her... applications of blood bending haven't been very... far taught, either.”

Elder Celestia nodded, giving a soft sigh. “Yes. I imagine such a skill would... not be something she'd want spreading far. Were it not for poison bending, such a technique would never have had to be created. I still can't believe how powerful she had become, to be able to use it in such a manner.”

Princess Celestia shook her head. “She can still sometimes use it like... that. But she only teaches it as a defensive technique. But, it's still not something... she's been trying to have poison bending stripped from our country. Not... forcefully, but it is no longer allowed, legally. Such a horrible technique.”

“Tell me, can you poison bend?” Elder Luna asked, glancing Prince Luna over.

“I can, but it is quite difficult for me and not something I enjoy,” the prince said, putting a hoof over his chest. “It... is quite painful. Allowing your suffering to overtake you and envelop every inch of your being. Allowing it to corrupt your magic and bending is just not something I find pleasant. But I do know how to use it and, more importantly, how to fight it. Mother made sure of it, just in case I ever had to deal with any... such attacks.” He shook his head. “But, I never use it, as we said, it is no longer legal.”

Elder Luna sighed, swirling her tea in its cup. “I... am sorry. Perhaps if I had been a... better ruler, the assassins would not have thrived so well during my rule to last into--”

Princess Celestia snorted. “Really? I doubt that. Mom has told us stories about how the Water Nation had been even before you were Nightmare Moon. The assassins would have been there regardless of what you'd done. So long as Discord's taint was there, that darkness would have as well.”

Elder Luna sighed, closing her eyes. “Perhaps. But there was plenty I could have done after... after all of that. But it does no good to dwell on the past. Is there anything else going on with your lives?”

“Luna has a coltfriend,” Princess Celestia said quickly, making her brother's cheeks flair red.

“CELESTIA!” the prince shrieked, then cringed when both of his elder's eyes turned on him.

“Ohhhhh? A coltfriend? My my,” Elder Celestia said with a sly grin. “Is he cute? Does he look like your father?”

“Oh by the stars,” Prince Luna said, covering his face with a hoof. “He is... not unsightly. He is that stallion who... escorted us here. The earth pony.”

Elder Luna froze. “You're... dating an earth pony?”

“Yes.”

The elder mare gave a nod. “I... see. I suppose such... things are no longer as taboo as when I ruled. Are there really no unicorns you could be dating? I mean, you seem like a fine prince. Do you really need to settle for--”

“I am not settling,” Prince Luna said coldly, going deathly still. “Button is an absolute delight. Not only that, he's an amazing bender. Even if he wasn't, he's kind, sweet, charming and brave. He has plenty of good qualities that anypony would love to have in their consort. More importantly, while I cannot guarantee that a relationship between the two of us will work out, his earth ponyness will have NOTHING to do with that decision. I've met hundreds of unicorns who couldn't even hold a candle to him.”

The elder mare cringed, giving a nod. “O-of course. My mistake. I merely meant that... never mind. I made plenty of mistakes in my time, I have no right to speak.”

Elder Celestia face hoofed. “Dear sister... no.”

“What do you mean, mistake?” Prince Luna snapped.

“I merely meant--”

“Button is NOT a mistake! He is a marvelous, wonderful stallion who treats me amazingly.” Though his tone never shifted, the anger was evident in his eyes. He got to his hooves and started to storm off.

“W-wait, please! Prince, please,” Elder Luna begged, getting to her hooves. “I didn't mean... please come back. I don't want perhaps the last time we see each other to end like this.”

Prince Luna paused, then sighed, slowly turning back around and trotting over, sitting back down. “Right. Sorry. I just...”

The elder mare shook her head. “I... grew up in a time when such things were... deplorable. For a water bender to be with an... earth pony or pegasus was just unheard of. But I suppose under the rule of my daughters times have changed. For the better,” she added quickly. “I was merely shocked that one of my... grandchildren would be in such a relationship. I did not mean to imply it is a mistake. Stars know I have no right to speak of any such thing.”

Prince Luna sighed, grumbling a bit before nodding. “I... suppose. Let us talk of something else. I don't want this meeting to be--”

“Why not invite the young colt over?” Elder Celestia asked, drawing every eye to her. “It would do us well to meet your new consort and learn about him. Perhaps that'll help put my sister's mind at ease?”

Elder Luna's eye twitched slightly, but she grudgingly nodded. “Right, indeed. I believe my sister is correct. If I can meet this stallion, it would help to put my mind at ease.”

Princess Celestia grinned. “HEY! BUTTON! GET YOUR FLANK OVER HERE!” she bellowed, making the other three jump.

Button squeaked before he came out from the trees, his face red. “Err... I was summoned?” he asked, looking confused.

“My... grandmother wishes to meet you,” Luna said coldly, looking him over, before patting the seat besides himself. “Come.”

