Electro Swing

by Rego

Chapter 50: The Bird Who Cannot Fly

It was midafternoon as Sunny Skies trotted down the streets of Canterlot on three hooves. The fourth was preoccupied with her struggle against her broken right wing trying to flop out of its sling again. She muttered a series of ancient curses as she fought back against her long pink mane getting in the way of her careful hoofwork. The problem wasn’t so much the useless limb dragging on the ground as the attention it would draw from passersby.

“Come on!” Sunny complained as she wrestled with the stubborn wing sling. “Why do I have to be so much bigger before I lose my magic?”

“What is this?” Fancy asked as he watched Sunny Skies groan in frustration. He spun around trying to see his body, but couldn’t find it. “I can’t see myself!”

“This is how I experience the memories of another,” Luna explained calmly. “You are still here, but not here.”

“It’s quite an experience, isn’t it, Fancy Pants?” Sunny asked knowingly as she passed in front of him. “This is the first time I’ve experienced it on this end. You used to take me on your walks through the Dreamscape all the time, Lulu.”

“That was before you wiped the memories of me from the face of our world.”

Sunny nodded solemnly. “Yes. I miss it, sister. It was always a joy to see you in your element.” The pegasus went back to wrestling with her wing to no avail. “I also miss you putting this accursed thing on for me before I head out!”

“Do not delay, Celestia. Tell us why you are showing this to us.”

Sunny nodded as she continued her journey through the streets. While the Canterlotian architecture was still the same as always, the ponies were an era apart. Bell bottom sleeves, groovy hairdos, and far out colors that were out of sight decorated every pony in every corner of the lower district.

“A few decades ago, Day Court had gotten to me worse than usual,” Sunny recounted to her invisible audience. “I needed some time away from the castle. The nobility had fostered this notion of ‘Proper Harmony’ over the preceding century, yet another cycle of hatred born of nobles trying to win my favor. This time proved to be particularly resistant. Every time I tried to dissuade them from their nonsense, they came back with a more ‘proper’ interpretation.

“You remember right, sister?” Sunny asked as a frown crossed her face. “How the Noble One’s descendants were scrambling to appease me? How I let the attention go to my head? They diminished art and music you loved trying to curry my favor, disgracing your Night Court in my name.”

“I remember it well, unfortunately,” Luna grumbled to herself. “But focus on what’s before you. Do not try to change the subject.”

“Right,” she slipped her mask back on and continued her tale. “I remembered I’d recently approved recreational use of Canterlot’s clouds for a new spa. It was being run completely by Cloudsdale ponies to boot. I was so glad! It meant I could get away from the nobles for a while. None of them would’ve been caught dead in such a common place.”

Sunny smiled widely as a sign Fancy had only seen in his mother’s old albums came into view. Before them stood Steamsationals, the humble spa and beauty salon his mother had worked at when she first came to Canterlot. While the building itself looked like any other whitewashed building, the funky fresh styles of the psychedelic sign welcomed guests into a small slice of Cloudsdale in the capitol.

As the disguised alicorn stepped through the door she found the place packed with pegasi and a few earth ponies. There wasn’t a single horn in sight. Beyond the lobby, all manner of pampering pleasures were at a pony’s disposal. From hair dryer hoods and hooficure couches to massage tables and mud baths, Steamsationals was where it was at to simply be sensational.

“The pictures certainly don’t do this place justice,” Fancy mumbled, in awe of seeing his mother’s workplace the way she’d always described it.

“Yes. It’s a shame that it went under a few years ago,” Sunny replied quietly so as to not disrupt the visions around her. “When I walked past the steam rooms, I was graced by one of the most beautiful voices I’d heard in that era. It wasn’t particularly honed through years of training, but it bore a pure joy that reveled in the mere act of singing.”

First, we check the quality of all the water,
Make sure it’s nice and clean.
Then we spin around and spread across the fire,
And that’s how we make our steam!

Following the sound of a pleasantly untrained voice, the slack-jawed Sunny stumbled across a much younger Sauna Summers. The steamy mare was working the room with glee as she sang about her process. She couldn’t have been much older than Fluffer Duster, almost as if she’d left home on her fifteenth birthday to see the world. Fancy had never seen her afro so blue or the vibrance of her orange fur in her prime. Steam room Summers was a completely different pony.

“To my surprise, it was one of the workers,” Celestia continued. “A young mare who’d recently moved to Canterlot. The singing spa pony was attracting a small crowd of loyal fans who sometimes came to simply hear her sing through her process. It was almost impossible to look away from her striking beauty that bore a style all her own.”

The nimble steam room pony fluttered to and fro, working the whole room like magic. Each thing she touched had at least a little ditty. Even a quick turn of a valve was a hummed scale. Hearing Summers’ songs brought Fancy back to his childhood during the times she’d do anything for him without Dapper or the other servants. She always seemed to have a song in her heart to keep her mind focused on any task.

