Chapter 55: Unforgivable
Fancy stared at his blank sheet of paper at a complete loss. He’d given his word to Éclair if he found Vinyl at the castle, but there was nothing to say that could possibly begin to describe who or what he’d seen there. He’d barely wrapped his mind around it.
Glitterati, Upper Crust’s beloved daughter. Thinking back to the scant time he’d visited Jet Set’s and Upper Crust’s home, he didn’t recall seeing a sign of her existence anywhere. No family pictures, no keepsakes, nothing that’d say a filly had ever lived there before. The only time he’d heard the name was from Jet Set in passing. The way he spoke of her sounded like she’d died a long time ago.
His mind thought back to the times Vinyl had said something in a similar vein. The mare said they were gone or not around. That she was never enough for them, could never get their approval, never worthy enough. The only thing Vinyl ever wanted was their love, but she never received it. Knowing who was responsible for the cruel upbringing put Vinyl’s burdens in stark relief. And now, she’d gone back to them, trying to find acceptance where he’d rejected her.
Fancy made a terrible mistake, and now everypony was paying the price, especially Glitterati.
“You’ve barely touched your tea, Fancy Pants,” Celestia noted as she sipped hers.
“I know,” Fancy replied to the former princess.
The alicorn nodded and fired off a quick spell to reheat his untouched cup. “Tell me, Fancy Pants, is this a new pressure tactic you’re attempting to apply?”
“No, your highness.”
“The formality is no longer needed, Sir Fancy Pants.”
“Sorry, it’s… a difficult adjustment to make.”
“I understand. Change is difficult, but part of life.” Celestia wiggled slightly, trying to get more comfortable in her seat as she adjusted her wing sling. “This is just the first stage of what will become the new normal in Equestria.”
While he nodded in agreement, Fancy couldn’t help but loathe this new state of affairs. Like Luna before her, Celestia’s form had diminished. She was just as tall as she’d always been, but the alicorn’s lustrous alabaster fur had dimmed along with her mane. Instead of the colors of the dawn, only a long, flowing pink mane and tail remained, its sheer volume and length becoming more of a hindrance after losing its aethereal wisp.
It wasn’t an unsolvable issue though. Luna had enchanted her older sister’s regalia with the same empowering spellwork to keep up expected appearances, but Celestia simply refused to wear anything aside from her sling. She’d been stripped of her royal title and duties, a proper punishment for her heinous actions, and she intended to follow through with it. And despite Luna’s wishes, the alicorn had even confined herself to a cell of sorts, her sunroom, ever since her last meeting with the Element Bearers.
Breaking the news to the six had gone over about as well as Fancy had expected, meaning a complete disaster. Miss Twilight Sparkle had taken it especially hard. The poor pupil had started digging for an explanation, convinced that there must’ve been some mistake. There was no way her mentor, the guiding light of the nation, could do such unspeakable actions. That was when Celestia had shown them her book containing a phoenix’s bird’s-eye view she used to “monitor her students.” The former princess didn’t even bother chasing Twilight down when she ran off. She closed her eyes, summoned her fresh pot of tea, and returned to her private sanctuary.
Celestia took a sharp breath through her nose, letting her displeasure shine in full force. “Fancy, would you remind me of the only rule I set for entering my sunroom?”
“To leave all problems at the door,” Fancy answered.
“Yes, which clearly that little piece of paper is serving as a massive one for you.”
“I know, but—”
“If you knew, then why are you here with it? I may not be your princess anymore, but this castle is still my home. Respect my wishes or leave,” she ordered through a heated scowl that could melt diamonds.
“Of course. My apologies.” Fancy stood up from his cushion and gave a quick bow. “Thank you for the tea, your highness.”
Celestia sighed to herself as he began to walk towards the door. He reached to push it open, only for a golden pop of magic to whisk him back into his seat. “You can thank me after you’ve actually tasted it.” The impatient mare hovered the tea to his face. “Now, drink.”
Not wanting to disobey such a powerful, perturbed pony, Fancy immediately took the cup into his hooves and sipped the tea. Instead of the sweet roses she enjoyed to drink, his mouth was met with the sharp, yet soothing pair of peppermint and lavender. It was a blend she used during particularly stressful situations to calm down while remaining alert. Even though Celestia was likely already drinking it herself, he appreciated the thought.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she replied out of obligation.
Despite her words’ sharp edge, Fancy found the change from her calm demeanor strangely refreshing. Princess Celestia’s serene aura had always been a puzzle box of second-guesses. One had to be adept at reading between the lines that were already between the lines to even begin to guess at what was behind that mask. Now that all bets were off, it was much easier to get a read on her. He just wished that every sentence wasn’t tinged with contempt.