The earth pony gulped and came over, smiling nervously as he sat down. He swore he was getting the oddest feeling of killer intent from the elder Luna now. The older Celestia looked like she was going to burst into laughter as she drank her tea, though. He wondered what the joke was.

“Well, you three have a nice, fun talk. I'm going to go hang out with the cool kids,” Princess Celestia said before trotting over the direction Button had come from. “Hey, Diamond! Silver!”

Button gulped and smiled up at them. “H-hi. Errr... I'm Button Mash. A pleasure to meet you two. I uhhh, I heard a lot about you.”

“Oh? How, dear child?” Celestia asked. Elder Luna just had a forced grin on her face and Prince Luna had a face as frozen as ice.

“My mom used to tell me all about you two. Oh, I'm the son of Octavia Melody. I'm not sure if you remember her.”

That made Elder Luna blink and the killing intent began to fade. “Really? As in one of the founders of Harmony? I've heard quite a bit about her, in fact.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yes. In fact, your mother and I fought once.”

Button cringed. “Yeah, she told me about that. It uhhh... well, yeah. It wasn't exactly... pleasant.”

“Indeed. But she was still quite skilled. Are you familiar with Vinyl Scratch? I do believe the two were once friends and she was one of my most prized generals for the longest time.”

“Oh, of course! My best friend is her son, Acrylic. She's totally like, the coolest mom ever. N-not that mine isn't, mom's really cool, too. But Vinyl is just like... awesome.”

Elder Luna nodded. “Of course. So then, you are a high ranking member of Harmony, then?”

“Actually... I'm uhhh... not a member of anything in Harmony. I can't even metal bend, like my mom.”

Elder Luna's smile wavered. “I... see.”

“He can lava bend, though,” Prince Luna said quickly. “In fact, his ability to lava bend is the only reason I'm still alive. When I was knocked into the Smooze, he dove in after me and managed to drive it back with such a skill.”

“Lava bending?” Celestia asked with a cocked eye. “My my, that's quite the unique talent. I haven't heard of a pony being able to do that since Hothoof. Even before that the number I could think of who could could be counted on my hooves. Tell me, how did you do it?”

“W-well, I uhhh... I just... it's nothing, really,” Button said, blushing.

“No, do tell us,” Elder Luna said again, her eyes narrowed and making him eep a bit.

Button gulped and lowered his eyes, his face going redder. “It just... happened. When I was in there, I realized I couldn't do anything. I tried to bend, but it just hurt. But...” He looked to Luna and smiled shyly. “I didn't... want Luna to die. I mean... I just... so long as he was okay, I felt like it would all be okay. And I wanted the Smooze to let him go. To let us go. And I just got... mad and angry. I hated it. I kept trying to bend and then just... boom. It happened. It--” He let out an eek as suddenly Prince Luna moved in close. “What? I--”

Prince Luna kissed him on the lips. It lasted for only a second, but it made Button's face go so hot he though it might burst into flames. The prince pulled away, his cheeks a hint of red as well. “I... never... did properly thank you for saving me, anyway.”

Button just squeaked.

“Dear Button?”

He just squeaked again.

“I do believe you have broken the child,” Celestia said with a small smile. “Developing lava bending without any prior training in the art? That's quite a talent. Tell me, did you ever have any such skill before? Perhaps an inclination?”

Button gulped, looking to the elder mare. “N-n-not really,” he said squeakily. “I-I didn't even know it could be done, honestly. I-I mean, I'd heard of it, but I'd never... s-seen it. But... I mean, I guess... I earth bend like a fire bender, sorta. So... it kinda makes sense. I guess that might be the secret?”

“Oh my,” Celestia said, a hoof coming to her mouth. “Was that your first kiss?”

“W-what? No!” Button said, eyes wide. Then they lowered. “Just... my first ummm... from somepony I'm... dating and... oh gosh.” He covered his face with his hooves.

Celestia snickered and glanced to her sister. “I like him. He seems like quite the interesting child.”

Elder Luna sighed and gave a nod. “If... he makes my grandson happy, I have no objections. Besides, if he is such a powerful... earth bender, then there should be no damage done.” She looked to Prince Luna. “I... am sorry for my earlier comments.”

The prince nodded. “I know. It has been wonderful meeting with you. We should probably leave soon, though. We have a long trip back ahead of us.”

“Really? It's not that lo--” Button said, then yiped when his hoof was kicked. “Yup, very long.”

“It has been a pleasure meeting with you, elders,” Prince Luna said before bowing his head. “I... do hope we can meet again in the future. I know mother would very much like another chance to speak with you.”

Elder Luna sighed. “I... would enjoy speaking with my daughters again as well. I am happy to know she is running her kingdom wonderfully. I know she is a very capable mare and there is no end to the glory she will bring to the nation.” She closed her eyes slowly. “Though, sometimes I wish it wasn't a burden she had to bear.”

