A Royal Problem

by Wearin Hat

Why Can't Things Be Easy?

“Your brother?” Twilight’s ears twitched nervously as she let his words sink in. An obvious misunderstanding had just occurred and she was determined not to let it progress any further than the initial mistake.

A sigh of aggression came forth as the aquamarine unicorn returned his gaze away from his guest. It wasn’t very often that ponies would come by to talk about his brother; they normally either knew better or didn’t know about his brother at all. “You mentioned my experience with siblings, were you not referencing my brother?” Though his words came through gritted teeth, the stallion acknowledged the possibility that this was just some form of misunderstanding. If such were true then there still existed a chance that he could forge a friendship with such an important pony.

Relief swept over the purple unicorn as his question assured her that this was a problem that was fixable. “Of course I wasn’t! I was talking about Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Rarity told me that you two have been friends since you were both foals and that Sweetie sees you as a big brother of sorts. I was just thinking that your opinion could be invaluable as you’ve witnessed their sisterhood from the beginning.” The tension in the air began to lift as she saw his brow begin to slowly move into a less aggravated position. Twilight couldn’t have been more thankful that this was a matter that was easily solvable. All that was left to do was to steer the conversation back to Luna and Celestia and hopefully get some ideas of what to do.

Before she could speak, a strange feeling came over Twilight as she observed the side of his face. The poor stallion was now standing with his bangs completely covering his face as his attention seemed to remain on the counter before him. Sympathy came over her as she got her first look at Chrome in full. He stood only a head taller than her, about the same height as Big Macintosh if she was recalling his appearance correctly. This was completely off-set by the fact that this stallion was practically a twig in comparison to the farm pony. She could only imagine that meant that either Chrome was on a diet or, more concerning, he had to eat sparingly. The purple pony cringed at the thought of his satisfying the hunger of three voracious fillies as well as his own serving. Twilight’s pity for the stallion before only grew as she took notice of the cutie mark of a heart on his flank. This only made her recall Rarity’s earlier warning of his sensitivity. She wanted to help him with whatever the problem was between him and his brother. However, the princesses had to come first.

Twilight approached the stallion carefully so as not to startle him and make things worse. The look on his face was worse than she would’ve thought. His anger was still very easy to see boiling beneath the surface, but his eyes carried a look of regret. “Chrome,” the aquamarine unicorn’s eyes moved to stare into hers as she addressed him with the most soothing tone she could manage, “even if you don’t want to talk about whatever the problem is with your brother, know that you aren’t alone. You’ve got Rarity and I if you need to talk about it with somepony.” Her eyes pleaded with his that she seek this avenue, letting a problem fester wasn’t healthy by any means.

“If it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer not to speak about him…ever. Thank you for the offer though.” Swiftly the male pony whipped his mane back to reveal his face that now wore a look of forced interest. It pained the purple unicorn to be shunned in such a way, but it was his decision and she would respect it. “Now, about those friends of yours, you said they haven’t seen each other in a long time?”

Happy that he was willing to help even after the misunderstanding, Twilight accepted the rejection with a knowing smile that told that she would be willing to talk should he ever feel the need. “Yes, several years to be exact.”

“What was the reason they separated to begin with?” Chrome gestured towards the table as he trotted over to check on the tea that the purple unicorn could tell was nearly done.

Done with being frightened by the possibilities of a war, Twilight quickly took her seat once more. “Well, as I said, the younger of the two was very jealous of her older sister and all the attention she got. So she was thrown out and only came back after a long time away.”

Taking this in, the stallion turned to face his guest with a thoughtful look on his face. Confused about how quickly the tea had been made, the purple pony took a quick look at the counter and saw that it was indeed done. She decided to take a look into magically making tea later; it would be useful to not have to wait so long for something refreshing. “And what is it she is doing that is causing a problem for the older sister?” Broken away from her thoughts, Twilight blinked a few times before converting what Celestia had said into something that wouldn’t provoke Chrome to think that the friends she spoke of were the two rulers of their country.

“I’ve been told that she has refused to eat with her sister when invited. Plus, there was mention in the note that she’s been giving off the vibe that she is still angry about before.”

A thoughtful look became one of uncertainty as the stallion used his magic to retrieve two cups from a cupboard. “To be honest, if that’s all you know then I don’t see how anypony can be of any help. All I can gather from all of that is that whatever was the problem still is the problem. I’d need to know more to give a better opinion about the matter.” Sighing in frustration, Twilight sat upright in appreciation as she took it all in. This was something she knew ahead of time but hadn’t thought of until having already parted ways with the library. No issue, she’d just have to wait until she got home and send the Princess a letter.

“Well that’s quite alright, I can just send my friend a letter when I get home. I’ll let you know when she responds.” Happy that she now had somepony who could offer their opinion on the matter, Twilight finally allowed herself to relax to the fullest she could manage without falling asleep. “Thank you for offering to help. I know my friends would appreciate it dearly if they knew.” No longer capable of suppressing it, the purple unicorn followed up her thank you with a long overdue yawn.

Twilight blushed as she held a hoof to her cheek in embarrassment. She would definitely re-work her schedule when she got home. This day was practically ruined thanks to this whole issue with the princesses. At first everything was to be put on hold for the research needed for the garden, now the purple mare had to wait for Celestia to respond to the ever important reply that Twilight was currently cooking up in her mind. The only thing she had in mind for the rest of the day was sleep. Sure, it was more like Rainbow Dash to waste a day away with sleep, but the purple unicorn felt that she and Spike had definitely earned some good rest.

