> Opening Celestia's Heart
>  by Knight of Cerebus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight giggled, scraping the sliced carrots off the cutting board and into the pot. "You did not!" 

"It's true. And for the rest of the week, Blueblood was insistent on the poor girl following him everywhere. So much as a gust of wind was cause for an impromptu mane appointment." Celestia chuckled with Twilight. "But you have my solemn word that I will use my powers only for good." 

"I still can't believe that one little comment could make him fly off the rails like that." Twilight pulled some onions out of the drawer. "One or two?" 

"The recipe calls for two, dear." Twilight nodded and got to chopping. Celestia's magic eased the spoon around the pot in light, even circles. "But I can hardly fault Blueblood for taking my word to heart. Everypony does. On an unrelated topic, have you been keeping up with your studies? You shouldn't let your graduation dull your grasp of magic, no matter how well you may have mastered it already."

Twilight's scoffed in indignation. "Of course I've been keeping up with my studies! Why would you--" she cut herself off when she saw Celestia's face. "Very funny. I'll have you know Applejack or Rainbow would have gotten the same answer." 

"So when do I meet them, then?" Celestia looked over. Twilight was done with the onions and was on the way to deliver them to the soup. "You seemed determined to see that I become comfortable with them."

Twilight scraped away the onions and wrapped a wing around her. Celestia leaned in against the smaller alicorn, closing her eyes to savour the touch. Twilight spoke into her mane. "I'm not certain about anything about this. It's still so big and I, well, I hardly have the charts to process everything that goes through my head about it. But I think you'd be happier knowing my friends better. I know I am." 

The two of them stayed like that for a moment, letting the growing warmth between their coats do the talking for them. Their eyes closed in unison, their breathing synchronized together as best as it could. Then the soup began to boil. 

"Wait! We haven't even done the parsley yet!" Twilight's eyes shot open, her wing flaring against Celestia's side. 

Celestia gave a gentle smile. "Twilight, we don't need to--" Twilight was already away from her side and chopping vegetables. "--worry. I'm just happy to share with you." She said the last sentence more to herself than to Twilight, who was off in a world of necessity and perfectionism. Celestia took a moment to appreciate the ridiculous amount of precision that went into anything the littler mare did.  Parsley, tomatoes and saute all move onto separate cutting boards and were swiftly sliced to bits by fine, rapid applications of magic. The ingredients all teleported from the boards to the boiling pot in a flash of magic. The pot was moved off the boiler in a current of salmon-coloured magic. 

"Now, uhhh, what does the recipe say about emergency procedures?" Twilight hovered the book in front of her face, fanning through it to reach the glossary. 

"Twilight--" 

"No, no, no--"

"--Twilight--"

"What kind of chemisty book is this! There's no safety instructions or notes for correction or--ugh!" Twilight flopped her head against the counter and snapped the dog-eared recipe book shut. 

Celestia moved over to put a hoof on Twilight's back. "Firstly, Twilight, it doesn't matter to me if our dinner is perfect or subpar. Secondly, it's a cookbook." Twilight's voice came back petulant and sulking. 

"You said cooking was chemistry."

"No, I said cooking was like chemistry. There is a difference." Celestia wrapped her wing around Twilight. "Besides, a good cook knows when to improvise." 

Twilight pulled up her head and shook it twice. She still seemed bitter. "I can't believe a serious author would write an instruction booklet on a time-sensitive activity without a backup plan!" She folded her arms and threw her head to one side in a snooty pout. "And you're wrong about the dinner being perfect." 

"Twilight, perfection is hardly a fair demand from our first time--" 

"It's already perfect." Twilight's bitter grimace turned to a coy smile. "You're here." 

Celestia fought down a goofy smile. "Flatterer. And besides, you of all ponies should know I'm hardly perfect."  

