My Classmate's Mom can beat up everyone's moms!
Wallflower never disliked museums. She wasn’t an art buff by any means, but the idea that everyone has to be quietly admiring things and nobody needs to talk loudly was highly appealing for her.
On school field trips, she’d find the quietest exhibit, and stay there until it was time to go– It was often as rewarding artistically as it was antisocially.
Tonight, however, was a bit different.
To this human-turned pony… Equestria felt like a colossal, even better museum.
And with her newfound knowledge of her very own ‘Wallflower powers’, she was uniquely relaxed in such a strange new world. She was barely noticed, which made her a perfect spectator.
Her first stop was just gawking at the interiors of Twilight’s castle, nearly entirely deserted at this hour.
The only inhabitant she found was a sleeping baby dragon on a pink apron– But she did not even consider messing with a dragon, baby or otherwise. She simply ventured around, exploring the strange crystal halls of this odd bastion of Friendship.
Her second stop was Ponyville. There were very few ponies awake at this hour, and yet, she found the town quite captivating, like something out of a fantasy book or a western movie that is significantly more soft.
At this late hour, at best there were a few ponies dining together and still making noises of reunion inside their homes– She was especially surprised by the carousel-shaped building, and the joy noises coming from within.
Her third stop was the train station of the town– Upon which she saw very few ponies waiting for their final ride of the night, after all, it was nearly deserted. And beyond it, an enormous dark forest– But strangely, she did not feel scared of it at all.
She didn’t bother talking to a conductor, she simply read the timetables quietly, and figured out the simple direction of her next step: The city of Canterlot was the one she and Sunset had been earlier that day. That was where she was going.
The final train of the night heading towards the city stopped by the station, so she hopped in without buying a ticket, and neither station managers nor conductors noticed.
When she sat by a window seat in a train occupied only by herself, a sleeping pony, and a mother with a child, she kept her eyes glued to the window.
Wallflower didn’t understand much about geography, but even she could tell that she was a long way from water, and that it was only going to get more elevated from here.
The stars in the sky were gorgeous, as were their constellations- Incredibly small villages flickered in the horizon, and the lights of Canterlot seemed ethereal for someone that had only been there during the day.
She didn’t even notice the conductor passing by her– And not only did he not see her there, but he did not ask her for a ticket.
And here was her next step– The majestic city of Canterlot. She stepped out of the train and onto the station without even once being questioned by a conductor or a guard, and onto the streets she went.
There was a bit more bustle here compared to Ponyville. Businesses were closed, yes, but some restaurants were still functioning, and the sound of laughter was frequent, as was the occasional music.
There were couples going on nightly walks by beautiful parks or canals, there were walls adorned with flowers, and the facades of buildings were utterly captivating, lit by their nightly lampposts.
If doors were open, she would sometimes enter the buildings out of curiosity.
She found herself in a large library, with barely any current residents, apart from an old mare behind the counter getting ready for closing hours, and a unicorn with glasses doing some studying in one of the tables.
She entered some kind of fashion boutique, where a tall unicorn was explaining the intricacies of a dress to a small crowd of interested customers.
She entered a restaurant that was quite near closing, with the owners having casual conversations with the last customers as they ate. With quick unflinching movements, she grabbed a piece of the food that was near finished, and left. No one noticed her, despite her nearly dropping the plate with her clumsy mouth stuffed on it with no assistance from hands.
It was some form of strange pony version of fries. She found it odd how her palate accepted it so well, and her stomach didn’t complain, despite the odd taste. It was well seasoned, at least.
In several of those places she visited, the ponies were having idle nightly chatter– But more than once did she hear them discussing the Cozy Glow case.
She even passed by newspapers on a stand depicting images of the trial and going into detail of the day in question– It seemed like it was polarizing.
Some were horrified at the prospect of the Canterlot elite being capable of this level of punishment over a child no less, and others were in support of another great villain of Equestria being locked away.
And finally… She made it to the palace.
It was imposing, and yet, absolutely gorgeously lit by well placed torches and lamps all around its outer wall.
And now there was a new problem for her. An actual wall. She could sneak by as many open doors as she could– But a closed gate was another problem entirely.
She stood behind a few bushes studying the problem. Several guards standing semi-vigilantly, while having casual conversations before the gate. No easy entryway, everything was closed.
Sure, she was confident in her new capabilities, but not confident enough to try pick-pocketing someone for their keys– least of all a pony. What was she going to do, use her teeth?
She was about to turn around and continue exploring the city, until a solution suddenly presented itself before her.
A small opening on the large gates manifested, and a few guards arrived for a shift exchange. An open door!
With a silent, and hurried ‘excuse me’, she snuck past the guards before the door closed, them being none the wiser of her presence.
With a snicker, she smiled confidently, making her way into the inner perimeter of the palace.