Sunny approached one of the steam room’s low-hanging cloud beds and laid down to savor the pleasant humidity. Her ears flicked from Summers’ wonderful tunes that put her at ease. While the castle’s private amenities were superior in almost every way, her royal duties were always too close for her to truly relax. Her lonely steam room also lacked the lively atmosphere of a real place. Steamsationals was quickly becoming music to her ears.

“What’s a shagadelic swan like you doing here in this duckburg scene?”

Sunny’s eyes popped open as she whipped her head around to meet the singing spa pony from earlier. The lovely mare was busily molding the cloud’s sides, but Sunny had no idea why.

“E-excuse me, miss?” Sunny asked in concern. ‘What is it that you’re doing?”

“Setting up nice and quick. By my count on the wall, you're twenty minutes late.”

Sunny looked around in utter confusion. “Umm… late for what, exactly?”

“You ain’t my three o’ clock?” Summers asked back. She lifted her hoof to inspect the rainbow of rubber bands running down her leg. “Pretty sure I had a three today.”

“Are you saying that this cloud is meant for a service here? My apologies, I had no idea.”

“Well, you parked your fine flank right on my massage stratus. Since it seems they split, you can help your shagadelic self to the slot if you want. You looking like you could use a mellow yellow.”

Sunny blinked, utterly lost in the flow of the young mare’s words.

“I’m asking if you wanna free wing massage, shug,” Summers whispered with a slick smile.

“O-oh… well. I suppose if you’re offering. I can pay though. I have the bits.”

“Aww, ain’t you sweet. It’s all good. We’ve been getting the bits up front since a turkey split the other day, so this one’s on the no-show.” Summers happily swept up the stratus to extend the other sides to get ready for Sunny to spread her wings. “My name’s Sauna Summers, by the by. Got a name, sunshine?”

“Actually, my name’s Sunny Skies.”

“You ain’t just woofin?” Summers asked, pleasantly surprised.

Sunny paused to consider the context. “No? I don’t think so.”

“Far out, mare! Well you got a yestergroove vibe, but I can dig it. You’re solid in my book, Sunny. Mind hanging loose with your wingspan?”

Assuming she meant spreading her wings, Sunny unfurled her flawless, majestic wing out and laid it flat, allowing her elegant feathers to flow off the sides. Even in her reduced form, the princess’ wings were some of the longest Fancy had ever seen.

“Woah! Forget swan, you’re an albatross!” Summers smirked as she began adjusting the cloud’s surface. “Just where you be stashing all this wing at? Gonna have to pull around some more steam for you, sunshine.”

Sunny blushed, though she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to take that as a compliment or not. By Summers’ tone, she saw it as a positive, so she decided to take it as such.

“Need help getting the other outta this?” Summers asked from Sunny’s right.

“Oh, you can just ignore that one, Sauna Summers.” Sunny stopped and turned to face her trendy wing masseuse. “Should I address you as Sauna or Summers?”

“Take your pick, sunshine. A swan like you can call me whatever you want.”

The disguised princess tapped her chin. “Well, I’ve always been partial to summer. I do enjoy the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“Right on. Summers it is then,” Summers said with a wink. “But back to your wing thing in the sling; you’re letting all the steam soak up in the fabric. Ain’t gonna be good on the feathers sitting around in stale water. Gotta let both your big girls fly free.”

“I don’t think the feathers on that one can get much worse,” Sunny said with a weak chuckle.

“Don’t worry, Sunny,” Summers swept around and flashed her flank past her new friend. “You see this cutie mark? I might be new, but I’m good at what I do. Just let it all hang out, Sunny. I’ll take plenty good care of you.”

While the princess was hesitant to undo all of her hard work to get her wing in there, she didn’t want to fight the spa pony on something she knew just as well. “Alright, but be warned. It’s not a pretty sight. You may want to push the cloud away from the other guests.”

“No sweat, shug,” Summers assured despite the copious amounts of said liquid in the room. She pushed the cloud closer to the steam stones and kicked up the steam to increase the fog. With a bit more privacy in the public room, Summers put some of the steam into the bed to widen the sides before unwrapping Sunny’s wing.

“Good gracious!” Fancy nearly gagged seeing the broken wing splay across the surface.

Where the princess’ left wing was the pinnacle of pegasus beauty, her right was a sickly husk of an appendage. Without her alicorn magic to suppress the damage, the depth of the ghastly injury was on full display. He was surprised such a wing could even grow feathers with how thin and withered they appeared. Black and purple veins ran the length of the span, thickening as they drew to the base where it met Sunny’s body in a deep gash. If not for her alicornhood preserving it, the limb likely would have succumbed to necrosis and fallen off long ago.

Summers gasped at the sight, her eyes running up and down the impossible damage done to Sunny’s wing. Finally, the spa pony broke her silence and turned to its owner. “Does it hurt?”