"Maybe not for everyone..." Twilight looked away and blushed a private blush. Celestia's face lit up with a blush of her own. "Anyway, the soup. I can redistribute the heat such that the new ingredients boil more than the ones that were in it when it came to boil or fish out the carrots and onions." 

"Or we could just eat a lackluster soup and acknowledge we need more cooking lessons." 

"Cheating with magic does feel wrong." Twilight put a hoof to her chin, moving the pot back onto the burner. "But you put aside so much work just to be here..." 

"I didn't put the work aside for the soup, you know." Celestia smirked. Her turn to be candid. 

"W-well...you know, a-anyway," Twilight's attempts to be serious melted away, "I just want you to be as happy as I am." 

Celestia only answered that with another embrace. Let the force of her chest against Twilight's say more than feeble words ever could. They melted into each other, time once again losing meaning. But this time, Twilight snuck one eye open, and covertly turned the burner off once the soup began to boil over again. 


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


Overcooked soup was shared over one of the smaller and less gaudy tables the gargantuan castle had to offer. Twilight scowled at the hard crystal. "My flank keeps freezing over on these seats. We're still trying to stock the place with pillows." 

Celestia put a hoof to her nose and groaned. "You're in luck. I always have a surplus." 

Twilight blinked. "Surplus?" 

"Staff are very, ahem, eager to please. As are seamstresses, cotton producers, visiting nobles..." She pulled the hoof away and looked up at Twilight. "My point being I have at least twenty pillows I'm not using at any one time. You are welcome to partake in them. So what is the plan for after dinner?"

Twilight beamed. "Luna's putting on a meteor shower tonight. I promised her I'd watch it and take some notes for next time. I was thinking we could watch them together." 

"That sounds wonderful." Celestia took a dainty sip of her bowl, not a single drop of the soup touching her muzzle. "Perhaps in between we could discuss the changes brought about by the new castle." Twilight's expression soured at the mention of the location. "And ways in which we could commemorate the old one." Twilight brightened at this much, just as Celestia had hoped. There was a pause while the two supped their soup in silence. 

"I also found a new spell published recently that I think you would take interest in." Twilight went from relieved to ecstatic in a heartbeat. Celestia basked in her triumph. "Somepony in the Crystal Empire has been studying the spells at the heart of the Elements of Harmony." 

"It is a little bit worrying that they disappeared on us. I mean, what if Queen Chrysalis were to return? What if another ancient evil like Tirek were to be freed on accident again?  What if we were menaced by an invasion of evil mind control pop stars?" 

Celestia chuckled. "Your pop star-related fears are noted. But you are correct that leaving our nation without defense would be folly. To this end Empire resident Starburst suggested that the two-way connection of the Elements be looked into." 

Twilight finished her soup and set it down with a gasp. In stark contrast to her larger counterpart, her muzzle was thoroughly soaked with the stuff. "You mean like we try to get the Elements to return to us through our bond with them? I'm not sure. I don't think we have the magic necessary within us to allow them to return. I've already looked into that much. I think the girls and I have already pushed our bond with the Elements as far as it will go." 

"Had you considered spreading friendship to another group? Perhaps find a pony like yourself who has been struggling with the concept of friends and teach them as a pupil?" Celestia let her now-empty bowl settle on the table, where it was whisked away in a gust of salmon magic and set aside in a sink. 

Twilight settled into her chair and let her wings stretch. "I'd love to take a student. But that wouldn't bring the Elements back. To be a suitable host you need a bond with the Elements themselves...which is kind of impossible now that they're gone. And what if the pony I teach doesn't make six friends? What if they only make two or three?" 

"It doesn't take six ponies exactly to wield one Element each. Luna and I were able to wield three Elements apiece when we first utilized them against Discord. I confess it is harder without a pony to each Element, but it is possible."

Twilight's eyes went wide. "Wow, that's right! You have a connection to the Elements, too! I completely forgot. That's perfect, then! We don't need to hope some random pony shows up! We can use you!" 

Celestia backpedaled a moment. "I beg your pardon?"  

