The Statement
The study’s late evening glow was suddenly overwhelmed by a bright white flash, Celestia blinking a few times and looking up from her papers to see, finally, her Draconequus standing a short distance away with the same bowler hat and suitcase he had left with.
Instantly, Celestia dropped her quill and scrambled to her hooves, “Discord!”
“Ah, hello. Sorry for t-“
His speech was cut short as she reared up and wrapped him in a tight hug, squeezing him into her chest.
“Oh, I missed you!”
“You did?” he returned, voice straining.
She pressed her cheek against his neck, nodding, “Of course, I did! I started to miss you the second you left!”
Speechless, he remained still, mouth slightly ajar and eyes darting around as his mind scrambled to come up with something to say.
“I-I missed you, too.”
Finally, she released her grip, bringing her hooves from around his chest to upon his shoulders, keeping herself propped up as she gave a bright smile.
“I should hope so! Did you have fun with Spike and Shining?”
Still terribly confused by her sweetness, he stumbled over his tongue for a moment, “Uh, yeah… yeah, we had a lot of fun.”
“That’s good. I assume that’s what took you so long to get back?”
Looking off to the side, he nodded, “I was going to apologize for that. I planned on being back this morning, but we got carried away, and then we all went out for lunch, and… well, time flew by.”
Giggling, Celestia dismounted him, going back to all fours and turning for her desk, “I figured as much.”
“You’re not too upset that I was gone for so long, are you?”
“No! Of course not,” sitting back behind her desk, she offered that smile that always made him feel so warm inside, “I’m just glad you’re back.”
“I’m glad I’m back, as well…”
“Have you told the family you’re back yet?”
“Uh, no… I came right to you.”
She perked up, “Oh! Well, we’ve gotta let everypony know you’re home!”
Again, she stood from her desk and began trotting for the study’s stairs, Discord standing idly as she passed him by.
“I’m home?”
Just before the first step, Celestia paused. “Um, yes… you’re home, aren’t you?”
“You consider this to be my home?”
“Of course, I do, and I consider you part of this family. Part of my family. A crucial part, at that.”
“You do?”
She nodded, “Yes, I do. I can’t really imagine spending another day without you, if I were to be honest.”
Stunned, Discord remained quiet as he blinked a few times, “Really?”
Again, she offered a simple nod.
“Wow. I-I, uh. Thank you.”
She smiled, “No, Discord, thank you. Thank you for being so sweet and loving.”
He blushed, giggling and waving a hand at her, “You’re too kind!”
Celestia laughed along, shaking her head and continuing downstairs, “Oh, stop being flamboyant and come say hello to everypony else!”
“Celestia, want me to brew you another cup?”
Celestia sat up in her white cushion by the fireplace, her eyes going from her empty cup to Raven, who stood in the kitchen to where she was visible through the serving window.
Levitating the empty cup into the air, Celestia smiled. “That would be lovely.”
Raven’s magic took control of the cup, maneuvering it into the kitchen as she began to prep the tea kettle.
“You essentially run on herbal tea and sunlight, don’t you?”
Looking down to the tiny Draconequus that sat in his own little recreation of the main living room in the middle of the normal sized living room, Celestia nodded. “Essentially.”
“On a base level, we all run on sunlight.” Commented Tea after taking a drink of bourbon, she and her two chefs sitting in their usual places in the middle couch.
Discord rolled his head back, looking over the tiny couch he sat in, “Oh? How’s that?”
“Well, we eat plants, and plants eat sunlight… so technically, we run on sunlight just like plants do.”
Humming, Discord looked back into his tiny fireplace, tugging on his chin tuft, “Well, I mainly eat fish… so…”
“Fish eat smaller fish, and smaller fish eat moss and stuff, and that’s a plant, so if you go full circle, it’s the same case.”
Celestia leaned back into her cushion, crossing her forelegs over her chest, “The sun’s pretty cool.”
Discord aimed a finger at her, “You're biased, you have no say.”
“Well, can you prove me wrong?”
“I can, indeed. The sun is hot, not cool.”
There was a moment of silence while Celestia stared down the tiny Discord, “You know, it’d be a shame if some clumsy Alicorn stepped on you.”