“It did, but I’ve gotten used to it. The doctors did their best, but it’s a corrupt form of magic. It’s a small miracle that I still have the wing at all.” Sunny smiled serenely, trying to put Summers at ease. “I’m hoping that one day I can find a cure so I can fly again, but for now it’s something I’ll just have to live with.” She took one last look at her ruined wing before laying her head back down. “It’s harmless, but you don’t have to touch it. I know it’s… unpleasant.”

Summers shook her head. “Nah, Sunny. You’re just trying to play fair with the rest of us birds with this wing tied at your back.” Without hesitating, Sunny carefully pressed her hooves against the terrible limb, helping it rest more comfortably while tenderly kneading it. “You’re still the only swan I see, sunshine. Anypony saying otherwise is just trippin.”

Summers’ warmth brought a smile to Sunny’s face as she closed her eyes. “It’d been a while since I’d felt at peace like this as my former self,” she explained to her invisible audience. “Though I know in my heart that I am truly Celestia, there are moments when I feel as if I am simply Sunny Skies with magical makeup. She made me feel beautiful inside and out.”

“You say something, sunshine?” Summers asked.

Sunny turned to the vision and smiled wistfully. “While I would love nothing more than to relive this lovely time, shall we move on, sister?”

“Indeed,” Luna said as she brought the memory to a halt. “Her speech was strange, but it is clear to me that the young Sauna Summers had taken an interest in you.”

“At the time I thought she was just being nice. I had no idea she really meant it.”

The pegasus closed her eyes and flared both of her wings as a horn sprouted from her head. In a sparkle of sunlight, Celestia resumed her real form as the massage table extended to accommodate her larger size. She laid back down as the world shifted around them to another time in a smaller, private steam room with just herself and Summers.

“After my first visit here in disguise, I began taking semi-regular trips to Steamsationals as my true self to enjoy Sauna Summers’ massages.” Celestia popped in a floating tea set on a nearby cloud. “I became what she called her ‘royal o’ clock’ session.”

The world resumed its motion as Sunny gently cantered on the princess’ back, working all the knots she could out of it. Meanwhile, Celestia smiled in content as she peacefully sipped her rose congou.

“What are those jive talking cats at the castle doin to bum you out so much, princess?” Summers asked, growing more frustrated with each passing second. She started hopping up and down trying to get some reaction from Celestia, but her highness didn’t even flinch. “I’m solo stampeding up here trying to get these kinks out!”

“Don’t worry, Miss Summers. I’m known for my sturdiness. You said I was built like a brick house before, right?”

“Ain’t supposed to be literally bricks! Deep tissue shouldn’t need a jackhammer, ya dig?” Summers began to bounce off Celestia like a trampoline, crashing her limbs into her spine like a professional wrestler.

“Yes. I believe I do ‘dig,’” Celestia agreed with a giggle. She fired a spell at the exhausted pegasus’ hooves, causing them to glow with warm, aetherial light. “There, that should help.”

The masseuse looked at her empowered limbs and smiled. “Woah. Freaky deaky…” She immediately went to work with a far more normal approach, pressing into the princess’ back. Finally feeling her hooves making progress, she began singing a song to herself as she carefully massaged the rough royal withers. “So, what’s got you all uptight, princess?”

“I believe the title should be enough to make an educated guess,” Celestia mumbled through her blissful pampering. She hissed with pleasure as audible pops and cracks sounded, causing her stiff smile to melt into pure pleasure. “You know the aristocrats I suffer through every day wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like this. They’d probably complain that they couldn’t lay on a cloud, making it improperly harmonious.”

“Fine by me if those squares wanna stay in their lush, primo places. Still, and I don’t mean to call you out, but ain’t you kinda doing the same all hush-hush about you coming here?”

“I can see how it might look that way—” Celestia said through an irritated grunt from a particularly rough muscle. “However the moment those jackals find out that I’m coming here, they’ll start clamoring to steal my presence away from you for themselves with their own singing masseuse. It’s why the castle has its own spa in the first place.”

“That’s a major drag. Why not nix ‘em all if they’re bumming you out this much?”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple, Miss Summers. The needs of a nation are complicated and require more than what I can do… alone.” The princess’ mask fell away, slipping into a bitter scowl. “Though, truth be told, I am not above applying force when necessary.”

“Yeah… I get that, princess. No way I can say I hustle like you, but being alone can be scary. Ain’t gonna lie, but I kinda had a freak out when you first started coming around here asking for me. Even lost my head a little, you feel me?”

“No, Miss Summers. The whole point is for you to feel me,” Celestia teased as she savored the other mare’s spectacular touch.

Testing her enchanted massaging abilities, Summers stopped her humming and pressed down between her shoulders. “Trying to seriously confab with you here, your majesty. You mind?”

The princess’ eyes went wide and twitched with a pain she hadn’t felt in centuries. “Okay, okay! Mercy, Miss Summers. I yield! I yield!”

“That’s more like it.” The masseuse chuckled as she kissed her golden hooves. “But like I was saying, I know it can be scary flying solo, but I don’t mind doin’ my little part for the good of Equestria if you need me. I could always use more friends. Only got one in town so far… I think.”