Celestia smiled. “I know my nieces are doing marvelously and no matter what happens they will continue to do so. Please, if you ever need advice, do not hesitate to return to us.” She then paused. “Celestia? Young princess? Please come back?” she called out. Once the other returned, she smiled to both of them “Never think we do not love you, children. Both of us. No matter where life may take you or what decisions you make, we will always be there with you, our hearts besides you. So worry not. And I know no matter what happens, your mother will be there to guide and help you through life. Trust me, she is far wiser than she'd ever care to admit.”

The two gave their nods, before quickly bowing. “It was awesome meeting you two,” Princess Celestia said before getting to her hooves and stretching. “Colgate is going to flip when she hears about this. She's going to be soooooo jealous.”

Prince Luna nodded, giving a wave before standing up as well. “And I imagine you will show absolutely no hesitation in rubbing it in her nose, yes?”

“What? Innocent ol' me? I would never!” the princess said with a snicker. The group turned and trotted away.

“Thank you for waiting for us,” Celestia said once they'd traveled a good deal away. “Haven't seen those two in a long time.”

“I didn't even know a pony could do a thing like that,” Diamond said with a shake of her head. “I wonder if I could.”

“Probably not,” Silver said quickly. “You're the Avatar, remember? Your spirit is integral to the future of all pony kind. If you did something like that... well, who knows? The new Avatar might never be born. Wouldn't that be horrible?” She then blinked a few times, pausing. “It might... even end the cycle...”

“I guess. Silver? You're acting weird again?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry, I just have a lot on my mind. I uhhh...” She groaned. “I'm just a little worried. What if we get back and the village is in ruins? Daddy's probably fixing up the last of the boats right now and... well...”

Diamond shuddered and shook her head. “I'm sure it's... manageable. Probably. As terrifying as it is with him working on it, Secretary is watching over him.” She then blinked. “Wait, actually. Ummmm... Silver, this might seem kind of odd... I mean... well...”

“What is it?” Silver asked, cocking an eye.

“Well... I just...” She sighed and shook her head. “Secretary... are uhhh... is he and... well...”

“What?”

“Are Secretary and Dr. Alicity...” Diamond gulped, getting a little red in the cheeks. “Does she do most of the work?” she finally asked, chickening out entirely.

“Huh? No. I know my dad is a bit... wild at times, but he really does know what he's doing. She's more a... safety precaution. Though, they have been working together for years. Even before I was born, I think.” A frown crossed over her face. “I think she was a friend of my moms, actually.”

Diamond gulped. “What ever happened to--” She yiped when Button covered her mouth and he shook his head. She blinked a few times, before nodding. He pulled his hoof away. “What happened to that uhhh... can opener invention of his?”

“Huh? Oh, there were a few minor problems so we had to pause production. Was the strangest thing. They'd open most cans just fine, but wouldn't touch cans with lima beans.”

The alicorn blinked, cocking her head to the side. “What? Why?”

“I have no idea.”

------

Secretary hummed as she trotted over to the last of the boats, two bowls of soup held in her magic. “Sir, I brought supper.”

“Wonderful!” he said before sitting up, wiping the grease off his hooves. “Did you make sure to--”

“I had all the lima beans taken out, as always.”

“Wonderful, and--”

“It has been cooled slightly to avoid burning your tongue.”

“Delightful! And--”

“Your crackers, sir,” she said before holding them out.

“With--”

“No salt.”

“Marvelous,” he said before taking a sip. “Ah, I don't know what I'd do without you, Secretary.”

“You'll never need to know, sir,” she mumbled.

“What was that?”

“Probably starve, sir,” she said.

He chuckled softly. “Quite right, quite right.”

------

“Most of them are based off Secretary's magic, so maybe she just doesn't like lima beans,” Silver said with a shrug.

Diamond snickered. “Really? That sounds kind of silly.”

“Probably. But still, we're thinking of offering some discount models. We already have quite a few food storage businesses begging us to offer them private deals, but we're going to make the can openers available to all.”

“Really? That's generous.”

“Generous? HAH! No, we're going to make huge bits off them! Just about every single family of earth ponies and unicorns are going to want to get their hooves on one of these, that's not even counting the crystals. We're expecting to make back all of our bits on research and development within the first month! After that, our prices will probably go down once the knock offs hit the streets, but even by then we'll probably have something new in development AND still be making a heavy profit. Best of all, the fact we spent all this time and effort even designing the thing is going to give us a lot of good publicity amongst ponies. It's a win win win for us.”

Celestia snickered. “You're quite passionate about such things. Here I'd heard the daughter of the renowned Dr. Alicity was so calm and level headed.”