She teleported Fancy’s blank missive out of his hooves and into hers to look it over. “You’re usually not one to struggle with a simple letter. Mind telling me what this is about?”
“It’s my problem, Celestia. As you said, I shouldn’t have brought it in here.”
“No, you shouldn’t have,” she agreed. Celestia’s brow tightened as she shot a fiery look at him. “In fact, you shouldn’t be in here in the first place as we’re both problems for each other.”
“Then why did you let me come in?”
The mare’s frown softened as it turned inward. “Because it’s better than being alone and hated.”
“I don’t hate you, Celestia. I only hate what you’ve done.”
“The feeling isn’t mutual. I hate you, Fancy.” The waning sun boiled with a deep anger that threatened to overtake her. “I hate you for betraying me. I hate that you ruined centuries of careful planning and contingencies.”
“But you were doing terrible things—”
“I did what needed to be done to ensure my sister’s safety!” Despite lacking a connection to the sun, the almighty alicorn’s temper still had enough power to heat the room. “Luna will never face the Nightmare again! She is loved and will be loved by ponies everywhere, like she always should’ve been!”
Celestia slammed a hoof down as she shot up out of her seat, shaking the room to silence. The only sound Fancy could hear was his errant stress casting and the sound of the alicorn's steady breaths. Her stern frown barely held back the anger eating at her from within.
“But, I don’t want to hate you, Fancy Pants.” Celestia’s searing fury began to fade into sorrow as she struggled between loving and loathing. “I don’t want to feel so bitter and resentful whenever I see you, but I do. I know you were right to stop me. Even now, I am telling myself that, but…I hope I will come to accept it before Elysium takes you. I can’t stand this.”
Fancy sighed into his cup. “Our relationship will never be the same again.”
“I know it won’t. It can’t. However, different is better than nothing at all. It will have been my ultimate betrayal of Summers if I simply allow the last shreds of our Noble friendship to vanish.”
Fancy felt a familiar twinge in his heart as he grappled with his own mistakes with his mother. “You really loved her, didn’t you?”
The princess closed her eyes and breathed softly, not allowing herself to give into her grief. “I swore I would never let myself enjoy the world too much during Luna’s imprisonment. But then, I met Sauna Summers. She was the only pony to ever weaken my resolve to such an extent. I wanted her. Coveted her. I would’ve moved the stars themselves just to be with her. But I couldn’t.”
“You felt like you didn’t have a choice. Like Luna’s fate was more important than your own,” Fancy added, fiddling with his hooves as he reflected on his own recent actions.
Celestia smiled warmly. “I guess you haven’t completely forgotten how to read me.”
“Not exactly. I just know what you mean, unfortunately.”
His response gave the princess pause as she looked back down to her once trusted envoy. She sat her tea down and gave Fancy her full attention. “You do,” she noted as she looked through Fancy. “And somepony with your gifts would have a different relationship with fateful decisions.”
Fancy chuckled and pulled at his shoulder. “I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist.”
The princess flickered the paper over with her magic. “Is that what this blank page of yours is about?”
“Yes, though I suppose there is no perfect way to tell somepony you’ve made an absolute mess of things.”
“I see. It seems you’ve learned a little too much from my tutelage.” The smile on the former princess strained as she reached her hoof over to his, placing it next to his, but not touching it. “Your life is too short for you to pursue such notions. Upon reflection, perhaps even immortality is not enough.”
The room sat in stillness in that imperfect moment, only the sound of the princess’ magic thrumming as she held the paper between them. There were still no words that came to him as he stared at the oppressive, blank page. Suddenly, the bottom of the paper ignited, engulfing the entire page in a golden fire that burned it away. Before Fancy could say anything, the princess stood up from her seat.
“I’ve found in my experience that some messages are best told rather than read,” she remarked with a smile.
The room disappeared around them in a flash of light, replacing the warm, cozy tearoom with damp cobblestones under his hooves and the sound of rushing water. Fancy jumped up, wondering what had happened. While he couldn’t see in the darkness, from the sounds and smells, he surmised they’d appeared somewhere in the Canterlot Waterways. Where or why exactly was still an open question.
“Your highness?” Fancy called out in alarm.
“Again, it’s just Celestia now,” a lighter voice corrected as a familiar pegasus stepped out of the shadows. “Or rather, Sunny Skies.”
Though Fancy knew it was Celestia underneath the mare, seeing Sunny Skies step out into the present was still a surreal experience. He’d only seen her in the few photos that managed to capture her and within the Dreamscape. Her overflowing mane had returned to a more manageable length, but she was still a towering mare no matter which form she took. It was hard to imagine she was sisters with the much shorter Starry Midnight. Even in ancient times, the two were polar opposites.
