Synthesis of the Atheist

by BlackRoseRaven

Politics And Partisanship

Chapter Fifty Three: Politics And Partisanship
~BlackRoseRaven

Time passed: the first few days after Luna's recovery were busy ones, where Scrivener dealt with meetings, Celestia dealt with politics, and Twilight Sparkle allowed Selene and some of her demons to run a few tests on her, just to be safe. Others began to filter back to Ponyville, while Aphrodisia moved in with Burning Desire: he was delighted to have her stay and promised to make sure she was able to freely contact her parents, and that Sleipnir and Pinkamena were always welcome to come and stay at his palace any time they pleased.

There were two important events for Scrivener and Luna that stood out particularly: one was a visit they made to a lawyer's office, where they found out that all of Ersatz's possessions had been left to him. With the help of some demons, they had cleared out Ersatz's apartment and moved all her things down to Subterra. Ersatz had thanked them again and again for the small act of kindness, and Scrivener had only smiled and shrugged a little. He thought that... she seemed brighter somehow these days, like dying had freed her: but he didn't want to imagine how long she'd been living through hell, spending every day struggling in her own spiderwebs.

Shortly after this was the second important thing they had done: Scrivener and Luna and Ersatz had gone up to Canterlot, and walked to the city's outskirts, where a small, private cemetery sat in a quiet little field. Ersatz had winced in surprise when she'd touched the wrought-iron gates and steam had hissed up from her hoof, staggering backwards, and Scrivener had only smiled and said quietly: “You're going to have to be careful, Ersatz. You're... a lot like a spirit made physical. You might look and act like a living mare, but...”

“But I'm not. I can eat, but... I'm never truly hungry. I no longer have the needs I once did, but when I touch things... there's a certain numbness.” Ersatz said softly, then she smiled a little. “Except for other living things. I feel their life more and more every day... I fear that I envy them.”

“Is that envy, or is that longing? They're very different things.” Scrivener replied softly, and then he pushed the gates open and gestured easily for her to go through, as Ersatz Major nodded thoughtfully and gave him a soft smile.

Near the back of this graveyard, in their own little cleared-out area, were five polished, unmarked tombstones. They stood silent and alone, but offerings and gifts and flowers were piled up in front of them all the same. Nameless Graves: a place for ponies to go to visit those who had never been buried, because their bodies had been lost or they had simply never been found. Or in cases like Tia Belle, had never made the transition from the last world to this one.

Scrivener had no idea where Tia Belle was. The Vale of Valhalla, Helheim, or maybe she was just... gone. But he liked Ersatz's idea, that this was a place to come to talk to her: that somehow, speaking to these empty graves would pass on their message to his mother, wherever she was. It didn't make sense, but it didn't have to: it just was what it was.

The three just sat together in silence for a while, and then Ersatz started to talk, and Scrivener listened to her in quiet. She talked well once she got going: but he already knew that in spite of the drivel she'd written in Rogues And Studs, she was articulate and intelligent... hell, maybe he was underestimating what that 'drivel' had taught her. It might have been bad writing, but it was the perfect kind of bad writing that captured the interests of thousands upon thousands of people.

And when Ersatz finished, Scrivener found himself starting to talk as well. Old stories, saying things he'd always wanted to say but never had, forgetting after a while that he was just talking to stone and rock and instead feeling like... there was something else there. It was cathartic. It felt good. And he didn't even realize he had started to cry a little until he was done, and Ersatz gently dabbed away the tears on one side of his face with the edge of her shawl, making him blush a little.

It settled both of them: if Ersatz had any misgivings about Scrivener, they were gone now, and Scrivener found himself not just trusting Ersatz, not just accepting her, but actually wanting her around. Seeing her not just as blood family but... family. And he knew she looked at him as the same now, and they had moved past... everything that had happened. Maybe not their own personal traumas, but at least their loathing of each other.

Afterward, the three of them had lunch at a little restaurant, and Luna had been surprised when Ersatz had started to hesitantly ask her questions, try and start a conversation with her. But by the time they were back at Subterra, Luna had grudgingly decided to like Ersatz just a little, and that she was interesting. Almost impossible to rattle and frustratingly-sophisticated, but interesting all the same. She also seemed to have quite an honest fondness for Burning Desire...

Not long after the visit to the graveyard and putting things to rest, Luna, Scrivener, and Twilight Sparkle had decided it was time to return to Ponyville, and home. Celestia was staying in Canterlot to speak to her frazzled steward, who was apparently all the more stressed because Rosewood had slapped Baroness Caprice and needed to be bailed out of prison. Scrivener was somehow unsurprised to hear about this, while it gave Luna a good laugh: she might find Rosewood loathsome at times, but there were plenty of things about the mouthy unicorn she did like. Even if she also wondered sometimes why it was that Celestia kept Rosewood on as an assistant.

The walk back to Ponyville was refreshing, and they were greeted at the library by friends and family... and most important of all, Antares. They looked at each other for a while, but then embraced... and after that, everything was okay.

Life continued on, and Ponyville settled with its protectors back and Luna looking strong, despite the strange crystalline horn that stood out of her skull. But for a while, things were peaceful: it was a much-needed time for family and friends to simply sit back, relax, and most importantly, talk and work things out between themselves that had been allowed to sit for too long.

Twilight was also dealing with the effects of her pregnancy: while a lot of it was negated by her undead body, her emotions had become a little unstable and it was affecting her magic, among other things. Her stomach was bulging out a little larger, and the Lich was starting to worry about what would happen if her already-stretched flesh started to tear: normally she didn't have to worry about puncturing something alive inside her while applying a graft or stitching a wound closed.