The gardens made her gasp. She was a lover of plants and organized gardening, but this was something else entirely– it was a collective effort from professionals to make a visual marvel, a visual statement.
Enormous trees were fashioned into sculptures of leaves and flowers shaped like ponies in flight.
Beautiful orchids and flowers accompanied every lamppost, every single little nook. Every path was clear, and yet, accompanied by another marvel.
She found herself a bit lost, looking at every plaque with a plant’s name, moving from one to the other, wondering if she would find names similar to the ones in her world– and yet the plants all seemed to be different, no matter how familiar.
In her excitement, she accidentally ran into a green earth pony gardener with her exact height and build– Both gave quick apologies and kept moving in opposite directions, forgetting each other just as soon as they were no longer in sight.
After she was satisfied with her tour, she finally decided to step into the palace. The garden would be much easier and fun to explore during the day, after all.
It was impossible not to gasp at the sight of this enormous bastion from the inside.
The architecture, the paintings, the columns, the banners, even something as simple as candles or lamps were incredibly decorated with gold and steel that shined in ways she couldn't have ever dreamed of.
Her steps echoed slightly in the halls, and she didn’t mind. On occasion, guards or workers would pass by, and none of them would notice her.
She would occasionally peek on open doors, seeing unicorns and other ponies working on late hours.
She had to stifle giggles when she saw a large painting of Celestia with a significantly younger Sunset– The painting was only hung up recently, but it seemed a bit old, a decade, maybe.
In it, the Princess was smiling proudly and calmly, while a much younger Sunset was making a silly face, and was only kept in frame by the alicorn’s wing.
Moving on, Wallflower was drawn by the scent of smoke– Not of a fire, but of something else.
She entered a large comfortable room that seemed to be someone’s quarters, with a sizable balcony that had a gorgeous view of the Canterlot skyline to boot.
In it, two older mares were passing a cigar back and forth– And Wallflower was surprised that the smoke did not smell atrocious like human cigars. She took a wild guess that it was pony weed or something of the sort– But she had no basis for this.
“A child. I still can’t get over it. A child.” One of the old mares, a unicorn with glasses and hair on a bun, took a puff from the cigar, with an exhausted look on her face. “A fucking child. …Pardon my cursing.”
“We are off the clock.” The other mare, an earth pony dressed in a suit and with a short blonde mane shook her head. “You could curse Celestia for all I care– What happens here stays here, Raven.”
A short, dry chuckle escaped the unicorn, but her expression turned to disappointment soon after, as she passed the blunt to her friend. “I wouldn’t curse Celestia. It’s not her fault– What is she going to do, string up all these elite pricks that want to abuse the system? Go scorched earth? Sheesh.” She let out a groan, turning to the city skyline. “We have functioning prisons and reformation facilities– But those fuckers with their tabloids and status want to make a statement.”
“A statement, eh?” She took a long puff, but kept the cigar on her lips– It was quite difficult to hold it with hooves. “Pray tell.”
“‘If you mess with us, no matter who you are– Even a child– We can send you underground to a prison made for beasts and gods and ancient beings. Because we can’.” The unicorn grimaced, sighing bitterly. “It’s bad, Harsh. It’s really bad.”
“Scorched earth?” The earth pony teased, raising an eyebrow.
“Scorched Earth.” The unicorn leaned forward, before taking the blunt with her mouth– Their lips grazing, and neither caring, as if they had done this many times before.
Wallflower suddenly realised that she should probably not be watching this. But also, she absolutely was watching this.
“For the record–” The suited mare leaned on the railing, with a slight grin. “Off the record, of course… Earth Ponies would never banish a child to hell. I am just saying. Pegasi, maybe. Unicorns, definitely, as is displayed here. But Earth Ponies?”
The bespectacled mare had to hold her blunt with magic so as to giggle and puff out smoke. “Y-yes, yes, I get it, heheh… I get it. This is absolutely a Canterlot elite problem. I’m fairly certain no other creature would be this callous.”
“Oh, I've seen what happens when Griffons lose in semifinals.” The Earth Pony joked casually. “It is not pretty.”
Again, the Unicorn had to snicker, and the Earth Pony took her chance to snatch the blunt from the air, from her magic.
“So… What will Celestia do? Is she going scorched earth after all?” She leaned on the railing. “After the pompous corruption and overreach of power that shouldn't be in the elite's hands– I think she should.”
“Tonight, she is not doing anything– And I don’t blame her. Her daughter’s visiting, and she wants to have some semblance of normalcy.” The aide exhaled, looking out into the Canterlot skyline.
“Normalcy? Here?” The other mare giggled tiredly, shaking her head. “...Little Shimmer is visiting, eh? That’s lovely– For her, of course. I, for one, will not tempt such forces.”