“I’ll give the offer some thought, Miss Summers.”

“Then… mind dropping the Miss? None of my friends call me that back in Cloudsdale.”

“Very well, Summers. I’d love to be your friend.” Celestia turned back around and smiled with genuine warmth. “And perhaps you could just call me Celestia?”

Sunny paused her work and hummed a few bars to herself. She bobbed her head back and forth to the beat as she considered the thought. For a moment, Celestia’s mask slipped back on to hide her nerves at the offer.

“Three beats ain’t exactly easy to sing,” Summers remarked. “How about Celly?”

The princess’ face warmed back up with a delighted grin. “It’s perfect, Summers.”

With a wide grin, Summers went back to work trying to help the princess relax after a long day of ruling. Meanwhile, Celestia turned back around and met her sister’s gaze through the Dreamscape.

“I did not come here to relive your favorite spa sessions, sister,” Luna growled as she furrowed her brow. “What is the point of showing us this other than to buy time to wake up?”

“Because shortly after this meeting, I stumbled across this,” Celestia said as she summoned a flier and passed it to her invisible audience.

Reading the posting, it was an open call for talent tryouts for a new music label Fancy was very familiar. Groovecasters was looking for the best new sound around from anypony in town in an attempt to set themselves apart from the gentrified music space.

“Yes. You see, around that time, there was a bit of an upheaval in the musical world. Thanks to the nobility chasing a ‘properly harmonious sound’ as they put it, the music industry had stagnated under the ironhoof control of the Canterlot Music Society. While the big spenders were commissioning constant masterpieces for me, everyday ponies weren’t buying it anymore. Apparently, Groovecasters saw an opening and went for it.”

“Yes, so naturally, you must’ve brought it up to Summers,” Luna finished for her sister.

“I did, but…”

In a flash of light, the vision of Summers appeared between the princesses. “I don’t know, Celly. I know you like my singing, but I’m good just being me.”

“Wait, so my mother refused the offer?” Fancy asked.

“Yes, but I’d already seen the crowds my humble friend had attracted at the spa. I knew she had a fighting chance. But more importantly, I also thought back to my troubles with the nobility. If I couldn’t subvert their ideas of ‘Proper Harmony’ from the top, perhaps I could shatter their foundations. Honestly, what better way to do that than turning a humble spa pony from Cloudsdale into a star?”

Luna frowned in concern. “Wait… then how did you—”

“Hey, Summers?” a vision of Sunny called from the distance.

Summers turned around and smiled. “Sunny! Long time, no see. Weather work got ya bogged down?”

“Yes, and honestly, I’ve just about had it,” Sunny complained with a stomp of her hoof. “I’m sick of pushing papers around in the back. Not being able to fly with everypony when my talent is breaking clouds… it’s just brutal. I need something new.” Sunny sheepishly pulled out the Groovecasters flier and showed it to her friend.

“You wanna try singing, sunshine?”

“Yes. And you’re the best singer I know.”

“I guess I could give you some pointers if—”

“Could you come with me for the tryout?” Sunny asked with pleading eyes. “If I’m with you, I might have a shot. You’re an amazing singer!”

Summers scratched her afro and looked away in apprehension. “I… I dunno, Sunny. I riff all the time to keep my head on straight while steaming. I don’t think I’m ace enough to get down and jiggy in the big times. I just wanna do my best to make ponies at Steamsationals happy.”

“Please, Summers! Just think how many more ponies could be happy if we actually made it. I can’t do this without you there next to me.”

Summers took one last look at the poster and back at her friend. After a moment, she smiled and put her wing around Sunny. “Well, the worst those cats can do is tell us to make tracks, right? I’m down.”

“Great! I promise, you won’t regret it,” Sunny assured. “Now all we have to do is come up with a song.”

Summers laughed as they began to walk away. “You for real right now? How you gonna sing without no song?”

Celestia watched the visions walk away as she finally stood up from the table. Luna stepped out of the aether with Fancy Pants as the memory yielded to the ancient burning temple from before. She stared vacantly as Sauna Summers followed after her friend down the path to superstardom and vanished into the aether.

“She didn’t even want to try out,” Luna whispered in disbelief.

“No. No she didn’t. But from that moment on, I did everything in my power to ensure Sauna Summers became a success ‘on her own,’” Celestia explained as she looked up at the molten mountain top frozen in time. “And she accomplished more than I ever thought possible. She became the Queen of Disco, rising above the aristocrats and even marrying their last star, my dear friend Suede Shoes. Once she had firmly established herself, all I needed to do was throw my weight behind the usurper Queen and her class traitor King.”

“So, you made my mother who she was?” Fancy asked. “Why all this secrecy then?”

Luna slammed her hoof down, nearly cracking the stone platform they stood upon. “To make it look natural! Like this was her fate occurring in due course!”

“Is that not fate weaving?” Fancy asked in genuine confusion. “I offer ponies an alternative and they take it.”

