5. - Perchance to Dream
Baked Bean had the sneaking suspicion that he was being stalked.
It was nothing more than an inkling, but the omnipresent presence had followed him to this grassy meadow and was now everywhere and yet nowhere all at once. Several long glances over the fragrant and multihued flowers had not yielded any results, but he knew it was only a matter of time.
“Such a lovely day out today,” he casually said with a glance over his shoulder. “I must admit, I am so glad I am here, enjoying the fragrant flowers and the bright sunshine. There’s only one thing that could make this place even better. It’s a shame that—”
Bean suddenly found himself staring at the sky, but the blue was rapidly replaced by a pastel perfection that he would trade everything in the world for. Two beautiful magenta eyes followed, and he giggled as a snow white nose touched his own.
“Oh!” Princess Celestia said in faux alarm. “Forgive me, please! I thought you were somepony else. Have you, perchance, seen a delightful yellow stallion anywhere near here? He answers to the name of Baked Bean, stands yea high, and has an earthy-brown mane that is silky smooth and smells of strawberry cream.”
“That’s because I’ve been using your shampoo.”
“I thought so.” She giggled.
“Hmm, the pony you describe does sound familiar. I’ll let you know if I see him.”
“You’d better,” Celestia said with a deep smile. “And I am glad we can still share dreams, despite the dimensions between us.”
“Me too.”
“Is this your form in the human world?” Celestia asked as her magic gently picked him up. “Twilight tried to explain how humans were different, but it helps to have a visual reference. How does it feel to be human?”
“Honestly? Once the novelty wears off it’s a bit… inefficient, I suppose.”
Celestia began to circle him with a studious stare. “How so?”
“Well, the upright and on two legs thing would take a lot of adjustment, for one. I mean, I had to be bipedal as a cook, but I’ve seen Luna stumble and trip a few times, and neither of us are comfortable at anything faster than a slow walk. It’s a lot easier to move around on four legs.”
“How is your leg? I have been worried about the potential for further injury, since it must now bear more of your weight.”
“I’ve felt some pain, but the human Pinkie Pie provided a cane for me to use, and that’s helped out quite a bit. I’m going to try to stay off of it as much as possible, though.”
“Good. What else?”
“I don’t know how youmuns manage to do anything⁽*⁾ with these things,” Bean said with a furious wiggling of his claws. “They look cool, but I can’t hold on to anything with them, and I keep stubbing them on things. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna took me out to dinner at a gourmet restaurant tonight, and I must have dropped the cutlery a dozen times, and don’t even get me started on trying to hold on to a glass of water. I think the waiter was ready to throw me out for being so clumsy. I never knew it was possible to miss hooves until today.”
⁽*⁾ Bean didn’t want to admit that picking his nose was easier with the new appendages, based on his first-hoof experience.
—
Celestia giggled at that. “Twilight expressed similar frustrations in her reports, but now you have a frame of reference for your story.”
“Yeah,” he said as he stretched his claws out to their full reach. “My nose isn’t working quite right, either. I can still smell, but I’m not getting the subtle scents from foods like I usually do.”
“I believe a human’s nose is less sensitive than ours,” Celestia said while reaching out a hoof and gently booping his. “But it is cute.”
“Thanks. I think our senses are a bit more keen in general; just about everything here seems to be less. I’m looking forward to getting my pony body back, and to have you in my hooves again.”
“As am I,” Celestia purred into his ear. “And I’m going to put a bell on you to keep you from wandering off again.”
Bean frowned, and he sighed while using one claw to scratch behind Celestia’s ears and the other to caress her flowing mane. “I don’t think that’ll be enough. You’re probably going to have to hobble me and keep me tied up somewhere.”
“You know I’m not angry, right?”
“Yes, but I don’t think you’re all that happy I went through the mirror, either. I’m actually a bit surprised that you didn’t come through the portal, grab me by the ear, and drag me back.”
Celestia chuckled with a sheepish smile. “I nearly did, but not because I was upset. I thought you might have tripped, or that Discord had thrown you in, and it took both Applejack and Rainbow Dash to keep me from following you. Luna promised to send you back if you needed medical attention, and to protect you from any threats that may arise.”
Bean chuckled at that. “But it turns out, I may need to protect her against something I never dreamed would be here.”
“What? What has happened?”
“Star Struck is alive here.”
Celestia’s eyes grew as large as dinner plates. “He is? How can that be? I was at his bedside when he passed away.”
“It’s not the same Star, Luna tells me. It’s the youmun version of him.”