“Oh, Sunset was never that bad… And she’s much better now, too.” A proud little smile manifested on the unicorn’s lips. “You should greet her tomorrow. She really has changed.”
“I will take your word for it.” The Earth Pony shrugged with a smile. “So… What will be done about all this?”
“The Princess of the Sun is incredibly proficient at hiding her anger and displeasement. Know this: If Celestia doesn’t string Neighsay up, somepony will.” The unicorn took another drag before puffing out smoke with an exhale. “I just hope it happens before he does anymore damage– He or anypony else in these stupid courts.”
“Due process. I respect that. Even if it’s necessarily violent, on rare occasions.” The Earth Pony grinned slightly. “...Does she not have a plan?”
“She’s delegating. Things are in motion.” With an exhausted inhale, the unicorn closed her eyes. “And if one plan doesn’t work, another will take its place. Come hell or high water.”
“Hell, indeed.” Coming closer, the Earth Pony warmed her friend up with a nuzzle. “I’m tired… Long day. I’m turning in, what about you…?”
“Give me a few more minutes, I…” She narrowed her eyes, looking at the interior of her quarters. “...Did you leave the door open?”
“Oh? It appears I did.” With a shrug, the Earth Pony stepped forward, approaching the entrance to the room.
Wallflower panicked, and scurried out of the room as fast and as quietly as she could before the door was closed, potentially locking her in a room with two inebriated old mares that might be about to share a single bed.
She breathed heavily, and shook herself off, looking for her next destination.
Wandering wasn’t exactly useful, but she figured the higher up she was, the bigger the chance she was heading the right way... Maybe. She had no actual idea.
And once again, she got lucky, as she could smell food being prepared nearby. She followed the scent cautiously, and arrived at a fancy, very high quality kitchen– Even by pony standards this seemed to be quite incredible.
Very few chefs were still working, some were simply tidying up– But she saw her next directive– One pushing a cart full of food trays, jackpot.
She followed the cart at a distance, keeping an eye on her surroundings– Every turn they made, every antechamber they passed by, just made her realise how she would have NEVER found her way on her own.
Another few twists and turns later, and the pony pushing the tray arrived at a large set of doors, and opened them swiftly– Wallflower barely inched inside before they closed.
“Last order of the night, your majesty.” The chef nodded with a proud smile. “Dessert, for when you are finished with your meal.”
The three other inhabitants of the room thanked the waiter as they enjoyed the food at the table, and he left with a bow.
Wallflower scanned the room. There was an enormous table that had been separated into a small, but still quite sizable one with many different foods already opened and spread out across it.
On the head of the table sat Princess Celestia, who smiled proudly. With her back turned to the human-turned pony was Sunset Shimmer, and the Princess of Friendship sat opposite to her, not noticing Wallflower in the corner altogether.
It was a quiet sort of lively– the three inhabitants of the table seemed to be enjoying themselves.
“...And then we were just sitting in a white room the whole time. Honestly, I should have figured it out, it was just like. There. But in my defense, why would there be a featureless white room in a theme park? And we’ve even been trapped inside a featureless magical void before.” Sunset snickered, and the other mares laughed along.
“Oh gosh– That day Starlight visited you, right? She told me all about it! What a mess–” Twilight snickered. “Everything turned out alright after, though, right?”
“Yep! Wasn’t so bad. We ganged up on Vignette, stopped her before she did anything really bad– Rarity and Applejack really stepped up. That day was their victory, through and through.” Sunset spoke proudly, pausing to take a swig from the drink she had– And throwing another grape in her mouth for good measure. “Thankfully we took care of it without any property damage, and we got to enjoy the rest of our day in the park!”
“I am so proud of you…!” Celestia smiled widely, suppressing pleased laughter. “You have really grown into a fine leader, Sunset… And it sets me at ease that the challenges you’ve faced have not brought you down.”
“After a while, it gets easier, you know?” She gave her mother a genuine smile, and let out a pleased sigh. “I keep getting back up... And my friends are there to make up for the difference.”
“G-gosh…!” Twilight regarded her with adoration. “...Don’t you ever panic? Feel unsure? D-don’t you ever not have a plan in mind to deal with a problem when it’s right in front of you?”
Sunset shrugged, letting out a casual snicker. “I don’t know what to tell you. Sure, I've fallen and wondered if there was no way out before. But if the odds are stacked against me, I usually just get angry and fight back harder. I keep a poker face during danger, and delegate when I need to… Even if it means working with Trixie, of all people.”
“A poker face?” Celestia tilted her head in amusement. “Is that a human expression?”
“Oh yeah! It’s actually something I kind of got from you.” Sunset pointed at her in amusement. “You know when there’s a mythical beast or some bad guy monologuing, and you’re standing there frowning, completely focussed, kind of with a glare?”