“But they choose to do so!” Luna corrected. She turned to Fancy with a flame of righteous anger burning from within. “Do not besmirch your gifts by comparing them to such fickle manipulations! Though you may be influential, your foresight is a thread that has yet to be considered.” Luna stepped towards Celestia with bittered anger. “Whereas my dear sister used a mortal life in a way she saw fit to force her desired outcome!”

“I saw an opportunity to solve a problem and took it, nothing more,” Celestia defended. “Just as I’ve seen many opportunities over the years to make Equestria better. Sauna Summers served a greater purpose.”

“What purpose can there be to excuse using up the limited time of another!” Luna shouted as she ran in front of her sister, trying to catch her gaze. “We are immortal, sister! We have centuries to ponder such problems whereas they have naught a single one at most! This is not how you serve as a steward of our little ponies!”

“I was on an ever-tightening schedule, sister,” Celestia said calmly as she looked down at Luna. “With her, I was able to crush that twisted ideal of harmony and begin to burn it away while Sauna Summers lived happily ever after. Or at least, that’s what I hoped would happen.”

Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The Dreamscape bent around the three of them again, but refused to yield completely to the new vision with the world still frozen in fire around them. Celestia disappeared into Sunny Skies once more as she drew a pair of red reading glasses from the aether. After she put them on, several thick lines of gray flowed down her mane in an attempt to add a few years to her immortal disguise.

They found themselves back at the studio with Summers just as Fancy remembered her. She was older, grayer, but still her unmistakably sensational self. The Queen of Disco was pouring her sensational voice into “Good Morning, My Sunshine,” her profession of love for Sunny Skies put to a soulful ballad. While Luna’s gaze hardened with anger and heartbreak at the sight, Fancy's sight was drawn to her mother’s vest. The brown tassels swayed from side to side with threaded beads that matched the ones in her afro. He knew the look and this day very well. After all, it was seared into his memory.

Sunny lowered the volume on the console and turned her sights to her captor audience. “She’d been asking me about a weather paper pusher named Sunny for years, but I just ignored it. I thought she’d move on eventually with her life. She’d forget Sunny Skies. When I finally gave in and went to the mansion that day, I had every intention of settling the matter once and for all, but… I had no idea. It wasn’t supposed to go this way, I swear.”

“You have my pity, Celestia, but that is all you have. These are the fruits of the seeds you so carelessly sowed at your friend’s expense, and I will bear witness to them now.”

Luna’s magic pushed sound back up on the console just as the song drew to a close. Summers cleared her throat as the final notes faded out on the piano playback. The seconds of silence drew on and on and the singer’s smile strained until she finally relented and spoke into the mic. “What did you think, sunshine?”

Sunny answered by jumping out of her seat and bolting towards the studio door.

“Wait!” Summers cried as she rushed out of the live room. “Please! Don’t run! It took me so long to find you again.”

“I shouldn’t have come,” Sunny whispered to herself as she gripped her head. “This is wrong. You have Suede. You have Fancy Pants.”

“I do. I do and I love both of them so much, but…” Summers grabbed her dear friend’s hoof and held it close to her chest. “I also want you in my life, Sunny. I love you too. I love you so much that it hurts.”

Sunny shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t understand. I was the one who pushed us past the breaking point. The group split because of me. I took all of your dreams away. You should hate me!” She tried to take her hoof back, but Summers held on tight.

“I know. I know, and I’ve been thinking long and hard about what happened. What I should’ve done. And you know what?” Summers’ eyes glistened with tears as she bit her lip. “I was too weak. I shoulda never let you be the bad girl.”

“Please. There was no other way. You wouldn’t have made it.”

“I didn’t want to make it if it meant losing you!” Summers screamed as she bowed her head onto Sunny’s hoof. “I just wanted to sing with my friends! I wanted to make ponies happy! I never wanted to lose my sunshine!”

As her friend broke down, Sunny didn’t know what to do. She stepped to her friend’s side and let her lean in, supporting Summers’ body with hers. “But you have brought the world such joy with your music. You showed everypony you can be more than just your cutie mark. You threw that ‘Proper Harmony’ nonsense back in their faces. Not even Princess Celestia could’ve done that.”

“But, what’s the point if I can’t make the ones I love the most in the world happy? I ain’t selfless, Sunny!” Summers yelled through her tears. She sniffled and coughed trying to maintain some semblance of control. “I didn’t start singing because I wanted to change the world. I wanted to have fun. When you asked me to tag along on that stupid audition to Groovecasters, I really just wanted to spend time with you. But then they liked me more than you and everything just started happening so fast…”

“You… do you even hear yourself?” Sunny asked incredulously. “We were at Groovecasters for maybe three years? Four? You’ve been with Suede for so much longer! You’ve built a life with him. You had a foal with him! How can you even be saying this?”

“Because it was Suede’s idea. He wants me to give us a chance. He knows I got enough love for you too. I love Sunny.”

“I… I just wanted you to forget about me.”