Snapping his fingers, Discord instantly swapped places with her, his normal size returning as he lounged in her cushion while she sat on his tiny couch, “Wouldn’t it?”
A tiny yellow spark came from Celestia’s horn as she returned to her normal size and teleported right before her confiscated cushion, “Wouldn’t it.”
Again, her horn ignited, a yellow aurora surrounding Discord and putting him back in his tiny couch. Smirking, she turned around and fell back into her cushion, her wings spread against its soft surface as she got comfortable again.
“I’ve got one of those here… why haven’t I been using it?” asked Discord as he stood from his seat and walked to the little replica of Celestia’s cushion, plopping down into it in a similar fashion as she had.
“Comfortable, isn’t it?”
He nodded, “Far more comfortable.”
“I elect Discord to be under house arrest, because without him, all the fun goes away,” declared Chef Pan Seer with a raised hoof.
“I second that motion,” confirmed Chef Tea with a nod.
Chef Flip nodded, “Yeah, I third that.”
Celestia clapped her hooves. “All in favor?”
Every voice but Discord’s rang out in a loud, confirming “aye”.
Again, she clapped her hooves. “Motion carried. Discord, you are hereby not allowed to leave Sol Point because you’re too lovable.”
“Rules only do good when you can enforce them.”
He grinned, holding up a poised hand and snapping his fingers, disappearing and taking his tiny furniture with him. Celestia’s horn quickly came to life, and a split second later he, in normal size, was teleported back into the middle of the living room.
“Gee, looks like this is a good rule,” she said with a smirk.
“Wha- how did you do that?”
“Discord, it’s not hard to trace your magical signature when you only teleport onto the roof.”
He crossed his arms. “Fair point.”
“Here’s your tea.”
Looking to Raven, Celestia smiled and accepted her piping hot brew with her hooves rather than a spell. “Oh! Thank you, Raven!”
“Of course, your-Celestia.”
Instantly, Raven winced.
Celestia rolled her head back, laughing. “Still haven’t gotten used to things?”
Raven stomped a hoof, “It’s so hard to not say it! It’s still so ingrained! I even still have that official, uptight tone when saying ‘you’re welcome’.”
The staff and Celestia shared a chuckle as Raven sat down in the unoccupied couch closest to Celestia.
“Yeah, I still catch myself trying to say, ‘your Highness’ all the time,” agreed Mint, who got a nod of agreement from Vesper, Clean Sweep, and Tremor, who all sat on the same couch together.
“Again, why exactly are we not allowed to call you ‘Highness’ or ‘Princess’ any longer?” Discord inquired as he walked to the couch Raven had taken, sitting down beside her.
Celestia put a hoof on her chest, “Because I’m no longer in charge. I’m not the head of the state.”
“Shining Armor’s retired, and he still goes by ‘Captain’.” Discord retorted.
“Of course he does, he’s a ranked officer. Officers always keep their rank after they retire.”
“So, then why not keep your title?”
Celestia took a pause, tapping her mug with her hoof as she looked off to the side.
“I want to hear my name.”
He nodded. “Got tired of hearing ‘your Highness’ all day, hm?”
Celestia nodded along, “Yes. Ponies would rarely say ‘Princess Celestia’. Only my close friends and adjutants would do that.”
“Does Lulu still go by ‘Princess’, or has she told everypony to call her ‘Commander’?” Discord asked with a smug grin.
Celestia gave a little glare of annoyance, “I’m sure she still goes by ‘Princess’.”
Shrugging, Discord crossed his legs, leaning back into the couch, “You never know with her.”
“I remember,” began Clean Sweep, drawing all attention to her, “the very first time Tremor and I entered Luna’s quarters to do the evening tidying. It was only, oh, a week or so since she had returned, and when we walked in, the entire room was strewn with military strategy books, maps, old pictures from the Third Griffon War, and then… just scattered on her bed, a full suit of dark blue and silver armor and a massive sword.”
Discord snorted a stifled laugh, biting his index finger.
“I’ve never been more confused in my life,” Clean Sweep concluded with a chuckle, Tremor and the rest of the staff laughing along.