“Ohhh I know what you mean!” Twilight giggled, nodding along. “She gets super serious, and her voice gets all grave and full of weight! And she makes that face–” She attempted to mimic the expression of stoic determination.
Celestia had to suppress a smile– Even if the conversation was at her expense, it was still amusing. “I… Do that?”
“Yeah yeah, just like that!” The unicorn pointed at the princess of Friendship, and then imitated the glare of dominion. “You stare the bad guys down as they monologue and charge forward when they think they’re at their most powerful. In other words– Game face on.”
“Oh dear. Maybe I do do that. There are quite a few human expressions I ought to get acquainted with, heheh…” The Princess of the sun agreed, as soon as she saw her daughter imitate the expression, with a quiet chuckle. “Must be a habit from my old days…”
“I’m sure that in a thousand years, at least ONE bad guy you faced has soiled themselves seeing you make that face.” Sunset amused herself, taking another swig of her drink. “Like, c’mon. Alicorn of the sun, landing right next to them like a meteor.”
Snickering with embarrassment, Twilight shook her head, taking a drink herself. “Oof, I could never do that myself– Intimidation just isn’t my style, haha…!”
“It’s your face. You’ve got those cute big shiny eyes.” Sunset teased. “And c’mon, Princess of Friendship? Don’t get me wrong, you earned it, but if you’re gonna make your enemies be intimidated, you’ve gotta have a more impactful title. Not ‘Princess of Asskicking’ though, I’m copyrighting that.”
“Copyrighting?” Celestia snickered. “A human thing, perhaps? What’s that? ”
“It’s stupid.” Sunset explained. “So, how about we have dessert?”
Nodding calmly, the Princess of the sun pointed at a corner of the room. “Of course– But it seems your friend has already begun feasting.”
The two other mares turned to see Wallflower crouched on the floor eating a pudding from a half-spilled plate she had taken from the tray cart when she had arrived– And a few other sweets had collapsed with her clumsy movements.
“B-BLUSH?? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE??”
“Hey, is that your green friend?! How in the world did she get all the way here…?!”
“M-mom!! Did you see her come in??” Sunset had to turn indignantly, nearly falling off the chair she was on. “Has she been here the whole time??”
“Oh, she arrived a few minutes ago. I figured she was simply shy, and was performing some sort of human custom of eating a host’s dessert without telling anypony on the table.” Celestia shrugged.
The human turned pony nearly choked on her food– It didn’t help that she had little experience eating as a pony, her muzzle entirely peppered with food scraps and her mane already dirty with some of the dishes she had dipped into. “...U-um… You could see me?”
“Yes, Miss Blush.” She tilted her head with a calm smile.
“She’s not supposed to be here.” Sunset groaned, grabbing her friend with magic and bringing her close to the table. “Seriously dude– Explain yourself, you crossed the mirror, why didn’t you just go home? And how the hell did you get all the way up here?”
“I didn’t go home because this is more fun??” She pouted in indignance. “Do you think I’ve ever been to a magical world before, Sunset? Because I haven’t, and I wasn’t gonna waste my weekend back home when this place is a whole lot more interesting, and also I never would have come here if it wasn’t for you asking me, so if you really think about it, it’s kind of your fault–”
Sunset glared at her with a quite familiar expression.
And Wallflower immediately backpedaled. “O-okay. Okay. I didn’t want to intrude in your dinner, but at the same time, I wanted to see if I could, you know? Making my way up here from that ponytown was surprisingly easy, you’ve got no idea, haha…!”
Twilight nodded in understanding. “I see! Her powers are a form of… Projected amnesia! A projected field of anti-memory– A side effect from overuse of the Memory Stone, maybe…? That’s why you choose her to help you steal the Tartarian key! This is fascinating…”
“She’s forgettable, that’s what.” Sunset grumbled, there sighed, composing herself. “...Wallflower, this world isn’t that safe for humans. You could have taken the wrong turn and been eaten by a carnivorous plant or something, or become a Chimera’s scratching post– You really shouldn’t be here unaccompanied.”
“Um, I am accompanied.” The human turned pony grinned, pointing at the unicorn right in front of her. “Right?”
With a resigned nod, Sunset pointed at the table. “...When this is done, I’m taking you back home. I’ve still got to pass by Ponyville tonight, so I’ll drop you off on the way. Promise me you won’t do any stunt like this again.”
“Sure!” She lied with a smile, taking a seat. “...Well, the food here is really nice, and the gardens outside were really beautiful, Principal Celestia. This place is incredible!”
“Thank you– although I am confused, Principal? Are you referring to me as my human counterpart?”
“O-oh, right. You’re a princess here.” Wallflower blushed. “U-um. Yeah. This place is great. Though the ponies are gossiping all over, that’s for sure. News of the kid that was sent to hell is pretty out there– I saw more than a few ponies discussing it on my way over!”