“What are we doing here?” Fancy asked, as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.
“I’m helping you deliver your message,” Sunny answered simply. “Before that, could you tighten this a little?” the mare asked, shaking her limp wing slipping out of its sling. “I’m a little short on magic when I’m like this.”
Fancy nodded and quickly stepped to the mare’s side to begin carefully folding the wing up. He’d seen the wound before, but it was so much worse up close in the real world. Unnatural, wiry feathers barely clung to a nearly necrotic limb made of broken bones and skin. It felt more like he was jostling a loose bag of rocks than a proper wing. He did his best to tighten the brace keeping it from falling out, but the sheer length of the wing wasn’t helping either. They were barely shorter than when she was an alicorn.
“Don’t worry how it sticks in there, just fold it however it will fit and tie it up.”
“Just give me a moment longer, ‘Miss Skies.’ I may be a unicorn, but I still had a pegasus for a mother.” Refusing to do his duty improperly, Fancy finally found where the wing joint would naturally bend amid the broken mess and carefully folded it in, pressing the limb to the pegasus’ side before pulling the sling tighter with his teeth. There was still far more slack than he liked, but there was only so much he could do with a sling meant for the largest mare in the world. “There. I hope that’s more comfortable.”
She wiggled her side, trying to shake the wing loose, but only flapping the extra cloth around. “It is. Thank you, ‘Sir’ Fancy Pants.” The mare cleared her throat and gave him a thankful smile as she opened a nearby door and stepped out into the moonlight. “Now, let’s see what we can do about your problems this evening.”
It was strange following the former princess through the city. Either by happenstance or habit, she stuck to less-traveled streets and alleyways as they made their way around Canterlot. Not even a seasoned jogger like him knew half of the paths that Celestia—or rather Sunny—knew, though that wasn’t much of a surprise coming from a pony who’d lived there since before the city existed. They easily dodged the would-be prying eyes of anypony as they walked and talked.
At first he only meant to tell her enough to get an opinion, but that led into the last few weeks, and then the past months. By the end of it, he was spilling his heart out to Sunny. Despite the rift in their relationship, confiding in somepony like her made him realize just how much he’d been holding inside over the decades. There was just so much. Years of his life, his Kingmaking, were all interwoven into a patchwork of fates he’d helped realize. Viewed from afar, his work had created beautiful tapestry. The Fateweaver had spliced it all together with finest gold threads his parents’ legacy could buy. He’d done his best to serve as a steward, spreading Summers’ and Suede’s love and light beyond their lives into future generations. There were so many wonderful things that he’d helped grow with their gifts.
However, no matter how long he looked, Fancy couldn’t see himself at all within the patterns. The masterwork was supposed to be his life, but he was nowhere in it. If one stepped closer, they’d find he was little more than a tawdry needle, dancing desperately along the seams to continually validate its existence. If it ever stopped sewing, the work would be done and the little tool could be tossed into the trash without consequence. With no fate woven for himself, Fancy couldn't help but wonder how he’d held himself together for so long. Of course, the answer to that was obvious: he simply hadn’t. The Kingmaker was just good at keeping up appearances and focusing on the results rather than the means. After all, he’d learned from the master of the craft.
As for said master, whether it was because of her disguise or recent dethronement, Sunny Skies was far more forward than her usual self. Where Celestia would hide a dagger in a soft pillow, Sunny spoke sharply with a warranted arrogance. Any semblance of a mask had been stripped away as well. She listened calmly and patiently to Fancy’s woes while offering her wisdom like before, but made her opinions clear as day.
Fancy admitted he’d dreamt of marrying Éclair de Lune for decades. Sunny excused herself momentarily and bucked a poor street lamp in half.
Then he tried to figure out how to broach the topic of Glitterati with Éclair and Fleur. Then she suggested he seek the counsel of a Fateweaver with a sassy wink.
Finally, Fancy asked what she’d do if Luna was in the same situation as Vinyl. Sunny smiled with the serenity of Elysium.
Unsettling reminders aside, Fancy had to admit it was nice to just have somepony that understood him. Perhaps it was an indictment of his crumbling social circles that his best available confidant was somepony who hated him, but he hadn’t felt so relieved in days. Then, Pâte de Lune came into view.
Fancy sighed upon seeing the lights shining from the patisserie’s kitchen and led Sunny into the alleyway towards the family entrance. “Time to face the music.”
“What will you tell them?”
“That I found Vinyl and that I’m sorry.”
Sunny shrugged. “It’s a start.”