“How…” Celestia swallowed, and lowered her voice. “How is she taking it?”
“I wish I knew for sure. She keeps telling me she is fine, but then she gets this distant gaze and won’t respond to anything around her. I almost think she’s trying to figure out how to haul him back to Equestria.”
“This is most troubling.” Celestia bit her bottom lip. “She could try to abduct him, or she may not want to return when your mission is complete. A thousand years of longing and absence may be too much for her to overcome. Bean, you must do whatever you can to remind her that this is not her Star, and that she is needed and wanted here. I do not want to lose her again.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
“Thank you. It is most fortunate you went through the mirror; I dread to think about the consequences if you had not. Have you found the sirens yet?”
“We have. They’ve managed to work some sort of anger spell on the students here, but Luna thinks she can create a counterspell to defeat them.”
“How did they manage to affect the entire school so quickly?”
Bean then spent a few minutes explaining everything he had experienced from his arrival to the end of the battle of the bands party, with a few extra details about the green cloud of negative energy when Celestia asked about it. The news seemed to concern her slightly, but her mouth remained set in a thin line of determination while she took the information in and processed it.
“So, it could be worse,” Celestia concluded. “They have gained some power, but they still need more, it would seem. I am sure they want to drain the Equestrian magic out of Twilight’s friends. They would gain an immense amount of power by doing so. It seems that this ‘Battle of the Bands’ will literally be a magic fight, in the end.”
“Have you been able to find anything that could help us?”
“The Royal Archives have sent me all the information they can find, and with that, I have been able to devise a couple of plans. I will need to make a minor revision to account for Star Struck, but I believe that you will still emerge victorious.”
“So, what do we do?” he asked eagerly. “Luna said we need to wait until we are sure all of the students are together, but if there’s another way—”
“Luna is right, Bean. All of the students need to be freed together. If even one of them is not liberated from the spell, the sirens can rebuild and start anew.”
“Oh.”
Celestia nibbled Bean’s neck, and he giggled as she worked her way up to his ear. “I know you want to return to me just as badly as I want you back, but we must be sure we have completely eliminated the problem.”
Bean grunted. “Maybe you should send somepony else to come help. I’ve been rather inept so far.”
“You are anything but inept,” Celestia instantly shot back, and her wings wrapped around him and added to her embrace. “In fact, you are the ept’est stallion I know.”
Bean scoffed. “Yeah, sure. I’m surprised your counterpart here hasn’t banished me to…” He paused. “Um, wherever school principals banish ponies to. Detention, maybe?”
“I don’t think that would be much of a punishment, first off. Secondly, what in Equestria could you possibly have done to deserve such a fate?”
“Did you ever have any feelings for King Sombra?”
“Sombra? I suppose I did,” Celestia admitted, and Bean twisted around to share the full force of his shock. “What? Loathing is a feeling, as is fury and rage. If you meant in a romantic sense, no. You are the first and only stallion to touch my heart.”
“You had me worried there for a second,” he said with a relieved laugh. “Anyway, it seems that Principal Celestia was left waiting at the altar by the youmun Sombra.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I didn’t get all of the details, but what I did get seemed like it was a fairly standard betrayal, if such a thing can be. The Sombra here was kind, and knew all of the right words to say. He reassured her of their future, and he especially liked to talk about the children they would have and how amazing they were going to be.
“But then the Chrysalis of this world somehow entered the picture. The only thing I could get out of their relationship was that she was younger, more enchanting, and ultimately a better fit, personality wise, for Sombra than Celestia could ever be. He left just a short note for her in the townhome she had bought for her future family before leaving her heavily in debt and without any way of finding them.”
“Did my counterpart know that this Chrysalis existed before this?”
“She did; Chrysalis was one of the counsellors at Canterlot High. I think they said she’d worked there for about four years or so, and she was one of the best counsellors they had. Chrysalis left a two sentence notice of resignation in Celestia’s office, and that was that. Oh, and the petty cash fund was empty.”
“Leaving her short-staffed and broken hearted,” Princess Celestia said with a shake of her head.
“Yeah. But then, just before the new school year started, Vice Principal Luna hired my doppelganger as the resident dietician. I guess everypony can tell they are attracted to each other, but she keeps her feelings under lock and key. Her head tells her she’ll just be hurt again, but her heart finds him to be attractive, kind, eager and devoted. Or, at least, that’s what Vice Principal Luna thinks.
“Anyway, it seems I somehow managed to drag out the memory and flog it before her during dinner tonight, so she hasn’t said anything to me for several hours.”