Celestia’s expression softened, replaced with exhaustion and disappointment. “...I love my subjects, but they certainly have an affinity for gossip… And often do not for actual intellectual or critical discussion.”
“Hah! Sounds a lot like humans, too!” The gardener giggled, taking a bite out of what she presumed was some sort of divine royal fruit pastry. “So, there’s no meat on the table, or did you all eat it already?”
“What do you think, dude?!” Sunset gritted her teeth in annoyance.
“Oh. Right. Horses. Hahahahahaaa–” She laughed nervously, trying to change the subject. “...Which reminds me, um, stop me if I’m overstepping, but–”
“--You are.” Sunset narrowed her eyes, muttering quietly. “You were overstepping as soon as you entered this room, Blush.”
“Please, little one…” Celestia let out a royal sigh. “...I don’t mind entertaining your friend from another world’s questions. She deserves to know more about the world you live in, after all.”
“Oh! Oh!” Twilight raised a wing as if a student in a class. “Ask me anything– I’m a regular encyclopedia, right here!”
“Okay, um, so, here’s the thing…!” The human turned pony grimaced awkwardly. “...What the heck is the point of Tartarus? Like. What is it used for, when you’re not locking kids in it…?”
The table went quiet. Sunset was visibly annoyed at her friend’s lack of tact, Twilight was taken aback by the sociopolitical AND mythological question all in one, and Celestia seemed tired.
“It is a realm below ours. It does not function in the same way as this world.” Celestia spoke clinically. “I’m afraid that in all my centuries of living, I have not visited it much– nor have learned much of it outside from certain facts.”
“...Certain facts?”
“That it was not built by us– Certainly not the ponies we know. That it is not a realm for the living– And that its original intentions was not a wide scale prison– But of something else altogether.” Her gaze was far, unfocussed.
“But why is it used as a prison, then?”
“I believe Starswirl began the trend. When it was considered barbaric to simply kill your opponent, you would banish them. He wound up perfecting the art of banishing his foes, evidently.”
“Oh, he really fucking did.” With an annoyed groan, Sunset fiddled with her dessert. “He banished people like it was going out of style– I should know, I’ve fought some of his enemies.”
“Um… Who’s Starswirl?” Wallflower tilted her head.
Twilight nearly jumped out of her seat. “Only one of the most important historical figures in the history of Equestria’s founding– And the most skilled magician of any time!! He’s the father of the amniomorphic spell, and–”
Sunset spoke over her. “He's like if Gandalf was real and kind of an asshole.”
“H-hey!!” Twilight pouted.
“What? I’ve met him, he’s not all that.” Sunset shrugged. “But okay, I won’t insult your role model or my mom’s wrinkly old teacher. Continue, Celestia.”
The Princess of the Sun’s chuckles were short lived, as her expression hardened again when it was her turn to speak. “...Starswirl has gotten more usage out of Tartarus than I ever had in my thousand years of ruling. From my impression, the realm was originally just meant to be where souls traverse through on their way beyond– But it seems our people have turned into something else.”
“...Something else…?”
“Some of it was modified before my time, some of it was modified as I was learning to rule. But much of what is down there, is as how it was since before Equestria was founded.” She closed her eyes, speaking gravely. “And do not let any maps we have of it fool you– it is considered uncharted. We do not know how deep it goes, how far it spreads, or how many chambers it truly has– And above all, we do not know what lies at the bottom. There are no treasures, no archeological discoveries, no wonders– Frankly, the realm is better left alone.”
“Sure, but why not just seal it up, then?” The earth pony tilted her head. “Fill the entrance with cement or something.”
“Oh, if only…” She giggled quietly, looking away. “Sealing it away is not the issue– It’s logistical… And political.”
“Hooboy, politics.” Wallflower sighed in defeat.
Celestia related, sighing as well. “For one, there are several beasts and prisoners locked up down there still. If we were to simply seal the place up, it would be the correct choice to relocate them first– And many prisons up here aren’t necessarily suited to hold these monsters. I believe we would need to return each and all of them to their point of origin, and hope they would not resume a rampage…”
With a cringe, Twilight murmured in worry. “That’s a lot of organizing and preplanning! A lot of these monsters would probably attack anything on sight as soon as they would be let out of their cages, it would be quite the undertaking to relocate them all safely– Aw jeez, what kind of new prison could hold Tirek, of all monsters…? He sure as heck wouldn’t just accept freedom lightly…”
“Indeed, Twilight. And that is before mentioning… Most in the Canterlot elite do not wish for Tartarus to be unavailable for use. In fact, I imagine the average pony is comfortable with its existence.”
“Why would anybody be comfortable with hell existing?” Wallflower grimaced.