Fancy could feel the tension hanging in the air as he approached the back door.
The welcoming soft glow of the light shining through the window brought him little comfort. He reached a hoof to the door, bracing himself before walking into the proverbial furnace, and only managed to knock once before the door was nearly ripped off its hinges in a pink glow of magic. On the other end, hunkered over ready to charge him horn-first was Fleur de Lis.
The mare roared as she lunged forward, her bloodshot eyes filled with murderous rage. Fancy tried to back up, but he tripped over himself and fell over from the shock.
“Stop!” Athena’s broken voice begged from inside as her large hands wrapped around the unicorn before she could barrel into her target. The minotaur pulled the young mare back with ease, wrapping her in enormous arms and squeezing her into a hug.
Fleur stared down Fancy with more ferocity than a starving chimera. Tear streaks matted the fur under her death stare. Her nose flared with her quickened breathing as her teeth gritted tighter and tighter, wanting nothing more than to tear the stallion limb from limb.
Athena shook her head as she buried it into Fleur’s mane. “Please, stop. No more. I can’t. I-I just—” her voice hitched as she started to cry again.
Fleur’s ears perked at the minotaur’s renewed sniffles before she slumped helplessly in Athena’s massive hug. Fleur’s face crumpled up as she tried to return the gesture. “I’m sorry. I know I said I wouldn’t, but…”
Sunny helped Fancy up from the ground. “It seems you won’t need to break the news to them after all.”
“And just who are you supposed to be?” Fleur growled at the mysterious mare.
“My name is Sunny Skies. Sir Fancy Pants has told me a lot about you.”
“Oh, he has, has he?” Fleur snapped back briefly before a look of confusion crossed her face. “Wait… Sunny Skies? The mare Vinyl was looking for all this time?”
“I see you’ve heard of me,” she said as she walked inside with Fancy. “That’s very rare.”
“It can’t be though. You should be an old mare by now.”
The pegasus giggled knowingly. “Practically ancient, but you wouldn’t believe what a little moisturizer does for the wrinkles.”
Athena looked up from her sadness at the smiling mare. She narrowed her eyes as she peered at Sunny. “You look really familiar.”
“Perhaps we’ve run into each other before?” Sunny suggested with a pacifying smile.
The minotaur’s eyes widened with newfound fear as she squeezed Fleur tighter. The massive beast shrank behind the smaller pony as best she could. “P-Princess Celestia?”
“My, my! Lulu did say you were very perceptive.” She extended her good wing and shut the door behind Fancy before glowing with golden light once more, bursting back into her full alicornhood. She brushed her overflowing hair to the side to give them her attention. “Did my sister tell you about me, or was it something else?”
“No. You just have a…” the minotaur trailed as she tried to choose her words very carefully. “A very unique smile.” She blinked as she looked up and down the princess, noticing some very key differences in her appearance. “Did something happen—”
“Hold on!” Fleur shouted as she wriggled out of Athena’s weakened grasp. “Are you saying you were Sunny Skies this entire time?”
The former princess said nothing, only raising an eyebrow at the indignant accusation.
“Know what? Doesn’t matter anymore! The only mare who cares is gone,” Fleur spat as she turned her focus towards Fancy. “And it’s all your fault!”
“Fleur, I—”
“I don’t want to hear it! I just want to know why! She loved you, Fancy! Do you even know how scared she was?”
Fancy nodded. “Admitting one’s feelings for another can be… difficult.”
“Oh-hoh, not that. We aren’t even in the same dimension as that. She was terrified of who you are. What liking you would mean for her. Do you even know why she was doing all of that stupid research in the first place? It was for you! She was terrified of becoming somepony like you! A rich—” Fleur’s tirade froze as her bitter tirade tripped over a passing thought for the first time. Her eyes widened as the terrible cogs snapped into place. “A rich monster.”
“She told me as much before.” Fancy admitted. “I tried to assure her that she had no reason to fear success.”
“No, no. Even before she met you, she always just wanted to eke by making music. But then she met you and became obsessed with finding out if money changed Auntie Summers into a terrible pony. She feared letting loose the dragon of Rich Antiquity. She was so scared of it. More than anything.”
“What’s rich antiquity?” Athena asked.
Not bothering to answer, Fleur straightened up with purpose and made a break for the back door. Celestia blocked the bolting mare, extending her good wing to stop her in her gallop.
“Where do you think you’re running off to this late, Miss de Lis?”
“I’m getting my sister back. Now.”
The former princess tilted her head. “Right now? Without a plan of action?”
“I don’t need a plan, I just need to get her as far away as possible from that crusty bi—” Fleur floundered over her language briefly, remembering who she was talking to. “Bigot.”