“And you believe that you are at fault for reminding Principal Celestia of her loss?” Princess Celestia asked.
“I don’t know,” he said with a huff, and he rested his cheek against hers. “It feels like I messed up, but Luna—our Luna—tells me that Celestia would have reacted the same way to anypony who brought up the subject. She said that this Celestia hasn’t had a chance to properly grieve for what was lost.”
Celestia slowly nodded. “I believe our Luna is right. If her personality is similar to mine, she would throw herself into her work in an effort to forget the pain. I nearly did the same thing when I thought you had perished.”
“I just wish I knew how to help her heal,” Bean said softly. “It’s not fair that she should suffer like that. I caused the injury, and I want to make it right.”
“So what do you need to do?”
Bean pulled back from Celestia’s cheek, and she smiled softly at him while he thought for a few moments. “I need to see what she wants. If she really does want to have a relationship with the youmun Bean, then I need to help her to see that her heart can love again. If the pain is too deep, then I just need to leave her alone, help Luna defeat the sirens, and then get back to Equestria as soon as possible.”
“And which one do you think is the right one?”
Bean smiled softly. “The first, I think. If she did not want to love again, then she would not be in such anguish now.”
“Very good,” she said with a nuzzle. “However, your primary focus should be on the sirens and my sister. My counterpart’s heart will come around in the end, one way or the other. After all, it is only with the heart that one can see rightly.”
“Luna said the same thing,” Bean said with a chuckle. “And my heart says it wants you.”
“As does mine. Now, I will need to send you a written copy of what I have learned about the sirens. Discord has agreed to bring the report to you, and he will meet you at the portal tomorrow at sunrise. If you can, try to get there before he does; I fear if he waits for long, he will get... creative.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. Principal Celestia is an early bird, and she’s gotta get to the school pretty early to get things ready for the showcase.”
“Keep her away from Discord if you can,” Celestia said with a worried look. “While I am sure he will be mostly harmless, I worry that he would say something offensive and damage the working relationship you have built up. Plus, I’m not sure he could resist the temptation to mess with her head the way he does everypony here.”
“I’ll have Luna come with me. He wouldn’t dare do anything with her around.”
“She wouldn’t let him,” Celestia added with a smile. “But let me add a word of warning with my recommendations.”
“Warning?”
“The suggestions I am going to send should be used as a last resort. It would be wise to allow Sunset Shimmer and her human friends to be the means of the siren’s defeat.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Their friendship gives them power. That, and their ties to the Elements of Harmony have protected them from the siren’s magic, and that same power will need to be called upon again in the future. Sunset Shimmer has opened the door for Equestrian magic to permeate into the human world, and I doubt that the door can be closed again. Sunset and her friends need to learn how to harness and control this power, or else their world could be in danger in the future. There will be those who will use this magic for their own nefarious plans, and we will not be able to answer every summon for assistance, even if we wanted to.”
Bean pondered this for a moment, but then he nodded. “This is where that old saying about teaching a pony to grow a carrot as opposed to just giving him one comes into play, isn’t it?”
Celestia nodded. “It is a lesson that took me many years to learn. I cannot possibly solve every problem that occurs in Equestria, but I can teach others how to solve their issues on their own. This also allows ponies to grow, progress, and to achieve the greatness that is within themselves.”
Bean paused again. “Like when you sent the Element Bearers to defend the Crystal Empire from Sombra?”
“Exactly. I knew Twilight had the capacity to be a force for great good, but she was untested. I knew that she would succeed in her efforts to defend the Empire from Sombra’s return, but she needed to know it as well. With that test, she took a step in her own growth, and that victory laid one of the foundation stones that she now builds upon as a princess. Had I gone to the Empire and tried to handle the problem by myself, I would have deprived Twilight, her friends, Cadence, and Shining Armor of that moment of victory. It was a sore trial for them to endure at the time, but they are now more because of it.”
“And now the Elements of Harmony here have a similar opportunity to grow,” Bean said thoughtfully.
“As do you. This is a chance for you to learn valuable lessons in leadership and delegation. You can rally the troops, so to speak, and show them the path to victory. When you return, you will be more than what you were, and it will be a great boon for you, for me, and for all of Equestria.”
Bean chuckled as Celestia kissed his cheek. “Have I ever told you how amazingly motivational you are?”