These things gave her a few panic attacks over the weeks that followed, but Scrivener and Luna always managed to calm her down and remind her that everything was going to be okay, one way or another. They were going to take care of her, every step of the way, and Luna remarked mildly that at least she wouldn't have to worry about vomiting or other accidents, and she personally thought blood was one of the least disgusting of all the fluids that could come out of the body.

Scrivener and Twilight did their best to ignore Luna's advice most of the time, since usually it was either exceptionally disturbing or the opposite of anything a sane pony would recommend. On top of that, Scrivener Blooms remembered all too well when Luna had been pregnant, and how in the aftermath she had spent quite a lot of time flopping around uselessly in the yard, trying to exercise herself back into shape against all sane advice.

But Luna and Scrivener were both determined to make this pregnancy as good a time as possible for Twilight Sparkle: with the fact that Thesis still hadn't shown his face, and how they were able to sit down and talk a few things out with Antares and others... things actually seemed promising for once. Scrivener and Luna were rarely from Twilight's side: most of these times were related to Scrivener's dealings with Underbrush or other important ponies he had to try and keep happy, while he sent the profits made from his books straight to Cowlick, who used them to fund projects like the White Matter research.

Meadowlark was becoming a more and more frequent sight around their home and the library: not just because of Antares' relationship with the Pegasus, but because she and Scarlet Sage were the only other ponies that Twilight trusted to help her with her condition. Twilight had also passed down a book that Zecora had given them a long time ago to the Pegasus, trusting that she would do much more with it than they had: it was full recipes for tonics and potions of every kind, and Meadowlark had taken it with more gratitude than she could express.

Her relationship with Antares was... a little rocky at times, but it was continuing strong. Antares could get self-loathing and self-focused now and then, but she never held it against him, and she was always there to help him when he needed it or asked for it. She was strong in her quiet way, though: even if she put up with a lot from Antares, she had a natural knack for knowing when she had to step in and shake him out of his fugues, and when it was better to simply let him make a mistake and hopefully learn from it. They were good for each other that way.

She loved him; she thought she'd loved him since they were foals, really, but it was a love that grew deeper and fonder the more time she spent with him. He was pure and good and strong and kind, even if sometimes he seemed so anxious and uncertain and high-strung... but he had survived a lot in his young life. It was like someone both envied and hated him, and sought to make his life as miserable as possible with the way the glossy-black unicorn was forced to pushed through hardship after hardship... but Meadowlark preferred to think of it a different way. She thought that Antares suffered so much because he was capable of handling that suffering: unlike so many ponies, after all, Antares had never lost that... special spark of goodness, even if he could be childish and made dumb mistakes sometimes.

Now, two months after the start of winter, and three months into Twilight's pregnancy, Meadowlark was quietly reading a book in the library. She had promised to go out to Zecora's hut later and help the shaman gather some plants and rare herbs from the depths of the forest, a task that had always terrified her at first. But these days, Meadowlark walked past Bitterweavers without flinching and wasn't afraid to touch the wild Manticores that patrolled around the grotto where Zecora often took her to find the rarest plants.

Meadowlark smiled to herself as her eyes lingered on a list of ingredients for a salve, and then she tapped at this thoughtfully before pulling her frayed notebook out of the satchel on the desk and flipping to a bare page, copying down the ingredients into it. Then she paused and tilted her head, before laughing a bit to herself: she was almost out of pages.

But that made sense, didn't it? She wasn't just writing for the local paper anymore, she was doing columns for a paper in Canterlot as well, and finally making enough money that she didn't have to accept any 'gifts' from Twilight now and then just to keep herself afloat. She'd always hated the fact that every few weeks, Twilight Sparkle would ask for her help with research on some project or another, which they both knew was really just a ruse so Meadowlark would actually accept the money Twilight offered. Now she was free of that: one day, she might even make enough to find out a way to pay Twilight back for all the help she had given her over the years.

She had to travel to and from Canterlot pretty regularly these days, but it wasn't a trip she minded making anymore, and Antares walked with her sometimes. She would go to work, he would go down to Subterra, then they would have a meal and walk back to Ponyville. Long days... but good days. And sometimes Antares was the one who ended up sorer by the end of them... then again, apparently Aphrodisia was being a lot slower to forgive and work her frustrations out with Antares than most of the other ponies.

Meadowlark shook her head with a smile, then glanced up as the library door opened and the glossy-black unicorn himself stuck his head inside, a scarf half-wrapped around his neck and a dusting of snow speckling his dark coat. She gazed over at him with warm surprise, saying softly: “Hey, Mir. I was just thinking about you.”

“Oh yeah? Then does that mean you have time to go for lunch or something?” Antares asked curiously, and Meadowlark nodded with a smile as the stallion pushed the door the rest of the way open, looking back and forth. “And have you seen my Mom around or anything? No one was at home when I got up, so I figured they'd be here...”

“Celestia dropped by a little earlier, but she went back out. Something about Cowlick's lab.” Meadowlark replied with a shrug, and when Antares made a face, the Pegasus gave him an amused look as she swept her things into her bag. “Oh come on, she's not that scary.”

“Says you. She's nice to you. She's mean to just about everypony else.” Antares replied mildly as he strode towards the mare, and then he leaned down to kiss her softly, the Pegasus meeting his lips gladly before they parted and smiled at one-another. “Anyway, I guess that's probably where my parents are, then. Okay, that's fine, I'll catch up with them later... for now, let's go get something to eat.”

