11 - Heart to Heart
As I followed along Celestia, I felt her magic nudge at my bow. "You must be more careful with that."
She knew? "How did--"
"You just confessed." She smiled gently. "I trust there was no harm in it?"
"No! No, just two friends reminded of how important they are to each other," I assured as I caught up from my stunned delay.
"You are like Cadance, were she male, and less restricted." She smiled over her shoulder. "It's dangerous, but in an exciting way. You know you could cause a great deal of drama with that gift of yours, if you are not very careful. You don't want that, I trust?"
"I don't plan on being a somewhat hilarious super-villain," I assured as I trotted beside her. "You sound very relaxed for how you're giving big warnings. Are you worried or not?"
"No." She paused and turned to me. "I feel no darkness in your heart. If you do cause trouble, it will be in error, not malice." She leaned a little closer. "I'm not worried about that, in the long run. You'll learn how to properly wield your tools. The question that..." She glanced to the left where a guard stood quietly. "Let us retire."
Retire? "Where did you have in mind?" She had an intense aura around her. She was powerful and wise. It was like I was a child before a goddess. The way she moved and the way she spoke... every motion hinted that I was in the presence of someone worthy of a little awe.
A little part reminded me that she was also a mare, and finely shaped at that. That confused me a little. I mean, alright, I was a horse too, but that didn't mean I was quite 'there' yet. I didn't 'identify' as a male horse yet, so having my... body? My spirit? Whatever it was, it was gently nudging me in the metaphorical sides and pointing at her while making wolf whistles. I 'knew' she was pretty, and yet, she was a horse. I was confused, but drawn. I followed along with her.
"Celestia?" She looked towards me as she walked. "You're the queen, right?"
She shook her head. "Princess. A Queen professes to have nothing above her. I am not that proud. My ponies control themselves. Every town and city has its own leadership decided by the people, be it a mayor or otherwise. While I do set the most basic laws that persist all through Equestria, I do not control them directly, and I'm quite alright with that." She looked back at me, her gaze sharpening. "Does that bother you?"
I felt my cheeks suddenly burn hot. "N-no! No! Nothing wrong with that. I was just learning." She was a literal pretty magical pony princess. She also wanted me? I wasn't completely sure of that, but she had been fairly straightforward about it. Her and her sister... "How did you--"
She held up a hoof as her horn glowed and opened a door large enough for her frame easily. "Let us make ourselves comfortable." Inside was a dining hall. There was food spread out, but it was clearly meant for fewer ponies than the first I had seen. There were only two wide chairs, across from one another, and Celestia settled in the far one. "Just the two of us."
I felt like I was being carried along, and I didn't like it. It was my dream and my life! It was time to act. I willed the door shut gently, and it closed. Then I imagined the chair lifting up into the air and floated it towards the bemused Celestia. I set it down just around the corner from her and strode towards it purposefully. "There's no reason for us to be strangers."
"I should think not," she agreed as she plucked two small cups from the table and began filling them with hot liquid. Tea? "I am aware of your... difficulties. You are not True Shot."
"Yes I am," I argued. "I have accepted that."
She smiled a little. "Have you truly? Prove it."
How would I do that? I looked her over even as she lifted her cup to her lips and took a soft sip, waiting for me to act.
So I did. I leaned in and gently kissed her long neck. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long."
The cup fell, spilling tea across the table though it didn't shatter. Her cheeks went a rosy hue as she quickly got to cleaning up the mess she made and righting the cup. "True Shot?" Her voice sounded so hopeful, and yet so doubting. "What about... your human life? Did you not... Are you not?" She started to frown.
"That is then, this is now." I smiled at her. Somehow, her being off-guard made me feel more confident. "Celestia, I am True Shot. True, I may not remember everything I should, but that is me." I settled into that chair and found it was quite comfortable. "I may be your True Shot even. Let's explore that."