“Once or twice, but I am pleased I can assist you. Think of my suggestions as a backup plan, should the worst come to pass. While I am confident in the abilities of my former student, Sunset is still new to the ways of friendship, and she may not be able to handle the pressure of the task before her. I have high hopes, but I must also be realistic about the situation. If Twilight had been able to be in your place, I would have no second thoughts on the matter. I know she would be able to handle the sirens, and I know you will be able to as well.”
“Well, it’s always good to have a backup plan, right?”
Celestia glanced around, then leaned in close to his ear. “Never tell Twilight this, but I did have a contingency plan in place in case she did not succeed against Sombra.”
“You did?”
“Yes, but I would have done the same thing for anypony, even myself. If he had bested me, Equestria would still have been protected.”
“That’s a wise move. I think I would want to have some backups in place, too.”
Celestia smiled. “I learned to have such plans in place from Flash Magnus, Commander Hurricane and Princess Platinum during our military endeavours, and the habit is alive and well to this day.”
“Hey, I like it. My dad always said that prior planning prevents piss poor performance.”
“That it does,” Celestia said with an amused shake of her head. “Perhaps I shall scandalize the court with that tidbit of wisdom one day.”
“I wanna be there to watch the aftermath. So how’s things going on your end of the multiverse? Did Twilight and the Elements take care of Starlight Glimmer?”
Celestia frowned. “I have not heard from any of them since their departure. I had hoped to receive a quick note about their findings, and I hope that nothing bad has happened. If I do not hear from them by tomorrow evening, I will send a squadron of the Royal Guard to investigate.”
“Hopefully Luna and I will be back by then, so we could go check on them, if you want.”
Celestia nodded. “Other than that, things have been fairly quiet here. The citizens of Ponyville have been most helpful, and I took a few minutes after you wrote to me to check on the repairs to the town. There is a possibility that they will be finished by the time you return.”
“Wow. They work fast. If we can, I’d like to take some time and thank them all again for joining my little rebellion against Tirek. They risked everything for me, and I don’t think I can ever fully repay them for that.”
“I’m sure they would love that.”
* * ✹ * *
Principal Celestia groaned as quietly as she could while she fumbled around her darkened kitchen with her eyes nearly closed. This epic hangover was kicking in quicker than usual, and she did not want to be nursing the barbed end tail of it during the Battle of the Bands. Once this whole ridiculous mess was done and over with, she was going to call in sick, crawl into her bed, and not emerge for at least a week.
By then, she would have all of her emotions back under control. With any sort of luck, she’d be able to destroy them once and for all.
“Stupid Sombra,” she muttered after downing a tall glass of water and some aspirin. “I was more than good enough for him. It’s not my fault Chrysalis is ten years younger and has more cleavage. I hope he smothers in them.”
Celestia refilled the glass and then staggered back to her room, desperate to get what little sleep she could before dealing with reality again. Her nights had been restless and plagued with nightmares ever since Sombra’s betrayal, but more than anything, she just wanted the pain to stop. She was growing weary of maintaining the endless facade of happiness and well-being for her students and, most of all, her sister. It had all been going so well until the dinner with the visiting Prince had revealed just how fragile she really was.
The tears came without warning and against her will as she staggered up the stairs. It had been easy to avoid any sort of relationship when she was younger; all of her time, money, and effort had gone into obtaining her degree and working the system so that she could obtain her lofty goal of becoming the principal of her alma mater before she was thirty. She loved her school, she loved the neighborhood where it was located, and she loved working with the teenagers who roamed the hallways. They had become surrogate children, in a way, but her heart would break with overwhelming joy when they graduated and left the nest to find their own way in the world.
Then the fine lines and the gray hairs began to appear. The realization that the window of opportunity to find a husband and to have her own flesh and blood children was rapidly diminishing had come when Luna had playfully mocked her looking over the selection of hair dyes at the grocery store, and desperation was quick to set in. The warning signs had been there with Sombra, but she had bithley ignored them, afraid that she would not be able to find another who would be interested in an older woman.
She had come so close. Had she not brought Sombra to that open house, he and Chrysalis would have never met.
Celestia scoffed at herself as she reached the top of the stairs. Sooner or later, Sombra would have abandoned her for someone younger, someone who could provide him with endless attention and adoration. He wanted a raven-haired trophy with a large bust and an empty head to show off to his friends, and Celestia was far too independent and strong willed.
She had been blinded by love, a self-inflicted wound that made the cut that much deeper.
