Tall Tale of Sweet Sauce

by Starscribe

Chapter 20

Luna took Sweet across the palace, and up her vast tower to her private quarters. "There's no reason we should have to be so covert about the whole process," she explained as soon as they stepped inside.

There was no longer any royal escort, just the two of them walking together. But why should anypony expect guards leading around a little colt who didn't even have a horn? If a Princess of Equestria couldn't handle such a minor threat, the whole nation had bigger things to worry about.

"But I fear what Celestia might do if we come at this from an oblique angle. She has already dismissed you several times, including once at so public a venue as the feast below us. We must consider her pride, both public and personal."

Sweet followed her into a sprawling gallery. It was decorated in nearly the same style as he remembered from their younger years—maps of the stars and constellations on the wall, prominent place for a telescope in the center. This one was a modern design, with a mirror wider than his whole body. But it was the same fundamental principle.

There were other modern additions too—a record player off against one wall, and shelves of vinyl. The colorful sleeves suggested a taste far removed from the dignified waltzes and other public performances.

"I don't know why she would lie at all," he whispered, taking it all in. It was probably just the strangeness of his body, but he wanted to rush right into the middle of it all and start playing with it. What kinds of amazing things could he see with a telescope that size? Were any of those records Vinyl's albums?

Only exhaustion helped him resist. His last day had drained him enough that even staying awake took conscious effort. His stupid body cursed him again.

"Like, so she thinks I'm a danger to Equestria. If she thinks I'm a sociopath who will continue my dark experiments, letting me go doesn't help. I would just... set up an evil lair somewhere, foalnap some helpless ponies, and cause more pain than I already did. If I stayed quiet enough, I might actually manage to create a Worldgate of my own! Imagine what terrors I could bring through!"

Luna made her way to the wide picture-window, and pulled the curtains closed. "I do not think that she entertained such a thing. Celestia has always been alert to potential threats, even if her strategies for resolving them are ultimately—ill-proportioned."

He followed her to the window, but couldn't reach it to see what she was looking at. Not without jumping all the way up onto a side-table. The fine wood was probably worth more than some houses, and not made for such treatment. He didn't care.

"So the other option—she doesn't think I'm a threat. In that case, why lie? There's no reason to keep telling everyone I don't exist, and turn me down every time I try to talk to her."

"Isn't there?" Luna reached over with one wing, resting it on his shoulder. Her expression was so calm, almost pitying. "You make the same mistake as so many of our little ponies. Alicorns might be ageless, but we are not gods. Have you stopped to consider how Celestia feels?"

The question was so obvious. He wanted to snap back angrily—but it would be a lie. He had considered the logic of Celestia's position, but nothing beyond "she hates me."

Luna lifted her wing. "We were both... hurt, beyond words. My experience has given me a degree of nuance—only by becoming a terror unto myself was I able to comprehend its impact.

"I know how you feel," she whispered, gently. "I know how much it hurts. My crimes were not as personal as yours, but they were more severe. I understand how you feel, as Celestia never could."

He wilted. His face burned with tears all over again, making his voice unsteady. It cracked like a child—which made sense. How else would he sound? "When is it enough? How much pain do I have to feel, before I can forgive myself?"

"I... don't know." She patted him with one hoof. "Some nights I still hear the screams. Sometimes I still see her reflection in the mirror. I remember what it felt like, to be willing to condemn Equestria to eternal night. I do not know when I will have suffered the same measure as I inflicted...

"But I know you have reached the same destination I did."

"How?" he stammered. There were tears all over again. But this was why he had come—if he wanted to hide, he could've stayed on Earth.

"Because you are here," she answered. "Our sister has tried several times to send you away, to let you fade into the background. All you had to do was turn around and walk away, and you could've done anything you liked. Reformed or not, repentant or not, Celestia could not even bring herself to watch. She does not wish to face you."

She hugged him. That made him feel smaller and more useless than ever—he didn't care. Luna understood, in ways that words alone could not express.