“That sounds good to me.” Meadowlark tossed her satchel on, covering the scarring on her side self-consciously, and then she smiled and tilted her head away as Antares stroked gently under her chin. “Do you have a place in mind?”

“Let's just see where our hooves take us.” Antares replied softly, and Meadowlark turned her eyes back up to him before they shared another quick but tender kiss.

The two turned, striding out of the library and into the snow-speckled streets of Ponyville, and Meadowlark couldn't help but let her eyes draw over Antares, studying him. Even though it had been months now, even though he had begun to finally settle down and start working through all those anxieties and problems he'd always had, she knew the loss of his wings still bothered him. But even if he couldn't fly, he was still incredibly graceful and agile when he wanted to be.

Antares caught her looking, and he smiled a little at her, recognizing the expression on her face as he said softly: “Hey, I'm okay, okay? And it's not all bad, to be honest. I've learned to move a lot faster than I thought I ever could with my hooves alone and... I'm getting better at magic, with Morning Glory working so hard with me. She pushes, but... she gets results. And it's a surprise to see that I've been able to learn so much about how I can improve my speed from her... but then again, it helps that if I don't perform better than her expectations, I get blown up.”

“I can't believe your Mom actually lets Morning Glory train you like that. Even if you're an adult, I've seen Luna go off on ponies just for running into you by accident. It's kind of cute.” Meadowlark replied with a smile, testing the waters on what had used to be a sore subject... and to her relief, Antares laughed and shook his head a little, giving her an amused look.

“Honestly, I think it's... it's helped us understand each other a little more, you know? I get that my Mom... I understand... you know, that she cares.” Antares stopped and glanced down embarrassedly. “And I get that I've overreacted and been kind of a douche in the past about things. It's a lot better to get coddled a little now and then than it is to get blown up by a fireball or punched in the face. But Mom understands I'm an adult now more these days and... she expects more from me than she used to and it's kind of nice that she will... well, you know, punch me in the face if I start to freak out a little too much.”

“You're such a weirdo sometimes, Mir.” Meadowlark said softly, and Antares shrugged amiably before the mare smiled warmly and turned her eyes forwards. “So do you have a new mission or anything to do? Is that why you're looking for your parents?”

Antares shook his head. “Nah. All training these days, and I'm still working at the forge with Spike and Sleipnir. Sleipnir's teaching me some... amazing stuff, though. Not just about smithy work, but also about shield combat... I'm starting to get the hang of it, I think, even if I'll probably never be quite as strong as Sleipnir. But I'm a lot better with shields than I am flailing around with swords or spears, and Sleipnir says I just have to keep practicing.”

Meadowlark nodded with another smile as the two continued down the street, before they turned in unison down a lesser-traveled side road: they didn't need to speak to communicate, as their bodies moved in a natural rhythm and their instincts spoke to one-another in the language of their movements, the silent speech in their eyes.

They walked onwards for a little while, and then Antares asked abruptly: “So what about you, Meadow? How are you doing with things? I mean... I know... well, you know.”

“I know.” Meadowlark only shook her head, and then the Pegasus said softly: “I'm happy, though, to be honest. Everything seems to kind of be falling into place in my life, in spite of everything. I'm really happy to be able to help Twilight out, too, with how generous she's always been to me in the past, and I'm glad that we're able to spend so much time together, Antares. I know... we can't really live together yet, but I'm really looking forwards to that day. And I know if things keep going forwards the way they are, I'll actually be able to afford a big enough place and food for us both.”

“Hey, I work.” Antares said in an injured tone, and Meadow laughed as the stallion nudged her teasingly. “Also, you know I make a lot more money hammering on metal for a few hours a day than you do for all the articles you write, Meadow.”

“Well, I'm sorry that writing is a bit of a higher pursuit than whacking on things with a hammer. And I spend a lot more time doing my writing than you do in the smithy, Antares.” Meadowlark replied with a smile, and the stallion gave her an amused look before the mare nudged him firmly. “Well, it's true! I'm always researching, or writing, or traveling-”

“Hey, travel time doesn't count, I do that with you. And most of the places you work don't require you to wear safety gear or put up with getting regularly burned or slapped way too hard on the back by a giant stallion who still doesn't know his own strength.” Antares paused and glanced over his shoulder, adding dryly: “Cannot begin to express how happy I am my back isn't all screwed up anymore, on that note. Having no wings is almost worth it. Except I'm pretty sure I'm going to need to see someone to get my spine put back in its proper place anyway once I'm done working with Sleipnir.”

Meadowlark only shook her head in entertainment, and then both ponies turned and headed into a little coffee shop they had begun to frequent in the last while: it was another new, flourishing little business that had recently popped up in Ponyville. Antares had found out about it because apparently they had given Luna several free bags of coffee beans to try and appease her frustrations that yet another business had popped up in 'her little kingdom with nary a consultation!'

Not a particularly memorable event by itself, because Luna regularly got cranky when she found out about some new business or family coming to the village she still felt like was personal little sanctuary. What was memorable was Luna tossing several of the coffee beans in her mouth and chewing them up before anyone could stop her, and the howling curses that had followed.