Blushing in embarrassment on her sister’s behalf, Celestia nodded. “Yes, that was the day I introduced her to the archives of Canterlot Library. She found some old war documents, and it snowballed from there.”
“I still have questions about the armor… where’d she get it and why’d she have it?”
“That armor, like my own suit, is a fair thousand years old. I kept it in a very secure, special place when… when she left,” the slight look of melancholy that had taken her once happy expression faded back to reminiscent joy as she took a pause to remember, “we spent hours sitting in her quarters going through all of those books and papers. Then, suddenly, her ears perk, she bolts upright and, staring straight ahead, simply said, “Sister, where hast thou kept mine armored ordainments?”
Celestia was the only one to truly have a laugh, the staff and Discord offering stifled chuckles or a simple little huff from the nose. Leaning back into her cushion, Celestia took a drink of her tea, her expression showing her mind remained in the past.
“She seemed so young those first months. So much like a little filly. Curious out of her mind. She couldn’t read books fast enough. I’d sit beside her, reading aloud to her while she read a book of her own, and she’d remember both what I said and what she herself read.” Celestia chuckled, sipping her tea. “I still don’t know how she could do that.”
A moment of quietness passed by, the staff and Discord not quite knowing how to respond.
“I miss Luna.” Chef Tea commented after a second.
“Yeah, so do I,” concurred Vesper with a nod.
“You should invite her over!” piped up Flip, “She could come by for a day and we could all see her for a while!”
Celestia smiled, “I’m actually a step ahead of you. She’ll be here in three weeks.”
Flip, along with the other staff, perked in their seats.
“Wait, really?” asked Raven.
Celestia nodded. “We had to plan in advance so she could schedule her days… or nights around it. She plans on staying for a day and a half.”
“This won’t interfere with any possible fishing trips, will it?” Discord inquired with a grin.
“There won’t be any fishing trips for her visit to interfere with.” Celestia returned, grinning smugly as she did, yet maintaining a firm enough tone of voice to show that she wasn’t really joking.
“Maybe we could bring her along?”
“I suppose you’ll have to craft us a vessel large enough.”
Pausing a moment, Discord tugged at his chin tuft. “I suppose I’ll have to… yes.”
With her last cup of tea for the night firmly held in a spell, Celestia dropped into her desk’s chair, keeping her wings unfurled as she laid back into the cushioned seat, breathing in the fresh midnight air that weaved its way through the study’s open windows. Normally, the phonograph below the window would be playing a record to drown out the silence, but on such a perfectly quiet night, she couldn’t help but enjoy the calm. There were no lights or candles lit within the study, leaving the half-moon up above to gift what little light it provided. It was that perfect amount; enough to find one’s way around, but not enough for one to make out the finer details. Like an old photograph; under-exposed, monochromatic, and beautiful in an indescribable way.
“Oh, forget it, I can’t wait till morning!”
Celestia looked up to the stairs as Discord’s unmistakable silhouette entered. At least, it had been a perfectly quiet night.
Leaning back in her chair, Celestia raised a brow and made sure to keep her tone soft, “What’s happening?”
“I can’t wait, I tried, but I can’t!” Rambled Discord, not making sure to keep is tone soft.
Holding her hoof to her lips, Celestia gave a soft shush, “Everypony’s sleeping, Discord. No need to shout.”
He huffed out a breath, his posture slouching a bit, “Right, sorry.”
“So, continue on with your ranting. What can’t wait till morning?”
She watched as his silhouetted hand raised, signaling for her to follow.
“But, I just sat down…”
“Oh, yes, you look very busy. Come, I’ve got something to show you.”
Groaning and bringing her cup of tea with, Celestia dragged herself from behind her desk.
“Why is it so dark in here?” Asked Discord as he lead Celestia down into the hall.
“Beautiful night. No reason to light a candle.”
As they came to the entry hall balcony, Discord shrugged, “understandable. So, anyway, you know how I was late coming back from game night?”
Beginning the descent down the spiral staircase and watching as Discord simply hovered along, following the pattern downwards, she nodded, “Yes, I do remember quite well.”