"You and Luna have connections to the Elements already from prior use. If you could reforge your bond with the Elements, and then with Luna, of course, you could potentially nurture them back into existence! Oh, that's a relief." Twilight wiped her brow. "For a moment there I was worried we were going to be kidnapped by sky pirates for sure." 

Celestia tilted her head. "Sky pirates? Where would we even find sky pirates? A new country would have to materialize out of nowhere for us to even consider--" She dismissed the thought. Thinking on that kind of logic would get her nowhere. "Regardless, I do not think that such an option is viable. You and your friends are much closer than Luna and I ever were."

Twilight set her hooves on the table and focused her gaze into it. More diagrams began to spring up. "Isn't that damaging to the table?" Celestia chimed in. 

"Hardly. It just grows back overnight. That's where our connection to the Elements is going." Twilight tried to keep the bitterness from creeping into her voice. 

"It's alright to miss the library, you know." Celestia sounded as gentle as she could. 

"I just...need some time to adjust. I lost a lot in the fire. A lot of it was personal. But this isn't about me and my library. This is about the Elements. And you." Twilight looked up. Darn. Misdirection failed. "We can worry about Luna later. For the moment I'd just think it would be good to rekindle your connection in case I was targeted by an enemy or something. And because connecting to the Elements was a wonderful experience for me, and I'd hope it was for you. You could learn a lot from meeting the current Bearers, too! We were going to see my friends about all this anyway, right?"

Celestia already disliked the direction of the conversation. "Right..." 

Twilight seemed to catch on. Her gaze softened and the frantic scramble that was Twilight's rate of thinking seemed to slow to a gentle amble. "I don't want to force you into anything. I'm sorry, I forget sometimes that I get a little too enthusiastic about friendship problems and I just...thought it might be a good way to make you happier." Celestia relaxed almost immediately.

"I did not say no, and what you are saying does have some truth to it. If my reconnecting with the Elements could assist in our national defense, then there is no reason for me not to try." Celestia stretched her wings and stood up from her chair. "But I would appreciate doing so at my own pace and discretion."

"Right." Twilight rubbed the back of her head with a hoof, looking down. "Well, err, if you want any help or support, you know I'm here." 

"Always." Celestia gave her a tender smile. "Perhaps we should focus on the meteor shower for now. I'm meeting Rarity later this week. I can see if such a connection you are talking about is even possible then, and we can discuss from there." Suddenly this was much more comfortable territory. Celestia could pace this much out. Gentle. Safe. The way she liked things. 

"Right." Twilight rose to meet her, their coats intertwining. They walked towards the top of the tower in relative peace. 

"I did mean what I said about the library, by the way." Celestia had a wing wrapped around Twilight, who in turn had pressed her head into the side of the larger alicorn's chin. "While this castle serves nicely as a sign of your authority--"

"--Which I hate holding over ponies to begin with--" 

"--it distinctly does not suit you." She smiled down at Twilight. "Of course, the Elements are nothing if not effective. You may wonder why the Elements did not simply fill a gigantic, cozy castle with books and filing cabinets and welcome signs." 

Twilight stopped for a moment. "Actually, yeah, that is weird." 

Would she really give away this secret? Perhaps not. Better to let Twilight figure it out herself. "Why do you think that is?" 

Immediately the smaller mare's mind set to work. A puzzle, a challenge, was always welcome when she was feeling down. And any talk of the library that once was was a surefire way to make her feel down. "Well, it seems so cold and distant and empty. There aren't even any basic amenities, like food or blankets--I had to borrow some of those from Applejack and...oh!" The pieces began to slide into place. But she had to be sure. "The castle's healing ability...it didn't heal around those things...so maybe--aha! The intent is for my friends and I to build it!" She smiled a little at the thought. "So it always reminds me of them." Her face fell a little. "But it's not exactly ideal putting that kind of weight on their shoulders." 