Celestia smiled warmly at the hotheaded mare’s slipup and pivoted herself to block her larger body. “And what do you expect to happen when you are denied entry into her home? Trespass further by breaking and entering? What if you’re caught?”
“Who cares? My sister needs me!”
Celestia took a sharp breath, wincing from the familiar wound being aggravated. “I know the feeling, Fleur de Lis. There were times I wished to shatter the moon itself to free mine. However, the last thing your sister needs is for you to be locked behind bars. You might have an ethical argument, but you lack a legal one.”
“Well, what about Upper Crust’s crimes?” the young mare pressed.
“Oh?” Her interest piqued, Celestia gave Fleur her undivided attention. “Which ones are you referring to? I’d be very interested in hearing those.”
Fleur balked at Celestia’s naïvety. “What do you think? She’s abusing Vinyl! She’s been doing it for years!”
“And what is your evidence of this supposed abuse?”
“Like, everything? She’s miserable all the time for no reason. She thinks everything is always her fault. For peat’s sake, she can’t even utter the word ‘love’ without having a mental breakdown! Who else would’ve done that except an abusive parent?”
“While I truly sympathize with her situation, ‘Like, everything’ is not admissible within our nation’s courts.” Celestia rubbed her chin and hummed to herself in thought. “Do you have anything else? Witness testimonies, threats made in writing, maybe apparent signs of physical abuse?”
“No, but—”
“Then I’m sorry to say that you have no case as of now.”
“But it’s all true!” Fleur argured.
“Without evidence, such a claim is not provable beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Fleur snorted, quickly losing patience. “Then what do you expect me to do?”
“Come up with a workable plan before you get yourself into trouble. Again.”
“Stop treating me like a foal!”
“Then stop acting like one!” Celestia reprimanded firmly. The alicorn stood to her full height, the weight of her frown bearing down on the little pony before her. “Last I heard, being a bad parent is not a crime.”
The belittling remark contorted Fleur’s face in bitter anger. If Celestia was any other pony, Fancy was sure Fleur would’ve bucked her in the face. Seeing how quickly the situation was devolving, he wouldn’t be surprised if she did it anyway.
“Well, you know what’s going on, right? Why don’t you do something about it?” Fleur countered.
Celestia tilted her head at the suggestion. “Oh? Like what, if I may ask?”
“Anything! You practically make the rules around here!” Fleur argued.
“I know you’re a smart mare, Fleur de Lis. You wouldn’t be a student at my school if you weren’t,” Celestia stated calmly to Fleur’s ever-increasing ire. “We both know that it isn’t that simple. Besides, it’s imperative that a pony like myself is bound to the laws of Equestria as well.”
“But you’re a princess! Who’s gonna stop you?”
Celestia tilted her head back and cackled, sending a shiver down Fancy’s spine. “If I think about it, there are only two things in this world that could potentially stop me, and they’d have an incredibly hard time doing so. Trust me when I say that I’m the last pony you want to ask to do anything extrajudicially.” She shot a quick glance at Fancy and winked. “I’ve been known to go a little overboard.”
With the last of her patience drained, Fleur finally screamed at the top of her lungs and slammed her hooves down. “Fine! If you’re not gonna do anything, then get out of my way already!”
“Enough!” The upstairs door slammed open with a furious galloping of hooves as Éclair made her way down the circular staircase. “Fleur de Lis! Stop with all of the yells! It will not help a thing! We all hurt from…” her own shouting died as she spotted their guests. “Princess Celestia? Fancy Pants?”
“Good evening, Éclair de Lune.” Celestia quickly bowed her head to greet the mare. “I apologize for not seeing you when you came to the castle.”
Éclair sucked in her lips and shook her head as she tried not to give in to her own feelings. “No small words now, please. I do not want them. They will not return ma précieuse fleur de vinyle.” She turned her attention to Fancy Pants as her eyes shimmered with sorrow. “I met this sweetheart Athéna running with complete fear from the castle. She told me what she saw. Is it true? Did somepony take my Vinyle?”
Fancy looked away. “I’m so sorry, Éclair.”
The mare closed her eyes and took a breath through her nose and out through her mouth to keep herself together. ~I know you are,~ Éclair said as she held firm with a deep frown. ~But a feckless apology won’t bring my daughter home. This mare, Upper Crust. She is Vinyl’s birth mother?~
“I’m afraid so. Glitterati even said so herself.”
~Glitterati?~ Her face scrunched in disgust at the mere sound of it sliding off her tongue. ~What a terrible name for my Vinyl. It sounds cheap and fake like the rest of your rich ‘friends.’ You will fix this,~ Éclair stated as a matter of fact.