“That’s the funny thing, Sunny. I tried. I really wanted to for a while after we split up.” Summers chuckled to herself, trying to regain control of her crying. “But the thing is, I could never forget you for a second, Sunny. I only ever forgot you weren’t there. And, every time I remembered? I couldn’t stand it.”

Summers reached into her beaded shirt’s pocket and pulled out a key adorned with a beautiful pink sapphire. She held it up in front of them and smiled.

“What’s this?” Sunny asked.

“It’s the key to your room,” Summers answered as she offered it to her dearest friend. “Suede and I built this place for us. For all of us: Spring, Autumn, and you. I want everypony back, making music like we shoulda been all along.”

“You want all of us to move back to Canterlot?”

“Not if you don’t want to. I know Spring’s got her students. Autumn’s got her musicals in Manehattan. I don’t know what you’re up to these days, but we got more than enough room for everypony. They can move their families here or just come and go when they got time. And you and me?” Summers clacked her right forehoof against Sunny’s left tenderly as she smiled in relief. “We can finally be together.”

Sunny stepped away to put some distance between them. She looked at the key in her hoof. “You’re the Queen of Disco, married to the King of Swing, so close to the princess that you call her Celly! Me? I’m just a flightless nopony.”

“I wouldn’t trade my family for the world,” Summers said as she slowly walked towards Sunny. “But I’d throw my useless crown in the trash to be with you. I’d go back to my life as a singing spa pony in a heartbeat if it meant we could be together. I love you, Sunny. I always have. And I always will. I could never forget you, even if I wanted to.”

Sunny couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Don’t do this.”

“Then, please. Don’t run away this time,” Summers reached for the hoof Sunny was holding the key in. She tenderly wrapped her fetlock around and pulled it close to her heart. “Do you love me too or not?”

“Summers…” the disguised princess croaked. Her eyes widened in fear. She didn’t know what to do. This was all happening too fast.

“If you don't then… then I promise that I’ll leave you alone, okay sunshine? I won’t ever try to find you again. Just, please. Tell me straight. Do you love me?”

“I… I—”

Before she could answer, the door slammed open. “Mother?” A vision of a teenage Fancy Pants called as he strode in like he owned the world. “I need an advance on next week’s allowance.”

“Fancy!” Summers cried, releasing Sunny’s hoof, dropping the key to the floor. “I thought I told you that I was having a very important company over!”

“But time is of the essence! I made this request politely before. Twice. And still I have yet to receive it. Did you forget again?”

Luna turned to the present Fancy looking on in complete horror. “Fancy Pants?”

“I… I don’t want to see this again,” the current Fancy mumbled lowly to himself.

“Who knows? You burn through ‘em so fast, maybe you forgot you got it already,” Summers countered, barely holding back her anger. The last thing she needed was to be forced to deal with her son’s grievances again at such a critical moment.

The stubborn teen rolled his eyes. “Hardly an excuse. I’m not the featherhead of the family, Mother.”

Sunny chuckled to herself and stepped forward between the mother and son. “You must be Fancy. Your mother has told me all about you.”

“Fancy Pants,” the young stallion said slowly for the mare to hear. “Soon to be Ambassador of Equestria Fancy Pants.”

“Ambassador-in-training if I heard correctly. You’re acting very rudely towards my friend and your mother, Fancy Pants.”

The young stallion narrowed his eyes. “And you are?”

“A friend of your mother. Did it slip your mind?” she asked with a light bonk to his horn.

“I have no time to waste with one of your commoner friends,” he said with a scoff towards Summers.

“Don’t you dare speak to her that way!” Summers roared. She bent down, almost ready to charge him. She was so angry.

“Fancy Pants!” Suede Shoes yelled from a distance. The King of Swing galloped into the room at full speed, dressed in his finest and fuming with anger. “Stop trying to squeeze money out of your mother this instant!”

“Wonderful. He’s caught up with me.” The son turned to face his father. “What else was I supposed to do? You keep refusing to give me an advance.”

“Because you’ve burnt through enough of your allowance for half a year!”

Fancy clicked his tongue. “You say that as if we’re impoverished. The paltry amount you give me is an absolute pittance compared to the wealth we’re sitting on. Just give me what I need and I’ll stop bothering you about it. My friends are growing impatient.”

“Growing impatient over what?” Sunny interjected.

“None of your business, ‘friend.’ Stay here and help Mother flick some switches or whatever it is you sound ponies are supposed to be doing.”

“Fancy Pants! You apologize to Sunny, right now!” Summers screamed so loudly that she nearly blew out her voice. She quickly fell into a fit of hacking coughs as her eyes watered from the strain.

While the young stallion didn’t even flinch at his mother’s scream, her broken yell reverberated through Sir Fancy Pants’ soul as he nearly lost his balance. Luna’s cool wing reached around him as her comforting magic entered his mind.

“I apologize, my dear friend,” Luna whispered.

“It’s almost over,” Fancy replied as he waited for the end to come. “Soon, I will blow off my mother’s cries, say something utterly foolish, kick the door closed, and then never see her again.”