It was a nice little business, though: friendly, courteous, warm, and they made nice little sandwiches along with the coffee. Meadowlark and Antares both ordered a toasted daisy sandwich to go, and a cup of hot chocolate for Antares and a small black coffee for Meadow, and the food was served up quickly with smiles: something that Antares noticed was all too often missing in busy places like Canterlot, and one of those little details that always helped him feel like... things were going to be okay.

He and Meadowlark left with their paper bag of sandwiches in Meadowlark's pack, and Antares carrying their cups with telekinesis. He sipped every now and then at his hot chocolate, while Meadowlark only gave him a softly-amused look. He was such a strange pony sometimes, but she liked that about him: she just wondered whether or not he knew just how much like Luna he really was, as he tilted his head back and forth with a curse, attempting to lick a splatter of hot chocolate off his nose.

Meadowlark laughed, and Antares huffed at her before she leaned in and kissed his nose, making him blink and almost fumble both cups in his telekinetic grip. Then she drew back and strode on ahead, and Antares cleared his throat before he hurried after her, not questioning the sudden affection but instead feeling his heart warm as they made their way towards a pleasant, happy little park, in this pleasant, happy little village.

Yeah, Ponyville... Ponyville was where they belonged.

Celestia honestly thought that this would be a good idea: she would bring her steward, Erudite, out to Ponyville to try and get him to relax a little. Not by actually relaxing, no: asking Erudite to relax was more than enough to send him careening off into an almost endless stress spiral until Rosewood slapped him out of half-screaming all the reasons that as steward of the Sun Barony he definitely did not have the time to relax in any way, shape or form.

No, what relaxed Erudite, ironically, was work, and showing progress made on that work. So she wanted to show him the White Matter, a substance that she thought would have uses far beyond simply neutralizing the corruption of the Wyrms. She could also show him the engineering facility, and some of Cowlick's plans for larger-scale manufacturing operations... operations they would have to tightly control, of course, and that would likely take years to get funding for with how much easier it was to simply use magic for most things, but that could serve to better the future for ponies everywhere all the same.

Rosewood and Scutum were both here as well: no pony ever questioned why Celestia had made the calm, professional stallion the head of the security taskforce assigned to protect Steward Erudite, but the fact that Rosewood was assistant to the steward – and often herself, when she was in Canterlot on business – caused a lot of gossip and questioning. But it wasn't because Rosewood had blackmail material, or because her husband was so important, or because they were friends. It was because Rosewood had previously been an assistant to Baroness Caprice, and she knew political procedure backwards and forwards. And furthermore, once assured that she didn't have to pretend to be a preening sycophant, that Celestia would actually appreciate her being blunt with Erudite instead of fawning over him... well, there was no other pony Celestia would trust to keep Erudite in line.

Erudite, of course, hated it. He was too-thin, with too-big eyes, too-loose robes, and a too-screechy voice. He complained about everything and was a unicorn from an old noble family, constantly taking antacids for his ulcers, constantly whining about how the weather was making his bones hurt, constantly going into long, disjointed rambles about politics, his health problems, and the 'good old days.'

Which was funny, because in spite of the fact he looked like an old stallion with his salt and pepper mane and face masked by a heavy gray beard, the yellow unicorn was just a little over thirty. Celestia had sent him a book for his birthday and he'd promptly sent it back saying that he'd already read it and it was full of lies about the socioeconomic stratus of southern Equestria baronies and its trade relation to northern neighbors.

The book had been about cats, the one thing in perhaps the entire universe that Erudite didn't hate with all his nasty, nasty little heart.

On a personal level, Celestia disagreed with ninety percent of the things that came out of Erudite's mouth. She thought he was overanalytical, tedious, possibly a little sociopathic and lied as naturally as he breathed. He was also stubborn, rude, and viciously defensive of his beliefs, even if he was only believing in something purely so he could argue with someone else about it. But he also put his job first, and it was that quality that made all those awful parts of his personality into something Celestia could stomach with a little bit of effort.

Erudite made an excellent sit-in for her, and as a bonus, he made the other barons all miserable. He also worked as an excellent motivator to keep the council in agreement on most issues: no one wanted to put up with his yammering and half-threats for very long, so the barons rarely brought unimportant matters to the table anymore, or tried to get away with changing laws to benefit themselves or their barony alone instead of all of Equestria.

The problem, of course, was that Erudite would turn all his whining and complaining to Celestia every now and then, wanting this or that, and she would have to firmly but gently tell him 'no,' or figure out a way to stop him from carrying out his threat of 'stepping down,' usually by proving to him that she was actually at work herself on some project or other. Her original agreement with the steward, after all, had been that he would hold her position as long as she was helping Equestria behind the scenes. But he would stop putting her ideas forwards to the council and quit his job the moment she was done with her background projects.

Not that she expected Erudite would actually step down... but if he did decide she was no longer working on anything more important than dealing with diplomacy with the other barons, then she had no doubt that Erudite would stop voicing her ideas and start instead pushing forwards all his own at council. And some of Erudite's personal beliefs and ideas were rather... disturbing.

To him, if she was just 'lazing around,' it would look like weakness on her part, and put him in a position of strength. And even if his position of power lasted only for a few hours, she knew he'd twist and change every law he could to better suit his personal agenda, because in spite of how vile and whiny he could be, he knew the laws of Equestria inside and out... maybe even better than she did, strange as that was to think. She had founded the nation, but Erudite was the one who had tracked the nation's evolution.

So she had to placate him. She had to play nice with him, even while Rosewood continued to watch Erudite like a hawk. And she thought that Erudite had actually been very interested in the White Matter, even if he and Cowlick had gotten into a very vulgar argument... but then again, Erudite also loved to argue, so maybe that was the reason he was in a much better mood now.