Celestia chuckled. "I am sure they would not consider it a taxing activity, helping you to settle into a new home. But I think there's is even more to the symbolism of the place than that. This castle is astounding, taller even than the one in Canterlot, and full of magic we have barely explored. Powerful, magical, full of secrets of the world the rest of us scarcely understand. But also isolated, cold, lonely. Does that sound like anyone you know?" Celestia smirked. 

"Right." Twilight bit her lip and looked away. Celestia raised her head back up with a wing. 

"But it needn't be that way forever. Soon it will be warm, open and filled with the shared experiences of a group of the most wonderful ponies in Equestria. And when it is, I'm sure the ponies who arrive here will see the charm and joy present in this castle as readily as I already do." Twilight blushed and mumbled something about spoiling her into Celestia's mane. "Anything you wish to share?" Celestia's brow raised to match her playful smile. 

"Let's just get to the top of the tower." Twilight led onwards, fighting the blood out of her cheeks. They reached the patio shortly, Twilight slipping out from under her wing to start arranging the telescopes. The evening was still young and the stars just beginning to shine. It brought Celestia back to when Twilight had told her stories of them not two weeks earlier. Despite the brief gap, it seemed like years had passed in the time between. She still hadn't told Luna what the two of them were tentatively doing. Let alone Cadance. It still seemed so fragile to her. A word or gesture in the wrong direction could push her back behind her mask, and she had no interest in forcing Twilight to fish her back out. 

Her thoughts as ever turned to the opinions of her subjects and how they might react to her actions. Would they see her as having groomed Twilight for this? As having too much sway over the mare to form a healthy relationship with her? As having played favourites with Twilight for years over a crush that they thought ran back further than it did? Twilight interrupted her thoughts with a gentle poke. "Luna did a good job, didn't she?" The younger mare gestured towards the set of constellations with a flick of her wing. She was right. The stars were arranged in clusters and swirls that looked more like clouds of dazzling lights more than clumps of individual points. Gaps in the nebulae allowed for individual meteors to fall through. 

Celestia tried to appreciate the show for its beauty and not read between the lines. But Luna was rarely so grand and sweeping in her art unless she needed the emotional release. Something was troubling Luna, and while the stress of Tirek's invasion could well have been the source, she could only hope Luna had not guessed at how her bond with Twilight had shifted. Disapproval from any of her family would be disheartening, but from Luna...Celestia had only just gotten her back. Twilight, bless her heart, moved herself close to Celestia and swiveled a telescope over to her. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Twilight propped her head up on her hooves and summoned a blanket to wrap them both in. 

"It is still supernatural that you are able to do that." Celestia protested. 

"Hey, I've had years to learn your tells. If your ear isn't higher than the third ring on your horn, you're worried about something. So...do you want to talk it out?" Celestia considered. 

"I fear the damage disapproval from our subjects could do to our relationship." It was half the truth. That was more than she would have told any other pony. "I worry about the doubt it could place on my authority and on the respect and appreciation you receive as a newly-born Princess. I do not know who to tell and who to keep secrets from. I do not wish to come between you and your friends, but I fear they might give us away." 

"It's not like we're plotting to steal Hearth's Warming, Princess." Twilight giggled. She stopped when she saw Celestia's face flicker with halfhearted mirth. "I know." She sighed. "I think we should tell Spike first." 

"Spike?" Celestia thought on it. The meteor shower began, streaks of light cutting through the inky blue-black of the night sky. 

"He's very loyal and pretty good at keeping secrets." Twilight craned her neck and swiveled a scope in order to catch a glimpse of a falling star streaking out from the center of Orion's Bridle. "Plus, we practically raised him. I think he deserves to know first. And it's not like he's likely to disapprove." 

"No?" 

"The little guy's got a crush on Rarity." Twilight smiled at the sight of the streaks of light crossing constellations and the joy of wondering how to calculate their course within her head. "Of course he kinda worships the ground she walks on, but, well, y'know..." 