A wave of sniffles overwhelmed her as she collapsed onto her bed. Morning would come, and whether she wanted them to or not, her duties would return with it. The students of Canterlot High needed a strong leader, an infallible guide who would lead them to their own inherent greatness. Though she deeply despised it, she knew she had to wear the mask of perfect calm and order. Without that, many of her students would falter, and that failure was a thought that froze her heart.
The forlorn principal pulled in her body pillow, hugged it tightly, and wiped her nose and tears on the velveteen surface. She could repair the damage that had been inflicted to the fortifications around her heart. She would build them stronger, more robust. It would take some time, but when she was done, nothing would ever afflict her emotions again.
“Celestia?”
Celestia’s breathing stopped with a sharp gasp. She had completely forgotten about her guests. “Bean?” she asked barely under her breath, too afraid to move.
“Not quite,” whispered Luna. Her not-sister rolled over, put one arm over her side and pulled her closer. “Go ahead and cry,” she whispered. “Cry for the love you have lost, and I will cry for the love that I can never take away from your sister. It will be good for us both.”
* * ✹☽ * *
Stats
Page generated in 0.023 seconds
Total duration
1,006 users online
466,716 hits today, 2,571,732 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
It seems that most incarnations of Chrysalis behave like manipulative, seductive brujas (there are genuinely a few exceptions from some of the fanfics I've read on this site).
9490988
It's hard not to write her that way when she acts that way pretty much every time we see her in canon.
9490989
Indeed, and because of Counsiler Chrysalis's actions Principal Celestia's psyche has been tragically damaged (her emotional walls will eventually crumble into dust if she doesn't get proper guidance).
I'm very glad that Princess Luna came to comfort Principal Celestia at the end of the chapter, especially since the former lost her own husband.
As sad as that ending is, it's for the best that they're together to let it out like that... just hope Vice-Principal Luna doesn't come in to wake Celestia up and finds her asleep with her double.
9491129
That would be awkward, wouldn't it?
At least your Princess Luna is doing the responsible thing. I still think that ghost-body thing would be a good idea if you won't give agelessness to bean and resurrect luna's husband. That way when you end the series, they can have a happily ever after, forever.
9491354
Sadly, you gotta have lows like this to appreciate the highs.
9492079
Well, I still need to study up on my necromancy, so there's that option ...
9492130
lol why would you need to study? Just make something up like in comic books, cartoons, or the sort of fantasy novels that include wizards n dwarves.
Unless the studying includes looking at that kind of media. In that case study away.
Glad to see Luna acknowledging she can't have this Starstruck. Interesting that Bean and Celestia can still share dreams, wonder what would happen if this were the Starlight time manipulation ark
Oh well good comfort for Celestia and we'll see where you go next. For some reason I suspect you have something in mind for princess Luna so she's not the only one without a happy ending
two in so much pain, this will be interesting to see play out.
It takes two to tangle. Sombra gets the blame also.
Hmm, that sequence of a dream gives me an idea for a costume for them to use in nightmare night. Bean dress as a dog and Celestia as a cat. Adorable, or funny? You make the call
9500933
Maybe both. It would be adorafunny.
Ohh that last part got me right in the feels. Principal Celestia is actually starting to remind me of my mother a little believe it or not. After her second marriage ended in divorce she went through a period of deep self doubt where she kept asking me if it was something she had done wrong
But the fact I made that kind of connection is a good sign believe it or not, it means that you have given us yet another character with recognizable and deeply sympathetic traits we can relate to. And just like my mom, Celestia just needs to take the time to remind herself of the people around her who love her.
Particularly a certain chef turned writer turned prince's human counterpart
Oh and along with my usual gushing, I wanted to both apologize for the late feedback and let you know I updated Homer in Equestria. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it if you get the chance
Princess Luna is being responsible. How sweet...
Tis a good point though, a backup plan is never a bad thing to have.
9599814
I still think it'll somehow become a point of contention, or something.
Oh, and as far as backup plans go - have one that's tested. A backup plan that hasn't been tested at least in some way is flimsy at best, and not a plan at all at worst... Though this mostly applies to IT, I guess. ;D
Remember, kids: backups fail too! :D
10995074
Yes, an untested backup is merely a wish. Been there, done that, have the condolence badge...
Life is not about fair or unfair... Its about what you can make to enjoy what you can get i guess...
I wish I read this when it was getting updated. This is way to good of EG story
Celly need a Beany to be HAPPY
♡♡♡♡♡
I can relate to picking your nose.
My father has Garbanzo beat by two P's (three if one wishes to be literal): "Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance, Preferably."
Might be longer, but the principle still stands.