“Fine,” the young Fancy complained. “Sorry you had to see this. I’ll just have to figure out my financial situation later. I always do.” With that, the teen bolted past his father out the door, kicking it closed to buy himself time.

“Fancy Pants! Fancy Pants! Come back here this instant!” Suede yelled as he gave chase.

Fancy watched the vision of his younger self vanish down the unfinished hall into the Dreamscape. Those words. He wished so dearly he could take them back. Fancy wanted to tell his mother that he didn’t mean it, but he knew deep down that every blasted word out of that stubborn child’s mouth was blinded by selfish self-importance. He heard the shuffling of hooves, bringing his attention back to the rest of the day he’d missed.

Sunny turned to Summers and knelt down next to her. “Are you alright?”

The queen's hacking cough persisted as she struggled to catch her breath. Fancy’s heart nearly stopped as he saw her wide-eyed, terrified stare. He’d seen that furtive glint of confused terror in his mother's eyes before. It was the eyes she always had when he’d beaten her in an argument with his clever wit, never connecting it to her condition. Summers had gotten “lost” again.

“Summers?” Sunny asked again, trying to snap the mare out of it.

“Sunny?” she wheezed as her eyes sparkled with recognition. “Sunny!” Summers immediately dove into her friend and hugged her, desperately clinging to her neck as if she hadn’t seen her in years. As she settled down, she looked around, seemingly relearning where she was again. “Oh, my sunshine! Sorry, about that, shug. I just need to… settle. Settle down. What were we talking about again?”

Summers’ mouth opened up, but no words came out of it. Her ears pinned back against her head as she closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and threw on a smirk. “We were… just mentioning how that brat of yours was somehow going to be our next ambassador.”

The smoothing magic stopped as Luna’s mouth fell open. “What did my sister just say?”

“Oh? Oh! Crazy, right?” The old queen laughed as she coughed again, trying to clear her throat of whatever was in it. “Celly said she saw something in him, but ain’t no critter out there that is gonna like that stubborn colt walking in like he knows everything. She’s trippin.”

“Maybe, maybe not. Celestia’s been around forever. Maybe she just sees something we don’t. She’s probably faced plenty of proud ponies like him before. Just give her some time to polish him to a shine, and I’m sure he’ll be a better stallion by the end of it.” She smirked with a cunning glint in her eyes as she rubbed her friend’s shoulder. “After all, a talent like his only comes around once in a blue moon. I bet she’s got a plan to set him back on the path to Harmony.”

The younger princess looked at Fancy Pants out of the corner of her eyes before forcing herself to keep watching.

“I hope you’re right. More than anything. Heaven knows he won’t listen to me again.” Summers gripped the right side of her head and winced as she tried to stand back up. “I just wish I knew where he got that mean streak of his. Maybe I gave Sugar Bear too much sugar and spoiled him.”

“Don’t worry so much about it. It’s just a phase, like you said. Colts like him feel like they can run the world after having their mark for a few years, but they’re still children. The princess will be able to instill some much needed humility. It’s hard to rise higher than the sun, you know.”

“Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Sunny.” Summers coughed again but looked up to the mare holding her and smiled, but it was lopsided. “I missed you so much. You’ve always been the light in my skies.”

“I-I’ve missed you too, Summers,” Sunny said with rising concern.

“All that matters is you're here now, sunshine. And I got a little song for you to hear.” She said weakly as she leaned into Sunny’s wings. “I’ve wanted you to hear it for so long. You know, I just did the lyrics. Suede made the music.”

“Yes, I believe you mentioned that.”

“I did? Wh—when was that?”

Sunny rose her hoof to Summers’ face, trying to get a response from her glazing eyes. “Summers? Are you okay?”

“Yeah… Just, just give me a minute. I got a song I wanna sing to you when my voice ain’t so freaky.” Summers closed her eyes and sighed contently.

“Summers, I really think we need to—” Sunny’s voice hitched as Sunny’s full weight leaned into her side. “Summers?” She nudged her limp friend. “Summers?”

“Summers!” Celestia screamed. She burst into her full alicorn glory as the memory shattered to pieces around them. The fallen princess slumped down as the Queen of Disco’s body stayed behind, but she shed no tears. Those had fallen long ago.

Fancy’s stomach churned at the sight of his mother, resting in peace in the princess’ embrace. No wonder Vinyl hadn’t told him what was on the record. She’d collapsed right after he left. His mother hadn’t died at the hospital. “Did I—?”

“There is no point in entertaining that notion, Fancy Pants,” Celestia interrupted. “I did everything in my power to save her, but I didn’t alter the records. It was complications from her medication that killed her. An elevated risk of stroke.” Celestia curled around the dead mare, hugging her tenderly. She brushed away Summers’ curly mane and kissed her forehead one last time before the vision dissipated in a scattering of light. “It’s so funny. I’ve been forced to watch so many I despise drift away slowly, yet somepony I love so dearly is gone in the blink of an eye.”