“So, you’re a fan of mine?”

The sudden question shook the tired mare from her thoughts with a small yelp. His question went through her mind slowly so as to process it completely. However, whatever fatigue was evident on her face was chased away by the sudden appearance of the kind of excitement that Chrome recognized as a nerdgasm. “Of course I am! I’ve never met a pony who has read any of your works and not liked it!” Shame hid behind Twilight’s words as she added mentally that she had never actually met many ponies who openly admitted to having read any of his works.

Hanging just under the stallion’s left eye was the remnant of the anger he had felt before at Twilight’s vague comment. It had stayed there despite his change in demeanor and thought and Chrome was well aware that it sat in waiting for her to make another mistake. However, at the mentioning of his having fans, the aquamarine unicorn beamed with pride. It was a rare occurrence for him to run into a fan of his and he was still incredibly inept with handling their attention.

Awkward silence reappeared with a vengeance as both unicorns shared quiet excitement. Unaware of how weird this scene would look to somepony watching the encounter, the two of them sat smiling before the stallion’s smile faded away into a blush. “Well…do you have a favorite play of mine?”

Accepting the challenge with fervor, the purple pony held a hoof to her chin as her mind went over everything of his she had read. In the end the choice was obvious, though she spent a second longer on the matter as she knew it might be disappointing for him to hear. “I can’t say I really have a favorite. I really liked Filly Fanatics and I try to read The Fleeting Shadows once a month.” Though she was not much for the fiction genre, Twilight really liked Chrome’s plays. Whether it’s the romantic comedies like Filly Fanatics or the thought provoking tragedies like The Fleeting Shadows, the purple unicorn found an escape of sorts in the worlds he portrayed. Sure, the real world was great and all, but nothing like his plays ever happens in her life. It’s just so interesting to read about the strange stories he thinks up.

Once more charmed by his guest’s words, the stallion almost didn’t hear the sound of hooves coming down the stairs. Figuring that Rarity had a full day ahead of her, that Sweetie Belle probably had a lot of crusading to do, and that Twilight was clearly looking forward to getting some sleep, the stallion predicted that his company would not last much longer. “I am truly flattered and I thank you for being a fan. Would you like an autograph or something like that?” Once again his voice cracked in evidence of how much of a novice he was in dealing with fans.

Twilight nodded excitedly before turning to look upon the humorously disheveled looking sisters, both carrying the large amount of luggage that Sweetie had apparently brought for the sleepover. “Did you miss anything?” Giggles proceeded forth from Twilight as Rarity turned a humored glance to her now shying away sister. The purple unicorn knew very well that it probably was the filly’s intention to bring so much stuff; it was just something she and her sister shared in habit.

Sharing a few giggles with her studious friend, the generous unicorn’s eyes narrowed slightly in faux frustration with her younger sibling, “Of course not. We won’t be leaving anything behind this time, will we?”

“No ma’am.” Sweetie’s reply had been very quick and gave Twilight evidence to believe that they had indeed left behind her belongings before.

The look of guilt on the filly’s face was priceless and if not for the piece of paper shrouded in a teal aura of magic, the purple mare would’ve continued to watch for Sweetie’s next action. “Please do come back and visit whenever. I love having visitors.” Chrome’s words managed to be the final factor needed to pry the purple unicorn’s attention from the cute scene in front of her.

Her heart skipped a beat as she glanced over the autographed piece of paper floating before her. She had seen his signature before, but this was different. This was one that he had scrawled out just for her. Despite Twilight’s typical habit of hiding the nerd inside of her, she couldn’t help but sound like an overexcited filly meeting a celebrity when she found the resolve to respond, “I’d love to visit some more. Once I get this whole situation smoothed over with my friends that is.” Using her magic, the purple pony took the autograph and levitated to her side where she would have to keep it until getting back to the library.

Seeing that Twilight was deep in nerd-mode, the white unicorn decided to take the lead here, otherwise she’d never get home and get back to work. “We’ll be seeing you Chrome; we have to do tea soon. That way I can properly repay you for watching my sister and her friends again.” To Rarity’s pleasant surprise, the purple unicorn took the hint wonderfully and hurried to the front door to get home. Never one to miss the subtle cues a pony’s face could give as a clue to their thoughts, the generous pony understood the rush as she finally got a good look at the bags under Twilight’s eyes. It seemed so obvious that Rarity felt betrayed by her own senses at having missed it. The princesses were having a crisis and had contacted Twilight to help them settle the matter; of course the poor dear was deprived of sleep. Rarity was surprised she was still standing.

The white unicorn’s thoughts stopped dead in her tracks as Twilight opened the door to leave. Before any of the three unicorns in the house could react, the librarian was suddenly floored by an unexpected hoof slapping her cheek in a swift manner. Initially confused, the white unicorn rushed to her friend’s side before looking up and understanding completely how somepony could do something so rude.

“Ditzy darling, you really must be more careful.” Though her tone was as chastising as it was with Sweetie Belle whenever she managed to mess anything up, Rarity had already come to terms with the fact that nothing seemed capable of correcting the clumsy mailmare’s coordination.

Comments

[Corporal Fluttershy]

At the risk of sounding repetitive, I really do urge a little change of scene and/or pace. While your writing is excellent, we're four chapters in and the linear path in recruiting each of the Elements is beginning to make the overall tale drag a little.

We could well hit five figures and not yet have even begun the story's central premise. Perhaps Twilight an Rarity might set off for Canterlot and meet with the other Elements there? Or maybe you've something already planned.

I mention this only because I like this story, and am keen to see it kick on.