But Celestia had forgotten one very important thing, which was to ensure she knew at all times where Luna was that day. And by the time Celestia realized what she was hearing, it was too late to do anything about it as Erudite looked up sharply and asked: “What is that horrible noise?”

He was answered by a motorcycle skidding around a corner of the snowy street ahead, ponies hurrying out of the way as Celestia dropped her face in a hoof, and Erudite gaped as Rosewood and Scutum both stared. The vehicle shot towards them, Luna grinning widely behind her sunglasses, her prosthetic horn gleaming before Erudite screamed like a little filly and bolted face-first into the closed doors of the engineering building-

Luna's motorcycle screeched to a halt as the mare half-yanked the handlebars to the side, and then she leaned comfortably back in her seat when it came to a full stop, her mane flowing around her as Celestia simply glared at her through the cloud of powder that was slowly settling around them. Erudite was laying on his face with a groan, and Scutum was calmly brushing off his black uniform as Rosewood said grumpily, the only tell that she had been scared for a moment the way she was gripping the silver locket around her neck in one hoof: “You are a goddamn stupid showoff, Luna Brynhild.”

“Oh shut up. I am actually hard at work here with Epona!” Luna complained loudly, patting the motorcycle a few times as Scrivener Blooms wheezed in his sidecar, curled up as small as he could make himself, goggles visibly frosted over. “Cowlick added something she called a... a stab... stabby... staberalizeration system...”

“Stabilizers.” Scrivener mumbled, and then he winced when Luna smacked his helmeted head firmly with a hoof without looking at him.

“Stabilizers.” Luna corrected, and then she leaned forwards and pointed at the large, studded tire on the front. “And see this? 'Tis a 'winter tire,' Celestia! I did not know that there were wheels for different seasons, 'tis marvelous and strange, but Cowlick assured me several times she was not lying. And to be honest, they do seem much the better. I am sure thou remembers last week, when I plowed into that poor pony's house, does thou not? This accursed snow is terrible for Epona, but Cowlick was quick to help me... she says that 'twould be best to leave the Scrivy-carry on for the winter as well, much as I desire to loosen Epona's luggage.”

Scrivener grumbled at this, and Celestia sighed and shook her head slowly before Erudite finally shoved his way up to his hooves, then turned around and squawked: “What in the name of all that is holy is this rustbucket? There are laws against owning and operating war-time constructs inside the borders of a residential district!”

“Shut up, foul and wretched dung-worm.” Luna said flatly, and Erudite gave a growl that sounded more like a whimper before the sapphire mare paused and leaned over the grips, asking curiously: “Rosewood, pray tell: how does thou deal with this vexatious hack all day? He still seems like an ill-tempered mongrel, for all his promises to behave better at least whilst in my domain.”

“This is not 'your' domain! Celestia! Law 366.2 prohibits the aggressive provocation of any political figure above the status of that granted to good-standing discretionary members of the Royal Council!” Erudite spat, pointing angrily several times at Luna, and Scrivener slowly rose his head before Rosewood slapped the steward firmly in the back of the skull, making him whimper and cower. “Baroness Celestia, she assaulted me, again! Again, right in front of you! This is a grievous breach of-”

“I'll get right on it, Erudite.” Celestia said tiredly, and then she looked towards Luna and asked finally: “So I take it you're testing Epona for Cowlick?”

“Technically, aye, but I am more testing her for myself, to be honest. I need my mighty steed to be in the best possible condition, do I not? Epona deserves proper care and compassion, does she not?” Luna asked pointedly, and Celestia was unable to think of a good argument for this, smiling a little after a moment before the sapphire winged unicorn nodded firmly. “There, precisely, Celestia! Now thou understands. And perhaps I have been... overzealous in my testing of my sweet... but riding Epona grants me such a strange mix of freedom and nostalgia...”

Celestia softened after a moment, and then Luna grinned suddenly, glancing up and adding mildly: “'Tis far too bad that thou art so large and cumbersome that my motorcycle would be as... well... a pony to thee. Thou would be a pony on a pony.”

The ivory mare laughed despite herself, and Rosewood snorted before she glanced over at Erudite when the Steward huffed, then muttered: “Well, even if it's not a war construct, proper rulings and laws over machinery and their use as methods of transportation are still in the framework phase. These are not carriages, but dangerous devices capable of causing harm, and as of yet we have no rules of order pertaining to their-”

“You know, just because you keep shoving words together doesn't mean any of them make any sense at all.” Scrivener remarked dryly, and Erudite huffed loudly before the charcoal stallion reached up and grumpily rubbed some of the frost away from his goggles. “But does that mean we're done? Because the sooner Luna brings Epona back to Cowlick, the sooner I can get off this horrible machine and back on safe, solid earth.”

“Oh shut up. Very well, let us bring her back to the stablemaster.” Luna huffed, and then she grinned before her hooves worked with surprising speed, the motorcycle's engine rising to a roar as she spun on the spot and tossed up a thick blast of snow that splattered over the ponies in front of her, before she shot back down the street with a cackle as Scrivener Blooms winced and clung to the handlebar in front of him for dear life.

Celestia's horn glowed, melting the snowy powder off her body as she moodily watched Luna twist around a corner ahead. Then she glanced over at the other ponies, watching as Scutum dropped a barrier of energy he had been fast enough to protect himself and Rosewood with, while Erudite spat out powder and ice-flakes, shivering before he sneezed loudly, then complained: “I'm going to get sick! If I get sick, if I get sick, Baroness, I won't be able to return to my position as your steward, I'll... I'll...”