Celestia shook her head slowly. "You are a puzzle..." she trailed off. "One I find myself eager to solve." She pointed at the table, cleaned with her magic. "What would you like to try?"
I turned my head to look at the selection and spotted that delicious nutty-buttery thing I had tried before. I reached with my magic, willing it to come closer, and it did.
Celestia hissed. "How can you have so many of his mannerisms?"
"Hmm?"
Celestia pointed at the stuffed pepper in my grip. "Those were his absolute favorites."
I blinked at it. "I had good taste." I chomped into it and gave a little shiver. Ponies knew how to cook! Or, at least, those working for Celestia did. "Have you tried them? They're amazing!"
Celestia glanced left and right before she opened her graceful snout and I felt heat burning in me at the sight. Why was that so stimulating? Regardless, I floated the pepper over to her and watched her teeth slowly sink into it. "Mmm, quite nice, True. Try this." She grasped the pepper in her own magic and set it down, then plucked up something that looked kind of like chocolate with sparkles cooked into it.
It smelled fine, so I bit.
Ugh.
I spat it out in short order. "It's too sour! I'm sorry, Celestia. I'm not trying to be rude."
She quirked a smile. "Your tastes are entirely unchanged...
I had passed another test? "Well, one thing." We could dance around the subject for months, or I could get right to the point. "You never told me that you had feelings for me, then I died. Well, I'm back, and I didn't forget what I was told."
Celestia suddenly stood up. "We should talk again, later."
"W-what?" She was already walking away. "Celestia!" She opened the door smoothly and trotted through it, taking a sharp right even as I scrambled to my hooves.
I was still getting used to them, and being in a hurry didn't help as I half-tripped getting out of the chair. By the time I got over to the hallway, she was long gone.
There were two guards posted outside the door and one of them prodded me with a hoof.
Agitated, I wheeled on him, but I saw he looked concerned and it defused me nicely. "What's wrong?"
"Sir... I don't see the princess rattled very often. Whatever you did, please don't do it again."
The other guard nodded in agreement.
That was actually kind of sweet. They cared about their princess, like good guards should. I smiled gently. "I'll do my best, promise. I don't want her hurt either."
They nodded before they returned to pony statues. Not as good as I did whenever I went to sleep, but a passable imitation.
I left them alone and got to trotting for the entrance of the castle. If Celestia was done for the day, I still had a city to explore and enjoy!
"True." It was Luna. She walked out from a side passage and joined me. "Might we walk with you?"
I had no reason to refuse her, so I didn't. "What's up, Luna?"
"So casual." She smiled a little. "You scared my poor sister badly. What did you say to her?"
"I tried to deal with what's between us directly." She raised a brow. "That's it, really. I just brought it up and she walked out."
"Did she?" Luna gave a soft snort. "You haven't lost your touch, True Shot, or whoever you are under that pelt. I have not forgotten the trauma you so recently suffered. I know the truth of it, in part. Are we simply a dream to you?"
"Yes," I replied simply. "But so is the other side. Two wonderful dreams that I am blessed with."
Luna blinked softly, but kept up. "A very curious attitude to have. Are you then convinced yours is the only mind?"
"Hmm?" I frowned in thought. "I didn't even think of that. Do we ever really know that? Regardless, whether you are a 'mind' of your own or just my own playing back at me, I can't know, and I choose to assume you're worth treating as a person." I circled around in front of her with a quick trot. "You are Luna."
She stopped and stared at me for a pregnant moment. "I am..." A smile touched her lips. "That is, perhaps, a mature stance, or perhaps a dangerous one. So long as you have respect and peace in your heart and wish well on your fellows, then I suppose your philosophy is of little direct harm." She raised a brow then. "I do have one other concern among many... You're not sleeping. When you become a statue, you are simply gone. I cannot find your presence. No pony can live without any sleep at all, and you live constantly without rest."
I considered that even as I turned away from her. "Sort of true, and sort of not. I think that's biological."