He wasn't even sure how long he cried. Not quite so long as his centuries-long banishment, but close.

Eventually he stopped, and Luna let him go. "Time has not entirely closed the wound for our older sister, Tellus. This is why she hoped for you to simply fade, rather than confronting you directly. The truth of your reformation is undeniable. But to see that requires more of her than it does of you. She must forgive."

"I expected you both to hate me," he said. "Forever. I know I don't deserve any kind of redemption—I never thought you would take me back."

"I don't know... if she is willing to forgive," Luna eventually said. "We have a choice before us now, little brother. Or—you have a choice. I could not decide on your behalf."

He looked up, silent. He had spoken enough in his old life, now it was time to listen. "You could take the opportunity Celestia offers and fade from her life. You would be free to pursue whatever future you wish from Equestria. I would see you—but only so quietly as not to provoke a scandal. Maybe with proper study and the concentration of magical power, you could regain your status. All the better if you went abroad. Equestria has many allies who lack anything like the power of our Alicorns. The kirins, hippogriffs, or changelings would be thrilled with somepony like you. I would help you in any way I could. In time, I'm sure you would find happiness."

It was a tempting offer. Practically speaking, there was little different from some of the ways he imagined this confrontation. Not accepted back into the family, but free to live a new life, without the burden of his banishment or fear of recapture.

Becoming an Alicorn again would be a challenge without the help of one who already had that power. But he already understood the principle—it would just be a matter of gathering the voltage.

A century ago, he would've taken the bargain without a second thought. Ostracism from the family, but freedom to regain his proper place. More importantly, it meant life in Equestria again, and not being banished to some distant wasteland.

It was tempting, but the longer he thought about it, the less enamored he became. It didn't really mean life in Equestria, unless he was content to hide the truth about himself. He could not remain an Alicorn in the open, or else be forced to confront Celestia. Unresolved, she might treat him like another of Equestria's ancient enemies, and banish him all over again.

He would have to leave, and live around other creatures. Half-dragons, half-griffons, or whatever the heck a changeling was.

They might all be wonderful, but they weren't the reason he came back. "I won't take that option," he said. "I didn't gather magic for a century only to come right back into hiding. Your forgiveness means—well, not more than you know. You know exactly how much it means. But I have to face her."

"It could mean—a much worse outcome," she said. "She could banish you again, she could lock you in the dungeons for the rest of your life. If you step out of my shadow, you will be at her mercy."

He hopped down off the little table. "I know. I knew all that could happen from the beginning, Luna. I came anyway."

She nodded grimly. "I suspected you would say so. Yet I had to offer, or else I would have to carry the guilt of the consequences. Would you like to hear my plan?"

He listened carefully. It was good, much better than anything he'd come up with on his own. It wouldn't even keep him waiting that long.

A single night's sleep in Luna's tower, most of the day occupying his time with her books and records, and the moment had arrived.

The royal sisters had two private meals together each week. Only there were the important matters of state barred topics of conversation, royal guests of various offices and departments banned guests. It was a time for family, to keep their relationship strong even when their domains meant they rarely encountered each other.

Luna brought him to a quiet antechamber, connected directly to their private dining room. There he would wait, until it was time for her to set their plan in motion.

It wasn't empty, either.

Vinyl and Octavia rose to their hooves as he entered. He expected mostly just anger from the two of them. Surely an adopted foal was only worth so much pain, and at some point they would just be letting him go.

He expected that coldness, and a quiet admission that they couldn't handle him anymore. But what he saw was... pain.

Vinyl embraced him, then Octavia. Neither said anything at first, just stared over his shoulder at the moon princess, waiting in the doorway.

"Remain quiet until I call for you," she said, horn glowing. "Our older sister will respond best after her favorite meal and some dessert."

She clicked the door shut without another word, leaving the three of them alone in the little windowless room.

"So," Sweet whispered, staring up at them both. "Guess you... got Luna's letter, huh?"