He sneezed loudly again, and Celestia sighed and lowered her head before Rosewood leaned upwards and suggested suddenly: “Baroness, I would be more than happy to take over the position of steward if Erudite here can't dredge up the balls to handle it anymore.”

Celestia looked with surprise at this brazen statement, then she tilted her head curiously: Rosewood had never before shown an interest in being steward, and to be honest, Celestia wasn't sure that the unicorn could handle it. She was excellent in debate, stubborn and forceful, certainly... but she had never demonstrated much of a mind for facts, sometimes let her emotions get the best of her, and seemed to like the freedom that being assistant to Erudite gave her. She had to keep an eye on him, and she carried a lot of messages back and forth, but she was still able to find a lot of time for herself around and even during many of those things.

Erudite, meanwhile, immediately rose his head, sending snow spilling out of his scruffy locks as he snapped: “There, there, there! I told you it was a fascist conspiracy, Celestia, she's been playing you as part of a power play on the part of the northern baronies in their efforts to take over all of Equestria! Assassin! Assassin!”

“Quiet, Erudite.” Celestia chastened, and the steward mumbled and fell silent, glaring daggers at Rosewood as the pale-pink unicorn looked seriously up at Celestia. The fact she hadn't responded to Erudite told the Baroness she was actually serious about this, and Celestia hesitated before saying finally: “Let's return to the library. Standing out here in the snow and cold is silly. You can explain why you've volunteered for the position on the way.”

Rosewood nodded quickly, trading a look with Scutum as Erudite huffed, then said crankily as he fell a little behind the ponies as they began to walk down the street: “There's no need for that Baroness Celestia, and would you like to know why? Well, I'll tell you why! Non-native residents of the barony cannot be promoted to the position of rulership, that's right there in the laws of the land, section A, subsection two, paragraph three! It's one of the rules our barony was founded upon!”

“Yes, she could not become Baroness. But she could still serve as my steward, Erudite, there's no law that says otherwise... it's not a true position of power, after all, but rather only a pony who serves as my voice when I cannot or choose not to be present at the Royal Council and other places.” Celestia replied calmly, and Erudite grumbled as Rosewood gave him a nasty look. “Rosewood?”

The pale pink unicorn tore her eyes away from Erudite, then shrugged before she explained awkwardly: “Well, Baroness... as... Steward Erudite is always whining... I mean, 'civilly discussing his negative feelings' about being forced to deal with the council all day... I'd be very happy to take over for him, that's all. I think I can handle the job and speaking for you, and I... I respect you, Baroness Celestia. You've treated me... us... better than Scutum and I deserve.”

“See? Power play! Power play!” Erudite snapped, and Celestia sighed mentally as she tried to remind herself why she put up with Erudite's sheer nastiness and excitability. “As it is their relationship offends subsection eight of the Decent Equestrians Act: Rosewood is still married to Mayor Grindstone Grasp of Silver Hoof and-”

Rosewood snarled, and Scutum winced as he hurriedly jumped forwards, grabbing her and stopping her before she could fling herself at Erudite. The Steward skittered to the side, meanwhile, yelling profanities at her, and Celestia wondered moodily if every political cabinet was like this before she said calmly over her shoulder: “I need to think about this. But Erudite, if you're going to be ill, then maybe I should give Rosewood a short chance to prove herself, and-”

“What? No, no no no!” Erudite said hurriedly, shaking his head wildly as his eyes went wide, and Celestia glanced meditatively at him. That reaction told her two things: Erudite was far too in love with the power of being steward to push his bluffing past loud whining, and he was scared that Rosewood might actually be able to do a good enough job to replace him. “B-Besides, you can't have me replaced even temporarily without an announcement one week in advance, a new security and background check done on the applicant for the position, and an approval vote from the Royal Council! And since the year 573 it's been common courtesy to hold an informal induction party so all members of the council can meet and form a personal opinion on the new member-to-be, especially when they are to serve in such a high ranking position as steward!”

Celestia shook her head slowly, then looked forwards as she simply let herself think, ignoring the arguing from behind her: Erudite was acerbic, but an excellent steward. Rosewood she liked, but wasn't sure how she'd fare in the position. Then the ivory mare paused and looked over her shoulder as a new thought came to mind, deciding to test them with a question: “Rosewood, do you understand that Erudite, even if no longer steward, would still be serving as an adviser to the throne? You would both still be forced to interact with each other on a regular basis.”'

“Baroness, with all respect, if I were to return to my old position of adviser to the courts and Rosewood was listed as my replacement, I would very happily ask for – or perhaps rather insist on – a transfer back to the research wing or the Canterlot Archives.” Erudite said distastefully, shivering once. “I have no desire to work with these fascists and the eugenics machine they are attempting to build.”

Rosewood snorted loudly at this, and then she scowled over at Erudite as she said moodily: “In all honesty, Baroness Celestia, I would probably torment him. But I would work with him, yes. I recognize that when he's not running his mouth off or complaining about how much the world hates him, he has... useful knowledge.”

Celestia smiled at this, looking ahead as Erudite muttered something, but she ignored the bickering of her steward and her assistant as she made her way back towards the library. She stopped in front of the door, then glanced over her shoulder and said calmly: “I'll make a decision regarding this tomorrow. Until then, you are welcome to stay here, but I don't want any further debate on this subject. Is that clear?”