“Well, I was gone because I was doing research.”
Nodding, Celestia hummed.
“You see, I may just snap my fingers and create anything, but I still have to put a picture in my mind. And, if I give myself a few seconds, I can make something like a house or a tree. Something fairly basic, but still more complex than a cup or a fence.”
“Alright…”
“So, I spent an entire day thinking on this one.”
Celestia paused at the bottom of the stairs, allowing him a moment to get back to his feet and continue leading.
“You’re not adding something onto the house, are you?”
Now he paused, turning and looking at her in the darkness of the entry hall, “No, something far better.”
"Far better, hm?”
“Yes. I went to the Crystal Kingdom’s Royal Library and looked at tons of books for ideas. That, and I had to think of what your preferences would be without asking, obviously, because that would have ruined the point. Cadance helped out a bit in that regard.”
“We’re going towards the porch, so I think I have an idea of what this is…”
Sliding open the glass door and letting her through first, Discord nodded, “Ah, I think you’re catching on.”
“Discord, you really don’t have to go through so much trouble…”
“Any trouble this caused is made up for the fact that I’m doing this for you.” He grinned, holding up a snap-readied hand. “Not to mention, I’ve always been intrigued by yachts.”
That ever-so-familiar snap of Discord’s fingers broke the cool, quiet air, and with that snap came a sight that caused Celestia’s heart to skip a beat and her breath to catch in her chest. With a mast nearly as high as Sol Point’s roof, a hull as white and gleaming as her coat, a design as elegant as the contour of her wings, brass finishings as gold as the sun on her flanks, and a pink pinstripe running down the side that matched the hue of her eyes to perfection, the ship was more than a mere vessel. It was a statement. This statement’s hull, if brought from the river and held in juxtaposition with the estate, would measure a fair bit longer than the totality of the home. The center structure of the statement too stood out; it was a fair bit taller and wider than what Celestia had seen, and on top of that, it stretched all the way to the edge of the hull rather than being totally encompassed on all sides by deck, splitting the ship in two. To access the bow, one must pass through a door that matched the slope of the forward part of the structure, and vice-versa for the stern. Adding to that sharpness was the fact the ship wasn’t equipped with a single guard railing. From the tip of the bow to the platformed stern, the perimeter of the hull was open.
Celestia dropped to her haunches, her eyes darting over the ship, as they knew not what to stop and observe. A hoof came up to cover her mouth as she exhaled a tear-shaken breath, her eyes shutting hard and the first tears rolling their way down her cheeks.
“It’s big, but this river is, like, a thousand hoof lengths wide, so I’m figuring we’ll be able to sail around without much issue.” Commented Discord as he stepped closer to the sitting Alicorn.
Celestia shook her head, her once slow tears turning to hard, yet joyous, sobs.
“I also modeled it after you. The colors and everything… you know, they match.”
Still unable to respond, Celestia finally re-opened her eyes, her hoof moving only slightly from before her mouth as she stared in pure disbelief at what lay before her.
“D-Discord… Discord…”
He sat beside her, putting an arm around her shoulder and giving a little hug. “You’re welcome, Celestia.”
Her wing unfurled, encompassing him in her soft feathers to return the embrace. Discord drew his eyes down to her, a moment passing before she looked up, her teary eyes gleaming in the moonlight.
“Discord…” She looked back out to the ship for a second, her hoof coming back up to cover her mouth as the tears of happiness that wetted her cheeks arrived with more power, “S-She’s beautiful. I-I don’t… I don’t know what to say!”
“Just as beautiful as you are, Celestia.”
Her cheeks flushed red, a giddy giggle escaping her lips as the wing wrapped around him tightened its embrace, pulling him closer.
“Thank you, Discord.”
With that, she craned her head to his, pecking him a little kiss on the lips. Instantly, his cheeks went red, his eyes widening and every motion of his body freezing. Smiling and giggling once more, Celestia released him from her wing, standing and looking out towards the ship.
“Come on, I want to see what she looks like on the inside!” She chimed, her wings beating hard at the air to give her flight.