“You misunderstand– It’s not hell they are comfortable with– It’s with the idea that there is an inescapable prison that they can send all enemies of Equestria to. That sets a lot of minds at ease… It’s the illusion of safety.”
Wallflower took a few seconds to think, before responding. “Well that’s stupid.”
Sunset couldn't help but let out laughter at that. “There you have it. Ponies aren’t much better than humans after all– Especially unicorns. They’re skittish and they fear what they don’t understand, and wow, the elite of this city sure seems happy that they have a ‘send enemies to hell’ button.”
“Indeed…” Celestia hid her face behind drinking from a glass in shame. “There is unfortunately not much I can do without briefly turning tyrant. But I assure you, I’ve considered it– And am considering it, after the recent events.”
“Aww, c’mon, Princess Celestia…!” Twilight pouted. “I’m sure we’re going to turn this around! You’ll see– When Starlight comes back with Cozy Glow, we’ll be able to sort out what really happened, and maybe we can even take the rest of the system up to task! I know for sure I don’t have much use for Tartarus myself– Other than keeping Tirek down there…”
“Your optimism is wonderful, my pupil…” She smiled warmly. “...But we already know the current one to blame. Chancellor Neighsay is the one that benefited the most out of banishing a child– He should be first to be punished. Then would come any advisor or member of the elite that enabled and supported him, and then any affiliated–” She paused, stifling a giggle.
“Go on, mom. Tell us who we should string up.” Sunset grinned teasingly.
“What I mean is–” She corrected herself. “We already know who is behind this, we just do not know his motives and don’t have a legal means of punishing him or prosecution. Chancellor Neighsay covered his tracks, and is likely planning out his next move as we speak.”
“Neysaywhat?” Wallflower leaned forward curiously.
“He is one of the Canterlot elite. He has a room right here in this castle, in the lower floors– Specifically the second floor, on the northeast wing. Alas, it’s likely he has incriminating evidence there, and that a pony capable of sneaking inside could discover just what he’s planning…” She let out a rehearsed sigh, feigning disinterest. “But I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
“Yep! Doesn’t matter.” Wallflower couldn't help but smile, as she considered where her next heading was.
“Mom, c’mon…” Sunset frowned, seeing through this. “She is not fit for this sort of thing.”
“Have faith in your friends, little one.” She smiled teasingly. “And learn to delegate!” After letting more giggles, Celestia’s expression softened again. “Either way… I have actually banished an enemy or two to Tartarus in my day. And in all those times, it all went the same way…”
“...How so?”
“Even the beasts that could only communicate through nods– They all preferred Tartarus to death. I suppose the choice stemmed from not knowing the true nature of the prison.”
“Oh, gosh… I wonder why…!” Twilight murmured shamefully.
“Because, dear pupil… Being, no matter how excruciating it may be, is better than not being.”
“Y’know, I could have taken a pegasi chariot here alone, mom. You didn’t need to come all the way.” Sunset smiled sheepishly, as they both approached the entrance to Tartarus, having passed by a happy Cerberus, the moon high in the sky.
“After the dinner we’ve had, I hoped for some more alone time. Twilight is sweet, but her surprise intrusion was… Unnecessary.” She stifled a giggle.
“Yeah, I couldn’t say no to her.” Sunset flustered, blowing raspberries. “Wasn’t all bad, though… Right?”
Leaning forward and planting a slow and gentle kiss on Sunset’s forehead, Celestia giggled softly. “...Next time I manage to have dinner with my daughter, I would like to not have to discuss politics at the table.”
“Deal.” She grinned back. “You’ve got plenty of that in your life already.”
“Indeed I do. Now then…” She turned to the enormous doors. “Let us conclude business for the night. You and your friend could both use some rest.”
Nodding, the unicorn stepped forward, and manifested the Tartarian Key.
The lock was still uncovered, so she simply placed the key, and turned.
Cerberus, behind them, sat expectantly, wary, as the ground trembled and the doors opened.
Darkness was within– And nothing else. Quiet as a grave.
Sunset sighed.
And Celestia was quick to comfort her. “...Do not worry. The journey down would take more than an afternoon– They may still be halfway there. You may check the doors again tomorrow at the earliest, if it will set you at ease. But for now… We are done here.”
“...Right, yeah. Right.” Nodding quietly, Sunset turned the key back, and the doors slowly closed, sealing Tartarus once more. “...Let’s just hope they make it.”
“God, what a fucking day.” Sunset groaned as soon as she stepped through the portal, on the dead of night, with CHS right before her. “Alright Blush, off you go.”
Letting out a very real yawn, the gardener didn’t yet move– The punk girl reciprocated the yawn, too.
Wallflower stood there, twiddling her thumbs, looking unassumingly at the mirror than back at Sunset.