“Him?” Fleur cried in disbelief before laughing sardonically. “Oh, no-no, Maman. Fancy’s the problem! He’s the one that caused this in the first place! If he wasn’t here—”
~If Fancy wasn’t here, Vinyl would’ve suffered without us even knowing. He showed her kindness, generosity, and understanding, and then she fell in love with him.~
“You’re conveniently forgetting the part where he broke her heart! He broke it so bad that she blew up the audio lab and ran away!” Fleur whipped around, glaring at Fancy Pants with nothing but loathing. “You should be the miserable lonely pony, not her! She did nothing but her best and you threw her away!” She clenched her teeth, her jaw shaking from the pressure she was biting with. “I hate you!”
Éclair’s eyes widened in shock. ~Fleur de Lis!~
Fancy tried to stand his ground in the face of Fleur, but he’d never seen her so angry and it was only getting worse with each passing moment. His mind went blank as his stress aura tried to find something to latch onto to alleviate the pain burning off of the enraged mare.
“You heard me! I hate you!” She poured every last ounce of her contempt she could muster, leaving no room to doubt her sincerity. Her breathing quickened as she pulled at her fraying mane. “I hate you and I never want to see you again! Why don’t you just do us all a favor and drown yourself in a pool of your stupid bird brandy until the bubbles stop?”
“ET TACET!”
Everypony collapsed under the weight of Celestia’s Royal Canterlot Voice. Even Athena wasn’t immune from its power as she curled into a tighter ball and covered her ears. A bubble of colorless silence engulfed Fleur, keeping her locked in on the floor. She tried to call for help, only to hear nothing in the void. She tried to yell, scream, or hear anything as panic filled the voice actress’ eyes. Before she succumbed to fear, Celestia lowered her head and popped the bubble with the tip of her horn.
“Fleur de Lis,” Celestia called out to the cowering young mare. Instead of a sharp anger, the princess’ eyes were filled with sorrow as she knelt down to meet Fleur on the floor. “I know you are angry, justifiably so. But please, do not say such terrible things.”
Fueled by her bitterness, Fleur fought through the fear enough to sneer at the alicorn. “Why? Because Sir Fancy Pants’ one of your favorite little ponies?”
“Because it works!”
Fleur’s snappy retort came out as little more than a confused whimper in the face of her weathered plea. It echoed with a timeless agony; a once majestic mountain eroded into little more than gravel over eons of endless rainfall.
“When somepony you care about more than anything in the world speaks such powerful words from their heart, it infects you. The words mangle you from the inside worse than any parasite or disease ever could. And when you know them to be true, there is no salvation. Without reconciliation, such words will torture you until you are driven mad.” The dethroned princess sank behind to her limp mane, its unkempt, wild flow cutting into what little grace she had left. “They will destroy you if they don’t kill you, and even then, you may wish you could die just to make it stop.”
Fleur’s gaze fell down to the floor as she tried to grapple with Celestia’s words. “But, what am I supposed to do, Princess? I hate him. He hurt my sister. He ruined everything.”
“I’m not asking you to forgive him. Harmony knows that I’m still working on that myself,” she said as she shot a pointed glare at the traitor. “But do not place such a terrible curse on him by echoing the words he already knows in his heart. At the end of the day, I still believe Fancy is a good stallion who desperately wants to make things right.”
Not even needing a cue from Celestia, Fancy rose to his hooves and stepped forward towards Fleur. “I know this is coming far too late, but even still I want to make this right. I promise we will get your sister back, somehow. You deserve a sibling who will be there for you, instead of somepony like me who has always failed to live up to your expectations.”
The mare’s ears perked up, hearing the familial subtext loud and clear. She stood to her shaky legs at the word she always wanted him to hear. “If you’re just saying that, if you don’t mean that…”
“I do, Fleur. I promise that I do. All I’m asking is that you give me a chance to—”
“One.” Fleur held up her hoof and glared daggers at him. “You get one. And I still don’t know if that’ll be enough to forgive you. You don’t get to just be my brother now because you said you’re sorry!”
Fancy closed his eyes and nodded. “I understand. I know I’ve neglected you. Neglected this family. I was wrong, and I don’t know if I can ever make it right. I’m so sorry.”
“Good. You should be!” Fleur’s fury collapsed under her conflicting emotions as her eyes misted over. “And, I’m sorry. I don’t want you to drown. I’m just so angry and I can’t. I can’t, Fancy!”
“I know. It’s alright.”
“It’s not alright! Nothing about this is alright! I don’t want forgiveness!” Fleur seethed as she covered her face. “I hate you! I can't even begin to forgive you!”