Octavia nodded. "When Vinyl told me of what transpired last night, I could scarcely believe it. I would not, if the words had come from another's lips."

He remained still, resting on his haunches. He couldn't get too loud, Celestia would arrive at any moment. "I wouldn't either, probably," he said. "I tried to tell you—but I know why you didn't believe me."

"We should have listened," Vinyl said. "Everypony was telling us how much trouble you are. But there were signs they should've seen. You knew so much—magic, history—all of it."

He grinned weakly. "Thank you for... coming. It means a lot that you would help me. You didn't deserve such a huge... stack of problems to deal with."

Octavia waved a dismissive hoof, then embraced him again. "Of course, sweetheart. I know we've only cared for you for a short time, so you have no reason to take us at our word. But we promise to be better listeners from here on. When we return to Ponyville, you'll have the attention you deserve."

His mouth fell open. After all this, they were still willing to care for him? Yet he barely knew what to think. The next hour would decide his entire future, brief or long.

He only nodded tearfully. There was no time to reply, because Celestia's voice spoke from through the door. Their meal had begun.

All he could do now was wait.

Comments

[Bronycommander]

wait and hope for the best

[Thranx]

"Like, so she thinks I'm a danger to Equestria. If she thinks I'm a sociopath who will continue my dark experiments, letting me go doesn't help. I would just... set up an evil lair somewhere, foalnap some helpless ponies, and cause more pain than I already did. If I stayed quiet enough, I might actually manage to create a Worldgate of my own! Imagine what terrors I could bring through!"

Could he be referencing his past actions that got him banished in the first place? Unethical, cruel and unmonitored research?

[TheCommunistDog]

Oh boy that new Mexico place sure seems like a hell hole...

[Teikan]

that's how he feels about it. I thought he, like the moon, could not stand living in the shadows when your existence was not noticed/ignored/denied, so much so that death seemed better to him

[FanOfMostEverything]

We must consider her pride, both public and personal.

You know it’s bad when Luna is the member of a pair who’s paying more mind to political implications.

Celestia has always been alert to potential threats, even if her strategies for resolving them are ultimately—ill-proportioned.

“The end of life as we know it? This will make a marvelous friendship lesson for Twilight!”

Ah. I never really considered that Celestia might be trying to push Sweet away because she didn’t know how to deal with his return emotionally… though that still doesn’t explain all the ponies who seem to hear static every time he opens his mouth.

Half-dragons, half-griffons, or whatever the heck a changeling was.

Interesting tidbit there. I guess Chrysalis was a relatively recent development.

I didn't gather magic for a century only to come right back into hiding

Ah. That explains some of Sweet’s struggle to get with the times, assuming he didn’t spend several centuries wallowing in a funk before that.

"We should have listened," Vinyl said. "Everypony was telling us how much trouble you are. But there were signs they should've seen. You knew so much—magic, history—all of it."

Yeah! You really should have! They really should have! You’d think a town with the Cutie Mark Crusaders would know not to underestimate foals.

But that’s a matter for later. For now, the sun’s judgement awaits.

[Dark starlight]

Oh boy time for Thanksgiving reunions

[Maulet Paya]

This fic is resurrectin like a phoenix

[Eroraf86]

11342272
The sun's judgement of Tellus? Or the sun's judgement by the readers?

[FanOfMostEverything]

11342353
It can be both.

[Asolem2]

Let's see what happens

[Munro]

feelses

[Farnham]

I'm so happy the story is going in this direction.
I was worried there for a second.

[FridayPie]

11342336
I dunno why people are hating rather realistic reaction of characters. I guess that's just expession of rage at real-life analog of that behaviour.

[chillingallday]

read the whole thing in a day

[Ryiah]

11343188

I dunno why people are hating rather realistic reaction of characters.

The frustration that people had been expressing for more than a dozen chapters is precisely because it took more than a dozen chapters.

[FridayPie]

11345756
It took almost 30 years for me

[Teikan]

11342272
why did they have to hear ?