"Biological?"
"My body, in the other dream, is sleeping soundly. In fact, when it's bothered, I'm pulled right over instantly." I began descending the stairs towards the city. "I'm getting my physical sleep. The rules of this are a bit odd, but it seems straight forward. I don't feel tired, not anymore. Not since we got this straightened out. I'm True Shot, and I have a pony world to explore!"
Luna caught up with me easily. "Are you certain then?" I nodded. "Then allow me to be your guide. I will keep you safe, when you become stone."
I blinked at that. "Won't that make Cel--" I suddenly sat up in bed.
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Yea I hate waking up that way.
Suuuure.
I'm enjoying this Celestia.
fairly straight forward - fairly straightforward
for less ponies - for fewer ponies
How would I do that. - How would I do that?
Uh oh, better find out what's disturbed her in the human world.
This raises so many questions. Is she in danger? Has she attracted unwanted attention now that she's happily playing in two worlds at once? How long until the next update??
Haha, he got snapped with a put-off frown on his about, wonder what Celestia will think of that?
In a way, we think he's pushing too hard, Celestia obviously fears and ripping it up isn't working well, the steady race will win here.
What's going on to snap her back? As a side note, if the statue form is damaged before he snaps back, will be be similarly damaged? That could be... Unpleasant....
Keep going! ;)
7874285 Typos woken up from their worried dreams!
Are the flavor preferences so surprising? It may not be True Shot's mind, but it's definitely his tongue.
As for his attitude towards the two realities... I'm still iffy on it. I think it may be word choice more than anything. "Dream" carries implications of self-manufactured fantasy, the brain entertaining itself. This may be more on my end than yours.
No Princess Luna tag?
7875610 As you command.
Have you considered making an appointment with Dr. Fleischmeyer? I promise he is much more respectable than he sounds.
On a completely unrelated note, german is a really fucked up language. Kind(Child)+Metzger(Butcher)=Kindmetzger(Childminder)... so a babysitter.
Is Luna breaking the fourth wall there? Figuring that if Linda considers it a dream, she's allowed to read the text? Naughty, naughty Luna.
8211246 Maybe, but Linda's pony name is True Shot.
It's not. Not entirely, at any rate. Psychological exhaustion is as real as physical exhaustion and you need sleep to deal with both kinds. Mental rest is as necessary for your functioning as bodily rest and while they're connected needs, they're not identical.
Also, I really think this story should be Romance-tagged. I might not have looked at it if it was, but with how intensely fixated on relationships it is? Not having that there is kind of misleading.
8411062
As a romance it fails. Do read on.
8411201
I realize it isn't a romance per se, but with a relationship theme this heavily at the forefront of the story, it feels a bit inappropriate not to have it there. I know the story certainly isn't what I expected, based on the tagging.
8411206
What would you have tagged it? (besides romance, clearly)
Well, going by the first twenty chapters or so, Human, Slice-of-Life seem well-chosen. The description and absence of any other tags made me assume the exploration of the situation Linda finds herself in would receive more focus than her relationships to the characters she's surrounded by.
As for tags I would have put there, Romance is kind of a given. If there had been just a bit more focus put on the situation with True Shot's death and sudden quasi-resurrection, as well as more of an introspective look into the way it affects Celestia emotional balance in a negative fashion, I would have also gone with drama. It's something I would have played up a bit, if it had been the one writing it. The inner conflict of a dead beloved returning after what feels like an eternity, yet at the same time also not, seems like it would make for a really interesting insight into how Celestia deals with her own emotions and desires. Long-forgotten heartfelt wishes being revived and crumbling in a heartbeat, that kind of thing. It's really kind of a melancholic situation, from that angle.
At this point, though, it seems like that has fallen a bit by the wayside. Everyone seems to take the whole identity crisis Linda is suffering almost a bit too lightly - particularly herself. Then again, I just might just not have gotten yet to where it becomes a central focus of the story again.