"You used to do the same to me?"

"Hehe, yeah." Twilight blushed and ducked her head a bit. "So what I'm saying is he'll get it. Or, he'll think he gets it. But he won't likely judge either way." 

"That does seem like a good candidate, then. Mi Amore would also be a good first choice." Celestia looked at the stars. "She's known me long enough to know my intentions toward you were never impure, especially with her expertise in detecting love between ponies." 

"True, but she's also married to Shiny." Twilight cringed at the thought. "And he's gonna be pretty much watching you like a hawk no matter what. It doesn't matter if you were a Changeling or some mare I met at a library or that you're the ruler of all Equestria. You're dating his little sister." 

"Perhaps we tell her after Spike. The two of them should be enough to reign in any fraternal overprotectiveness on his behalf." Celestia began to breathe more fluidly. To her mild annoyance, she noticed that her ear was indeed now standing taller than the third ring on her horn. It would be Twilight who would notice differences in a pony's behaviour based on mathematical proportions. She flicked her gaze back to Twilight herself, who was currently enjoying the scientific and aesthetic masterpiece in front of them. 

"That could work. We'll call it a work in progress. Now as for my friends...I think it'd make sense if you told them." Twilight looked up to Celestia, her gaze searching Celestia's own. "I'm sorry that that kind of puts you on the spot, but if you want them to be your friends, too, you'll need to feel comfortable telling secrets to them, and not just letting me do it. I don't know how they'll react, but they're all very accepting ponies. I don't imagine it will end badly." 

Celestia tried not to look uncomfortable. But of course, that in turn was an uncomfortable situation and so Twilight's brow furrowed with concern and goodness when had Twilight gotten so good at reading her moods? "What you say makes sense. But, as we agreed upon, that may take me some time." Twilight nodded. 

"That makes sense. We tell the family first and, if we have enough support, see how my friends react. Take it step by step." Celestia relaxed again. It was, to be fair, hard to stay tense when she was wrapped in a blanket and pressed against the beating heart of her favourite pony. But then, this was a conversation no other pony in Equestria would have had with her. This was a bond no other pony in Equestria would share with her. "Of course there's a lot that could go wrong down the road..."

She looked over at Twilight. It was a mix of relief, concern and admiration that flooded her when she saw Twilight's face. The little pony was looking up at the night sky with a frown and a squint to her eyes. Her body shivered from exposure to the enormity of both the evening sky and the waiting scrutiny of the wider world. It was oddly comforting to see Twilight as scared as she was. She chimed in. "Well, regardless of what happens down the road, I will treasure this time spent with you. You bring up feelings in me I scarcely knew I could still experience. Much in my life shifts and colours my perception. Much of what I hold onto is these few moments where I truly feel like an individual, alive and free." She looked up at Luna's sky, gargauntan and daunting, her head side by side with Twilight's own. "No matter what comes next, I will remember this moment for eons to come." 

A pair of stars crisscrossed above them, two shining trails merging into one. Down below, two horns moved to touch together, sparks lighting between them as they went.
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rarity was in heaven above, and she felt endlessly guilty about it. The marvellous gold-coloured hooves of Silken Touch were pressing down against a set of muscles running along her withers that had been terribly mangled by a day spent eating altogether too much ice cream and feeling altogether far too sorry for herself. She sighed into the feather-light spa bed that her perfectly tended body had been laid across, allowing the delicate touch of the masseuse to firm up around the knotted muscle and unwind it with an expert carefulness.  Tension seeped out of her and into the bench upon which she lay. Of course, how blissful the experience was gave a flight of excitement to her heart. She felt like she was in some forbidden affair, with poor Aloe and Lotus none the wiser to the fact that she was getting a treatment from none other than Princess Celestia's personal health manager. "Do you mind if I turn over?" She questioned, waiting politely for the reply instead of tensing for an affirmative. She knew from experience in her early days of body care that sudden movements were a fantastic way to make these procedures run horribly awry. 