“C’mon, Blush, go home– It’s late enough as is!” The redhead groaned. “I don’t want to have to babysit you through Equestria, Celestia only knows that you’ve seem to be very into getting into trouble now…”
“...Yeah, sooooo, speaking of Celestia…” She smiled awkwardly.
“No, Blush. Seriously, I know what she said–”
“I can totally sneak into Neybay’s office or whatever! I could help more with this cool heist! Don’t be a buzzkill!” She pouted. “Besides, it’s not like I have anything else going on during the weekend, and your magical world is right here–”
“--If you keep sneaking around, I can’t promise I’ll be able to protect you.” Uninterested, Sunset fished out her phone. “Holy shit it’s past 3am.” She rubbed her face in exhaustion. “God, I need that royal suite so bad.”
“I could sure use a bit of royal suiting myself! C’mon, let me sleep in a castle, Sunseeeeeet!!” The gardener teased.
“I mean it, Blush. Go home! You’ve done what you could for tonight. I can fill you in on what happened monday.” She commanded without even raising her eyes from her phone.
With a harrumph and a pout, the gardener turned around and headed towards the bushes.
“And don’t just hide in the bushes until I leave! I’m going to check!” Sunset warned.
“You might forgeeeet!” Wallflower replied from the bushes.
With an annoyed groan, Sunset fixed her eyes on her phone for a moment, checking her messages.
SparkleInator9000
Hi hi hiiiiii just checking in, I hope everything went alright. I’m not gonna be super worried because I know you can take care of yourself, but you know… It is HELL we’re talking about. Send me a message when you’re back plz!Also I gotta tell you about the twist at the penultimate episode of Titan Clash when you come back. It’s pretty mind blowing. You’re going to be both pleased and also pissed off. Let’s just say it gets tragically hetero. But in a fun disaster way.
Also Pinkie left some kind of celebration cake by my house since you weren’t home related to us beating Suri earlier today. I will safeguard it until you return, my liege o7
Also I’m worried but I’m going to stop spam texting love u -3-
11:21am
Sunset couldn’t help but let out a snicker, and a sigh of weariness– Wishing she was in bed, preferably with her girlfriend.
Her head tilted instinctively as she heard a semi-loud *plap* on the other side of the statue behind her.
“Blush?” She turned slightly. “...Did you just try to go into the portal from behind?”
“...Noooo!” The embarrassed voice of someone that had just run headfirst into a wall responded from behind the statue.
Rolling her eyes with a smile, Sunset turned to her phone again, and sent a text.
ShimmerNShine
Heya. Sending Wallflower home, so I’m taking this chance to text. Everything went fine so far, we’ll see if they get to rescue the kid or not. I'm alive and well and ok and sexy👍
3:14am
She took a deep breath of the nightly air– it wasn’t as fresh, but at least it was quiet.
SparkleInator9000 is typing…
She blinked, and rapidly texted.
ShimmerNShine
And you’re a really awesome girlfriend that wouldn’t be up at this hour playing video games or binging a tv show so you wouldn’t reply to me at this hour because you’re sleeping and resting well and not worrying about me and I love you.If you reply to this message it means you’re not sleeping and it means that I would have to rescind your title of awesome girlfriend with a good sleeping schedule. I love you. See you tomorrow.
3:15am
She snickered as she saw the text bubble disappear for a moment.
“Checkmate, babe.” She whispered into the night, snickering to herself.
SparkleInator9000
👁️👅👁️
3:15am
Another set of chuckles, as she sent one final ‘I love you, gnight’ text, and locked her phone.
And as soon as she turned, Wallflower was standing right next to her, arms crossed, trying to seem in any way determined, with questionable results. “...I’m going with you.”
“Are you now?” Sunset yawned again, and scratched her face for good measure. “How so?”
“You can stand in front of this statue for as long as you like. Eventually you’ll have to go back in or leave, and then I’ll go in. And we both know you might not notice me passing by you.” Again, she tried being defiant. “So I’ll say again– I’m going with you, and we’re seeing this through, because it’s either this, or I’ll be running around ponyland until monday and you’ll have no idea where I am or if I’ll make it alive back here monday.”
Sunset blinked slowly, trying to hide her exhaustion.
“Oh, and I want a room in the palace. Y-your mom is a princess and a god– You can get me a room. Just for the weekend. But you can get me one.”
“Listen, Wallflower–”
“N-no! You listen– I never get to do stuff like this! I didn’t even know I could contribute to anything before you came along– I get it, you don’t want to worry about your classmate falling on a ditch or something– But consider this my non disclosure agreement signed or whatever– You invited me to help on a magical quest in another dimension, and I want to see it through, because it’s really cool, and I’ve never helped or done anything like this, and the odds of me getting to are–”
“--Fine! You can come.” Sunset raised a hand, halting her. “You’re right, I couldn’t stop you anyway– it’s not like I’m tying you to the CHS garden shed until monday, anyways...”