Erudite huffed, but Rosewood nodded. Celestia smiled at this, then she glanced over at Erudite and added: “I don't think I have anything further to show you today, Erudite. Would you like to come inside for tea?”

“I'm afraid I do not have time for tea, Baroness, there are laws that need to be revised and old case files to go over back in my hotel room.” Erudite said, a little stiffly. He grimaced after a moment, then shook his head, rubbing at his face. “Taxes must be handled, debts must be allocated and paid, and I need to research into the possible ramifications of these... machines... starting to be introduced into our barony. They seem like tools that would empower earth ponies, certainly, but to what end, I ask you? To what end? Another form of fascism reliant on mechanical might to overpower magic? Or worse, the parasitic force of communism, to make all things equal?”

Celestia sighed tiredly, then said dryly: “Please try and not let your cynicism add bias to your thoughts, Erudite. But I plan to have Cowlick come before the Royal Council with myself to explain the benefits of machinery, and why we should invest in several factories and manufacturing plants once the technology becomes more available to us. You won't have to deal with that, I will, and we'll put it to a vote among the full Royal Council of Equestria, to try and get everyone's opinion.”

“Ah, yes, democracy. Where better to look for wisdom than a sea of fools, where anyone with unpopular or intelligent ideas is drowned out by the roar of the ignorant majority?” asked Erudite flatly, and Celestia looked mildly down at the nasty stallion, wondering for a moment just how far she could launch him with a single kick. “Yes, yes, your highness, of course. I'll go to attend to my duties. But I can't stay for longer than tonight, this is already a terrible imposition as it is.”

Rosewood grumbled, then she nodded to Scutum as the military unicorn gave calm, sharp salute before turning to lead Erudite back towards where he was staying. And honestly, Celestia was very happy that Erudite wasn't staying here... but she smiled when Rosewood loosened up visibly, turning her eyes towards Celestia and saying finally: “I'm sorry. He riles my blood up. But I guess quite a lot of things do, I've always been... passionate.”

“Yes, I know. But I like that quality in you, Rosewood. I like it a lot.” Celestia said softly, and then she turned and pushed the door open... before smiling softly at the sight of Discombobulation puttering around the table, setting down what looked like a full pot of tea, an apron hanging around his neck. “Well, this is a nice surprise.”

“Scutum never does this for me.” Rosewood grumbled, and Celestia smiled despite herself as they strode into the library. The one-armed Draconequus bowed politely to them as they approached, before he snapped his fingers firmly, and Rosewood cursed and stomped her hooves wildly as they steamed painfully, while Celestia only continued to smile and walk, less-hindered by the tingle of pain. “What the hell was that for?”

“Well, muddy hooves are unhappy hooves. I imagine wet hooves are even worse.” Discombobulation replied calmly, and then he waved his arm out at the set table, saying kindly: “Sit wherever you like. As you can see, I've set more than enough places for everyone, although I'm afraid we might still end up with one or two too few.”

Celestia laughed softly at this as she took a seat at the table, and Rosewood joined her, eying the rows of plates and teacups set out. “What, are you expecting someone?”

“I never expect anything. That way, nothing surprises me.” Discombobulation replied kindly, before he easily flicked his hand upwards, and Ratatoskr appeared in it with a puff. “You forgot this, by the way, Tia.”

“Erudite is allergic, he says. I think he just doesn't like him, though.” Celestia replied with a smile, and the squirrel chittered as it leapt forwards, hopping off the table and up onto Celestia's shoulder, as Rosewood grumbled and looked moodily up at the rodent. “Are you going to join us, Bob?”

“Of course.” Discombobulation spun a chair out from under the table, then dropped down in it and leaned across the back to look across into Celestia's eyes with a slight smile. Celestia gazed back unabashedly, and then the Draconequus half-cupped his mouth with his hand and whispered: “We're making your guest uncomfortable, Celestia. But I'm not sure which one of us is hosting this party, since it's your home but my tea set.”

“I just don't like thinking about what Hearts and Hooves day must be like for you two.” Rosewood muttered, and then her horn glowed, picking up the teapot; the etiquette that had been trained into her from birth showed as she poured a cup for Celestia first, then for herself, even as she asked: “But I've been meaning to ask you, Baroness... how's Antares doing? I haven't heard much from the brat lately. He doesn't send me letters as often anymore.”

“Thank you, Rosewood. He's doing alright, though...” Celestia picked up her teacup, nodding slowly to herself before she took a sip, then continued softly: “He's been having some problems of his own with... family. Normally I wouldn't talk about them, but I know how important you are to him, and he is to you.”

“Yeah, well, he's... he's what I have left of Prestige.” Rosewood said softly, reaching up and playing silently at the locket hanging around her neck, before she sighed and shook her head slowly. “Stupid kid doesn't seem to get that I want to see him happy, I think. I don't think he gets that from a lot of us, though, you know? Has that martyr complex of his and all.”

Celestia nodded, sipping at her tea before Discombobulation said wryly: “Well, you know. A hero isn't the first pony to stride into battle. It's the pony who makes it out alive.”

“Oh shut the hell up, I get enough cynicism from Erudite and that slave hoof Scrivener Blooms, who I've run into too many times in the last damn week.” Rosewood retorted, and when Celestia gave her a moody look, the pale-pink unicorn offered a lame smile. “I'm sorry. I know, I know, all ponies are equal and... Scrivener's fine.”