“Love?” Luna muttered in disbelief, not accepting anything from her sister. “You call that sick, twisted vision love?” The princess of the night teleported in front of her sister and slammed her hooves down. Despite the thundercrack around her head, Celestia didn’t even flinch. “You lied to her! Every day you were around her as either mare was a living lie! Even to the very end, you took advantage of her condition!”

“I was a coward. I ran before she could tell me, hoping she’d move on, but she didn’t. I returned as Sunny with every intention of rejecting her love outright, but… I couldn’t. I loved her, and I still love her now.” Celestia took a deep breath and stood to her legs. “But ultimately, her untimely passing was a small mercy for us both.”

“Mercy? You had Traveler’s Remembrance. You could’ve saved her! You could’ve fixed this! She deserved it after what you did in her final moments!”

“Fix?” Celestia laughed to herself as she waved the notion away. “No, that would’ve broken everything. The Queen of Disco’s self-made ascension could not be questioned. If the nobles ever caught wind of my involvement in her rise, they might’ve assumed she’d seduced me. It took a century to dispel Proper Harmony. Summers made the music flow freely again. She served a greater purpose.”

“And what great purpose was that?”

“Night Court, sister,” Celestia answered simply as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She trotted past her sister towards one of the rows of seats in the front. She reached under it and grabbed a book from underneath. She turned it around to reveal the ancient work Fancy had seen before when he visited the Melodys. He couldn’t make out the old writing on the cover, but it was clearly a pristine copy of that book of lost songs from the Silent Era.

“There was no time to fix it by myself. The stars were aligning to aid in your escape. I wasn’t going to stand idly by and let ponies ruin the art of your lovely evening again as they had a thousand years ago.” Celestia looked upon Luna with a zealous tenderness burning with sisterly care. “You always enjoyed what the composers came up with, at least before they started trying to impress me.”

Luna's eyes widened in abject horror at the oppressive love bearing down upon her like a collapsing star. “Are you saying that the reason you wanted to overturn Proper Harmony, the reason you pushed a spa pony to become a renowned musician, was just so ponies would make music for me again?”

“Of course, dear sister. All I ever wish for is for your eternal happiness. So, I confess.” Princess Celestia smiled with the serenity of Elysium. “I made this world for you, Luna. All of it.”

Author's Note:

If you find a simple mistake in the GSP (Grammar, Spelling, or Punctuation), please let me know through a private message rather than leaving it in the comment section. Thank you for reading!

Comments

[AgentKorpsman]

“I have no time to waste with one of your commoner friends,” he said with a scoff towards Summers.

I never though I see the day that fancy pants said that.

And dam he had a mouth back then.

[AgentKorpsman]

“Of course, dear sister. All I ever wish for is for your eternal happiness. So, I confess.” Princess Celestia smiled with the serenity of Elysium. “I made this world for you, Luna. All of it.”

Hmmm, suspicious

[Rego]

11622651
Right here he was back in the day.
11622654

[PhycoKrusk]

Huh.

I guess the only real question is when exactly she cracked.

[ShadowLDrago]

“Of course, dear sister. All I ever wish for is for your eternal happiness. So, I confess.” Princess Celestia smiled with the serenity of Elysium. “I made this world for you, Luna. All of it.”

The thing is, I fully believe that. I have no doubt that after a near millenium of being alone, of constant pain from one of Discord's last 'fuck you's, of stifling "Proper Harmony", of being seen as this untouchable, godlike figure, she would do anything to have an equal again.

[FridayPie]

Sunny blinked, utterly lost in the flow of the young mare’s words.

I had felt vibes if holographic singer from DS9 here

[Stainless Steel Fox]

“That’s a major drag. Why not nix ‘em all if they’re bumming you out this much?”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple, Miss Summers. The needs of a nation are complicated and require more than what I can do… alone.” The princess’ mask fell away, slipping into a bitter scowl. “Though, truth be told, I am not above applying force when necessary.”

Celly, I have a two words for you. Meritocratic Bureaucracy. Actually four, Representative Democracy. The first provides you with an executive that doesn't require nobles to admimister it. Yes, you have to watch for empire building and over-expansion, but you can build counters for that into the system. Especially as you retain final veto over creation and expansion of departments.

And Representative Democracy removes nobles from the legislative function as well. It works badly at best, yes, but every other system works worse. And as long as you can ensure your population is educated it will function.

And Judicial functions should be separate from both.

[Alchemik]

Though, perfection is such a slippery thing to define. And the maintenance costs alone are ridiculous!

Seriously though, I've just realized. This Celestia is a really bad sister. Wanting to make things perfect for your sister's return is all very well and good, but she knew there were lines Luna wouldn't want her to cross. Acts that shouldn't be committed. But she did. And for what? Making sure the things she remembered Luna enjoying being immediately available? As opposed to in a few years?

I can understand the impulse, but come on, Celly. You're supposed to be better than this.