Fleur pressed into her hooves and fur, muffling her shrill screams into her hooves, crying for relief. After letting it all out, the exhausted pony looked back up towards the pony she despised more than anything in the world with a shard of fragile hope. “I hate you so much right now, but… but can I have a hug? Please?”
Fancy barely managed to extend his leg before Fleur rushed in and buried her face in his chest. He felt his fur dampen from her cries as she both hugged him and punched her hoof into his side. It didn’t matter whether it was from her frustration or relief, hatred or love, or anything else that was roiling within her, Fancy simply held his sister close, letting her unleash everything that had built up over the years of pushing them away.
Fleur fell asleep leaning against her estranged brother, her day of searching for Vinyl finally catching up with her. Fancy kept a tight hold of her, despite the bruises from her lashing out. The dull ache of the young mare’s gentle rise and fall against them was nothing compared to how twenty wasted years felt pushing her away. Still, he couldn’t stay there forever. Not when he’d made a promise. Athena couldn’t fit up the pony-sized staircase, but she was able to hoist Fleur up to the second floor, letting Celestia carry her the rest of the way to bed.
After saying their goodbyes, the three guests left de Lune for the night out the back door and started heading out. They didn’t make it far out of the door before being given a few bags of leftover bread from Éclair and the promise that Fancy would come up with something to help Vinyl.
“Even a day old, Éclair’s pastries are simply divine,” Celestia praised as she bit down on a macaron. As she chewed, she flashed with light, whisking her horn away as she became Sunny Skies once more. “I wish you would’ve sorted all this out ages ago, Fancy Pants. Dignitaries would be crawling over themselves to meetings if she was catering more of them.”
Fancy sighed to himself. He’d promised everyone he’d fix this, but he wasn’t sure how he was going to swing that. Upper Crust was cunning, ruthless, and always prepared. Showing up to her door and asking for Vinyl would be even less effective than Fleur’s more hooves-on approach.
Athena huffed and crossed her arms. “Is now really the time for jokes like that?”
“Now’s the perfect time to lighten the mood.” Sunny said as she popped a green one from the bag tucked under her good wing. Satisfied with her selection, she smirked and looked up at the towering minotaur. “Or perhaps you’re suggesting it was in poor taste?”
“This is serious, your highness!”
“Doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun now, does it?” she asked, wiggling in delight from the food and unfortunately forgetting the extra slack in her sling. Her bad wing flopped lifelessly out of the bundle, unfurling itself on the ground next to her in all of its threadbare glory. “Oops.”
Athena covered her mouth and somehow paled seeing the sickly appendage barely hanging off the pegasus.
Sunny chuckled nervously at the sight of the frightened minotaur. “Sorry about that, could you get that for me—”
“Are you okay? Does it hurt?” Athena panicked as knelt down trying to figure out what to do. “Is this why you look like Luna did on Hearth’s Warming?”
The disguised alicorn was slightly taken aback by the sweet gesture. “No. I’ve had this for longer than Equestria has existed. And what do you mean about Luna looking like me?” the overprotective sister asked.
“Oh!” Athena’s mouth tightened at the question and she averted her eyes from the pegasus. “Well, you know. Your mane is not all wispy and you look less princess-y, I guess? Are you alright? Can I help?”
The minotaur’s warm concern gave Sunny pause as she watched the timid monster nearly reach for the wing several times, unsure of where to grab it from. She nibbled on her fingers trying to figure out what she should do before Fancy scooped it up with his magic.
“I see your magic is still stable after all of this, Fancy.”
“Fortunate for us both,” he said as he carefully folded the wing back into place and tightened the sling back up in one smooth, magical movement. “I know things have been strained recently, but I appreciate you giving me your guidance this evening. I just hope I can figure out something before it’s too late.”
Sunny shook her head. “I think I’d rather thank you for allowing a withered old mare like me to tag along. You have a good family that’s worth fighting for, Fancy Pants. I’m sure if you all put your heads together, you’ll figure this out. I didn’t call you my most capable envoy without reason.” She sighed as she adjusted her sling. “Now, it’s very late. I should return to the castle before they wonder where I’ve run off to. Breaking out isn’t very model behavior.”
“It’s not like that, Celestia,” Fancy corrected. “You’re free to go to and from the castle as you please.”
“I know I am. Outside of petrification, there is no prison in existence that could hope to contain me,” the almighty mare scoffed with a sad smile.
“That may be true, but even if we could, Luna doesn’t want you locked away. She wants you to get help, to get better, and to be better. And I wholeheartedly agree with her.” Despite the sheer exhaustion and lingering anxiety still weighing in the back of his mind, he managed to find a genuine smile for his former highness. “I like to think that the world is a lot brighter when you’re at your best.”