“All ponies are equal. Some are just more equal than others.” Discombobulation paused and rubbed thoughtfully at the underside of his muzzle. “I think I've said that quote before. Let me think of a different one, will you? I'll try and use the same text.”

Celestia and Rosewood only looked across at the Draconequus, and then he snapped his fingers before clearing his throat and saying seriously as he slammed his fist down against the table: “No one believes more firmly than Comrade Celestia that all animals are equal. She would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where would you be?”

He paused, then frowned over at Rosewood, who scowled back before the Draconequus muttered: “This feels far less powerful than it should. I think I need a barnyard, some pigs, other domestic stock, and then a whole bunch of ponies. Although if I'm stupid enough to say 'four legs good, two legs bad,' then the only people who get screwed over by that in this crazy place is me. And the Nibelung, but really, when do we ever hear about them?”

“Now Bob, you know there are worse things than the Nibelung. The Volsung, for instance. You should be very happy we've never had to deal with their kind.” Celestia replied calmly, sipping at her tea as Rosewood only sighed and dropped her face in her hooves, before the ivory mare smiled a little over at the unicorn. “You know, Antares has been feeling better lately, though... since Meadowlark isn't here, I assume he's probably out with her. Would you like to wait here, to talk to them?”

“I would, Celestia. I'd like that a lot.” Rosewood nodded and straightened a bit, then she picked up her teacup and sipped from it before glaring over at Discombobulation when he gave her a grumpy look. “What? Did I ruin your makeout session? I... no offense, Baroness.”

“That's fine, Rosewood. Besides, Bob is an old-fashioned romantic. I'm the one who usually has the special interest in the physical.” Celestia replied easily, and Rosewood snorted laughter, then hurriedly covered her muzzle, blushing as she looked at the mare, but Celestia only smiled warmly, then laughed a little herself.

The two ponies relaxed as Discombobulation only sighed and shook his head, before remarking: “Sexuality poorly repressed unsettles some families; well repressed, it unsettles the whole world.”

“Then are you saying you're lucky I'm not repressed in any way on that subject?” Celestia asked mildly, and the Draconequus looked dumbfounded by this response before the ivory mare smiled and turned her eyes towards Rosewood. “Speaking of which. Did you hear that Twilight Sparkle is pregnant? She's in her late third month now.”

“That's so gross. Honestly. It makes me puke a little in my mouth.” Rosewood said blandly, but Celestia only shook her head in amusement before the pale pink mare asked in a more serious, quieter voice: “And how has Antares been dealing with that? I don't expect it's been... easy for him.”

“He's looking forwards to having a little sister, I think, but... it is hard for him, certainly. He's just... just now really starting to try and pull away, so the timing is difficult for him.” Celestia said softly, shaking her head a little. “That, and the trauma of losing his wings and everything else he's been through... it wears on him. And yet all the same...”

“The stupid little runt won't just freaking... cut himself a break or ask for any help, I know, I know.” Rosewood muttered, slamming a hoof against the table and grimacing in distaste before she closed her eyes. “Funny, you know, how much he reminds me of me sometimes.”

“Well, you remind me of my little sister sometimes, Rosewood, so I think that's understandable.” Celestia said softly, reaching up and squeezing the pale pink unicorn's shoulder gently, and the mare laughed a little as she glanced up with surprise, at both the words and the contact.

Discombobulation shrugged at this, picking up his own cup of tea and remarking; “I don't know about that, Celestia. Some people would argue that all angry mares are one in the same, but if you watch the movie you'll notice that Ripley and Vasquez are very different characters indeed. But you know what would be a great crossover? If in the middle of the movie Samus Aran had just kicked the door in and just started shooting the hell out of everything. And don't you tell me that those nasty xenomorphs aren't as dangerous as Space Pirates. Space Pirates regularly have an IQ of five and the CPU constantly gets them stuck in walls. The Serpents bleed acid and bite your face off with their larger jaw before they stick their smaller jaw through your head.”

Discombobulation accented this by opening his mouth wide and flicking his tongue out a few times, and Rosewood looked blank as Celestia only smiled. “I've never really noticed, but you do have quite a long tongue, Discombobulation. You think I would have realized that.”

The Draconequus slowly turned a bright shade of red, and Celestia calmly returned to her tea as Rosewood did a double take at the Baroness. There was an awkward silence for a few moments before the unicorn frowned and asked finally: “Did he spike your drink or something?”

“No, I just... I'm relaxed here, Rosewood. And I'd like to consider you a friend, and I don't feel that I have to censor myself around you. I know things are a little awkward with my siblings but... we get along in our way, don't we?” Celestia asked, turning curious eyes towards Rosewood, who looked startled at this... but then she smiled a little after a moment and nodded slowly.

“Yeah. I'd like that, Celestia.” Rosewood said softly, and then she reached up and punched Celestia's shoulder lightly, the ivory mare looking surprised before the unicorn said in a warmer voice: “Besides. You and me working together, we might actually be able to drill something into Antares' head, right?”

“Right.” Celestia said softly, and the two ponies traded another warm smile as Discombobulation shrugged and sipped his tea, but smiled all the same at this new, blossoming friendship between two very different ponies from very different backgrounds, who had all the same found common ground.

Comments

[AXl711]

...I now feel the sudden urge to track down a crossover between Aliens and Metroid.

[QueenChrysalis84]

Celestia looked mildly down at the nasty stallion, wondering for a moment just how far she could launch him with a single kick.

I wanna see this so bad...