“YES!!!!” Wallflower hopped up and down with excitement, and even hugged her friend for good measure, who only half-hugged back through how tired she was. “Thank you, thank you, yay!!”
“Alright, alright…!” Sunset let out an incredibly weary sigh, regretting how late she would be sleeping. “...Let’s go raid Neighsay’s office.”
Sooo this chapter would up a little indulgent, lmao. Originally, I wasn't even going to write this, I was going to stop all overworld scenes for a while. But I realized that not only I could explore some lore and character, but also just have some more fun Momlestia moments.
Besides, writing Wallflower being nosy is a good time, hehe. Yes, as she was exploring the Canterlot gardens, she briefly ran into her pony counterpart and didn't even notice-- But that's alright, her pony counterpart didn't, either.
Also, a peek behind the curtain of the Raven and Miss Harshwhinny scene; My thought process when making it was simple. I need characters to be commenting on current events with an unique perspective. Raven, as Celestia's aide, has a unique perspective, thats great. But who is she talking to?
I ran through a few possibilities on my head and realized it was quite plausible for a famous-event organizing gal like Harshwhinny and Raven to know each other and be friends, bonding over professionalism. Then I realized it'd be extra fun, because they could just let a liiiittle bit more loose after hours, showing a fun side to them.
...Then it evolved to them smoking royal pony weed together. Raven definitely would have access to this, and likely used it to relax on occasion. A friend of hers thats close and intimate enough could definitely get in on it.
...And then it evolved into them being friends with benefits because why fucking not, these old mares are already close enough to be smoking pony weed together, might as well. At this point they're just professional about it. Not even dating. If they meet on rare occasions , and are sharing a room, they might as well fuck. Old women yuri. Besides, if theres any relationship Harshwhinny would be official with, it'd probably be with that cutie Chicakee (i dont even know if that's the name of that cute pony gal but oh well)
The visual of Wallflower, who already expressed her little twerp appreciation towards milfs, being witness to THIS was too funny to pass up.
But STILL. MOVING ON.
The dinner scene too was a lot of indulgence. Having these characters just be chilling out and doing family stuff is important. Even if Twilight decided to wriggle her way in out of Celestia adoration and boredom, lol.
Plus, Wallflower's human perspective on Equestrian politics leads to fun conversations.
Also the whole "Celestia glare" Thing is def a thing I kind of made up. I just noticed that 90% of the time in canon, she's impeccably put together and smiling calmly, her regal face of godly calm, so to speak.
I thought it'd be fun to point out how rarely she frowns-- And it's usually when she's got her game face ON.
She is incredibly trained on keeping her anger or frustration within check, so if something is capable of making her frown, it's a big deal. But hey, that's mostly one of my small Celestia headcanons, heheh.
Of course, my biggest headcanon being that she's not an incompetent loser.
Unrelated but there is one character missing from all this, one I havent found aw ay to integrate into this story... And it's Luna
I love Luna, but considering how her duties functions at night, and she personally seems to keep herself uninvolved on the politics of Equestria outside of her figurehead duties... I feel like she'd wash her hands of this.
Don't get me wrong, I like to write her more involved with ruling duties, but I don't think she needs to be on these scenes.
Either way, now Wallflower's got a taste of adventure and new horizons, and she want's more. She's a part of this now, and Sunset isn't gonna stop her without tying her up or something, lol.
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Love it.
bad dog!
Achievement unlocked: Spies like us
Looks like Neighsay is going to be a little harder to pin down, how fitting that it might be an earth pony that does him in pollitically.
Speaking of: the Canterlot elite. I've always head-cannoned that unicorns gave up the duty of moving the sun and moon over to the royal sisters in order to acquire their noble status. Considering the fact they can't grow all the food or control all the weather like their tribal counterparts, they basically had to "buy" their way into relevancy, and manage everything on a macro-scale.
A good parallel would be when Twilight found her place organizing winter wrap-up rather than actively partake in the physical labor. Though I suppose all the unicorns could have simply taken up bird nest crafting if they wanted to.
the implications are freaky..........
legalized marijuana in equestria??? awesome,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
the implocations are once again freaky..........
also i honestly forgot she was watching the entire time LOL
okay so the team rescuing cozy is potentially FUCKED and they just dont know apparently
god im scared for the next chapter but also excited,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
WHY ARE YOU GREEN
12150046
The Greensmith
i.postimg.cc/2yM0vDZN/greensmith-brochliflower-blush.png
12150086
I see
Tragically hetero?! Say it ain't so!
Hm yes, we of the Harshwhinny Lovers accept your offered crackship and declare it valid.
Great update, love Wallflower getting to stay in the story.
She ran into herself and didn't even care.
I mean to be fair, S7 Starswirl was kinda an asshole to you Twilight.