Sunny laughed and took a deep breath as she reached a hoof to Fancy’s head. “To think, I passed up the opportunity to have you as a stepson.” Sunny tilted Fancy’s head down and kissed him on the forehead. She bit her lip as she drew back. “It may take a lifetime, but please, I beg of you, don’t give up on me.”
“Umm…” Athena chimed in, raising her hand between them to be called upon. “Did I miss something really important?”
Sunny smiled back at the kind creature. “Actually, Miss Cypriel? I know it’s past our bedtimes, but would you mind coming back to the castle with me? My sister could use a friendly face like yours right now. She’s recently had a lot thrust onto her plate because of me.”
“Y-yes, your majesty!” she answered without hesitation as she stood up straight and saluted. After a few seconds, she thought about what she said and waved her hands. “Wait, no! I mean, no, your highness, ma’am!” Athena paused again as her mouth strained under the pressure. She tapped her forefingers together as she shrank back. “Which one ends up with me going with you to see Luna?”
Sunny couldn’t help but laugh at the timid giant’s flustered antics. “That sentiment will more than suffice. And it’s just Celestia now, or rather Sunny when I’m like this.”
“Okay. Lead the way, umm… Sunny?” Athena swept with her hand, pointing gently out of the alleyway towards the castle as she would for seating a guest at the Labyrithyum.
Sunny nodded and took a step forward towards the street. “So, Miss Cypriel, I’ve noticed you’re rather close to my sister,” she remarked slyly.
“What?” the mousy minotaur squeaked.
Fancy smiled to himself as the two left. Mulling over Celestia’s parting words, perhaps she was right to expand his scope. If he wasn’t enough by himself, he still had plenty of others that wanted to get Vinyl back to her true home. With that, he turned back around and knocked once more on the door, hoping his stepmother would allow him to crash on the couch for the night.
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!
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In a sense.
This feels excessive.
That much, I can believe. Celestia has some serious PTSD she needs to work through.
Well, unfucking Vinyl's mental state would be nice.
Yup.
Still apt.
Be that as it may, such a thing is very difficult to prove in a court of law. Much as I would take great pleasure in seeing Athena legally dismantle Upper Crust.
That is VERY much the problem. The list of things that could stand in her way and not immediately melt/burn is VERY short.
That roughly translates to "Be silent".
You have experience. I suspect the confrontation with Nightmare Moon left far more than physical scars.
Ah , Fancy, you have your work cut out for you, but thankfully even if they resent you, the ones that love you will still be by your side... and Vinyl's.
You know, with all this Chaos happening in Canterlot I'm suprised a certain creature of Chaos hasn't shown up to watch the fun.
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Meanwhile, in the Turned-Into-a-Statue Club:
derpicdn.net/img/2023/9/10/3198229/full.jpg
I have to say, I'm really digging this "only recently reformed big bad" Celestia we get to see this chapter. She simultaneously is angry that her plans failed, believes that what she did was worth it, is a bit flippant about her power (even reduced) and what she's done, knows that it wasn't necessary and was wrong, is hopeful that she can get the help she needs, and still is on some level the experienced statesmare/diplomat/planmaker that she was before everything came to light. With her mask thoroughly shattered, we get to see all of those aspects of her character in full force instead of the mere glimpses we got when her mask would slip.
These lines got a real laugh out of me, but they also illustrate how for all of Celestia's manipulations throughout the centuries, she could never determine who someone loved for them. Not Fancy Pants, not Sauna Summers, and not Luna.
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This was very fun to research for legal accuracy.
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We'll just have to see if he can come up with something. Drama!
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You really don't want Silent-verse Discord to be free.
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I'm glad you enjoyed it. I know she's been a very divisive character in this fic, especially for those that didnt read the prequels or pay close attention to her. Pretty sure the more recent dislikes are from that, so thanks for letting me know.
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Very good point, If three little fillies having a "yuh huh/nuh uh" fight are enough to break him free, I can't believe that all the aristocracy and certain unnamed idiots aren't enough. That said, perhaps it's a "flavor preference" thing. Discord as we know him lives for fun and shenanigans (at least as he views things). The deliberately cruel manipulation and destructive dominance games probably don't "taste good".
Seeing Fleur nearly decapitate Fancy was a sizeable dose of "daaay um" with a side of "holy sheep filly".
I have a younger brother so we've had our fights, and I've said and done things I regret, but yeah Fancy definitely deserved those rebukes. At least we can rest reasonably assured that her death wish was spoken out of emotional pain not deliberate desire.