Remaining frozen for another few seconds, Discord finally shook his head, bringing himself back to reality and hovering off the porch.
“Right… right, let’s do that.”
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The ship...
She comes...
He did remember to put an "inside" on it, right?
Now that's adorable. Considering he spent an entire day researching and whatnot on this vessel, it should be fairly well furnished and well constructed. I hope Luna has some quality teasing for him at her arrival.
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Sorry for taking so long to reply. I uploaded the chapter right as I went to work, so I just got back. Thanks for reading, and the comments! Your consistent commenting really does help me along with this story; it lets me know you guys still read it.
Also, this is, as I call it, the 'home stretch' for this story. Things will be wrapping up here soon, and I only have 2 more chapters planned after this one. Don't worry, though, I've got something grand planned for the next story, and I've flushed a lot of it out in my mental notepad, so hopefully production won't take for damn ever.
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Sounds good to me. Look forward to it. Always been an avid reader.
Aaaawww! This is getting so good! The time is here! The ship has sailed!
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Down the river of love!
Okay here we go.
The ship Is literally here.
I gotta be fair here, I liked everything about this chapter. it was great to read. It was cute and romantic (my fave) with a nice continuation to that slow build on the romance angle.
I hope some pony happened to glance outside the window and spot the twos kiss. That way it can spread like wildfire in the morning.
I especially like how Celesita missed his absence so much and seems more than happy to have him back.
I'm looking forward to Luna coming by and seeing the budding couple. As a Tuna fan I would totally have some back and forth banter as Discord makes comments on Twilight and herself, but thats probably just me here.
Anyways, I cant wait for more.
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I was wondering when you'd comment, lol!
Thanks for such a glowing comment. Made me smile, that's for sure. The next chapter is chugging along... at a snail's pace. I ended up re-writing a bunch of it, so that sent me back a week in time. All for the sake of quality, though.
Hope to see you around!
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Hey, I don't mind waiting. I actually read this the moment I saw it, but then got so caught up with my editing work (editing a Bollywood feature film is a LOT of work, especially when you cant understand Hindi...) I had written more in my half written first comment (that I forgot to finish and post), but I figured this would be enough to let you know I think it was a awesome chapter.
You expect me to comment do you? I'm flattered to know you recognises my username and that I've been dedicated enough to consistently put a bit of time in to thank you for all your efforts to bring this story to where it is.
As a writer, Im fully aware of just how long one can spend on rewrites alone.. but keep at it. The refinements sure make for a smooth read.
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A good 50% of what I've written for this story has been re-done. Hell, the first chapter underwent 4 total re-dos before I felt (and my editor felt) it was good.
I do appreciate your constant comments. It lets me know you still read the story, and honestly, that gives me the motivation to write. Before I began on FimFic, I wrote for myself, but now that I have readers... honestly, if you all stopped liking, favoriting, and commenting, I'd stop writing.
Quite a beautiful ship
! I can't wait to see Luna's reaction to all of this. 
Loved the ship
Also nice boat
All kidding aside, I love this work. I've always had a bug in my head wondering what Equestria would be like if Celestia stepped down or was no longer in charge for one reason or another, and what Celly would do if she retired
My fav parts (so far) are:
- The staff Celestia had in Sol point
- Commandent Luna, in still laughing at the image man. Discord's line about her being a weirdo was the best
- Celestia sneaking around taking pictures of everyone
- Celestia loosing her cool when Discord accidentally damaged the pocket dimension
- the disastrous boat trip
- Holy buck the scars
- Discord having and hanging out with guy friends
- Celestia pining away for Discord... as well as her understandable reservations
- HUGSIES
- Nice boat
All in all, a work that I await the next part of with great anticipation l. But Take your time, no worries. I can wait
I waited so many seasons for Celestia to get her own episode after all
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Thank you so much! I'm overjoyed to hear my hard work has paid off. Also, the next chapter is finished, I'm just waiting for my editor to get back with a final draft. Should be out in another few days!
Once more, thanks a ton for reading and commenting!
I was expecting for discord to say "that's what she said" LOL
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Oh man, I feel like I missed an opportunity!
YAY! First kiss in the story!!!!!