“I am very, very calm and level headed comparatively,” Silver said with a snort. “But I am also a business mare. My daddy taught me all the ins and outs of how to run this business and I can do it just as good as him. If not better. Besides, he's more of a builder and inventor. I, on the other hoof, am a planner.” She grinned wickedly. “I know just how to plot and scheme, clawing my way to the top, crushing all the ponies who think they can stand in my way and--” She blinked a few times. “Errr...”

Diamond snickered. “I guess you must, knowing the way your dad does things I'm not surprised you're behind the scenes helping.”

“Ugh, he causes problems sooooo often,” Silver said with a whine. “I can't tell you how many times we'll have a new invention coming out and he'll just test run it in the middle of the city. Or some other way of giving everypony a view of it before it's ready. Not to mention the sheer number of times he's nearly gotten himself blown up. I swear, if it wasn't for Secretary, he'd have gotten himself killed up by now. Even when I was growing up, she was the one who always kept him on track. She probably knows like, half a dozen shield spells, one for every kind of thing he could blow up.”

“I'm sure it's not that--”

“He once created explosive water. Not magical water that exploded. Not explosives mixed with water. Water. That. Exploded.” She shuddered. “Thank heavens he was never able to recreate it.”

“How... what was he trying to make?”

“A pogo stick!”

Everypony went quiet as they tried to process that. Finally, Diamond spoke up. “How... was water... involved?”

“A pogo stick a pony could use to hop around on water.”

“... And now I have even more questions.”

“That'd be awesome,” Button said softly, her eyes glimmering. “Did it ever work?”

“No. But he did manage to use the power source for it to create the alibot.” Silver shuddered. “And that is yet another reason that invention was doomed for failure.”

Diamond snickered, before slowly moving back in the group and nudging Button. She pointed her head towards Luna, gesturing him forward.

Button coughed, before gulping. “H-hey. Uhhh, L-Luna?”

“Hmmmm?” the stallion asked, glancing back. “Yes, dear?”

“I uhhh... tonight. You want to have dinner with me?”

“Oh, that'd be delightful, but I believe we already were.”

“I mean... a private dinner. Just uhhh, you and me. No pony else.”

Luna blinked, before turning his head ahead and avoiding eye contact. “Very well, I do not see why not.”

“Ohhhh, he's going to make his move,” Celestia said with a grin. She then yelped when everypony turned to glare at her. “Right, sorry, never mind.”

“Pardon my sister, she doesn't believe in... tact,” Luna said coldly.

Diamond snickered, before smiling at the two. “I uhhh... you know, I can't help but notice... you two have been a lot more relaxed around us lately. A lot less... well... mysterious, I guess.”

Luna blinked, before giving a little shrug. “I... know not what you mean. But... I do suppose we are perhaps more comfortable now with you than when we first met. More able to be ourselves. More... willing to be open,” he said before glancing back towards Button.

“Yeah, you guys are a lot less judgmental than the ponies back home. That or you at least hide it a lot better,” Celestia said with a shrug. “You're all kind of fun, even. It's gonna suck when we have to go back home.”

Diamond blinked, then frowned. “O-oh. I guess... yeah. I forgot. Once we're done, you're going back to the Water Nation, aren't you?”

Luna sighed, before giving a nod. “Indeed. There's no telling when we'll be able to return to Harmony again. Though... uhhhh... if any of you wished to return with us or visit... we could... the castle has plenty of rooms for guests. The Avatar or any of her friends would be more than welcome to stay as long as they wished.” His cheeks practically glowed.

“Really? Won't that kind of annoy your mom?” Button asked.

“She'd be fine with it. Trust me. She'd be more than fine with it,” Luna said, glancing towards his sister's knowing smirk.

“Cool. Maybe we can all go on vacation or something there!” Button said. The other ponies all face hoofed. “What?”

Author's Note:

Ah, one of the most difficult chapters to write. Seriously. Next time I decide to make two characters, or more, share a name, someone smack my shoulder or something.

Psst, special thanks to Crystal47 for catching title error. Chose one of his/her suggestions in response. Thanks. :D
Thanks to Rhanoa for catching my princess error. If only it was that easy to become a princess.

Comments

[CrystalMaster76]

I like the chapter (will give a full season review when its over), but...
This is the SECOND chapter titled Ancestors, the first was chapter 22...
May i suggest...
Generation Gap...
Ancestral Meeting...
eh that's all i got, not good to have two chapters with the same name, it would be harder to keep track of than the two Celestia's and Luna's

[Rhanoa]

Silver gets cocky. She cannot stop the innuendo. I believe the alicorn amulet starts corrupting her.

Oh yeah,” Princess Luna said with a nod. “Mom was able to crush him with ease. She's one of the greatest water benders around now, you know. She used to tell me how bad she was, is it true?”

Luna turns princess. Lucky Button, your problem is solved. They are cute together.

[Blaster M]

Well, it's happened.