"But of course, my sweet." The masseuse kept working in silence, which Rarity took to mean that she was too professional to engage a client further unless they wished. Rarity gave a smile, making sure to twist her head so that the diligent worker could see, and then shifted her weight around so that she was facing the gigantic form of her current host, Regent of the Eternal Sun Princess Celestia. Rarity shifted a glance over to the face of her confidante and then back to the staff. 

"You know, Darling, if I'd know that this was the award awaiting me for helping you with a personal problem I would have sent scrolls to you every day looking to advise you." 

Celestia smiled a mischievous smile back at Rarity, enjoying the delicate sensation of the knots in her own muscles being undone. "If I'd known you would have stopped kissing my hooves after the first time I made good on our potential friendship I would have been more receptive to said offers." She winked a wink that Rarity noted seemed more like one fit for a Pinkie Pie than for a Twilight Sparkle, much less a Twilight Sparkle's noble professor. Her understanding of Twilight's enigmatic love and her newest friend was sadly lacking in depth, and she was ashamed to say most of her ideas on what Celestia was like came from Twilight's admittedly jaded descriptions. But she'd never gotten anywhere in life by running on hearsay. "Twilight has of course told me the story of how you two met before, and many more besides, but I've always been hopeful that I'd hear your perspective on the matter one day. After all, Twilight is perpetually wondering what you think of her, and, well, I must say that that curiosity does rub off on one after a while." 

"Asking me to gossip so early into our developing bond, Rarity? My my. How forward." Celestia gave her best attempt at a scandalized gape, which, to a seasoned practitioner like Rarity, looked more like an uncomfortable yawn. That was a useful bit of information. Their nation's leader so despised the dirty side of social politics that she lacked a background in it. But if Celestia showed any signs of studying her back, she had hidden them quickly. Celestia's eyes glassed over and grew distant, a smile that was powerful as it was small creeping across her face.

"I consider my School for Gifted Unicorns one of my proudest achievements. It was a difficult sell when it was first constructed, some five hundred years past. Commoners learning from tutors once reserved for the nobility? A construction project in the midst of a border dispute with the griffons? I only had it built in the first place by spinning it as a potential military academy in case the border tensions grew sour." 

Rarity balked, then leaned in closer. "Military academy?!" 

"Of course. A pony could learn tactics and the art of war if they so desired. It is an academic subject after all. But, and this is what I did not explain to the nobility at quite so much length, they could also learn sciences, magic, architecture, engineering, math or a dozen other exploits. And learn they did. The nobles rarely questioned what happened at the 'commoner' school so long as it produced a few generals I could parade in front of them on significant milestones. By the time they had guessed my ruse, I had several dedicated lobbyists raised at the school that were capable of defending my decision. But that all is a different story for a different time." Rarity blinked. A million questions whizzed through her head. This pony had flipped her understanding of her nation's history on its head as a casual afterthought. 

"Suffice it to say that I am extremely proud of my school and its students, and two of my favourite days of the year are tied to that school. Graduation and entry. But I rarely attend either straight away. Not only are there usually affairs of the day to be set in order, but my presence tends to bring about...nerves...in those who see me. I was on my way to console those who'd failed--and you must understand that I consider that activity at least as important as greeting the successes--when the Solar Observatory's roof was caved in by the head of a gigantic dragon. Imagine my panic! A dragon at my school, surrounded by foals scarcely old enough to cast magic safely!" She chuckled and gave Rarity a knowing smile. "Of course, in hindsight we both know that widdle Spikey Wikey," Twilight would pay for that act of high treason later, "was hardly a source of danger, but I could hardly have known that." 

The masseuses announced their completion of their work, and the two ponies on the slab stretched and began to stand. "Thank you, Silken Touch, Sound Mind. My sincerest compliments as usual." Both bowed--and at this Rarity noticed Celestia's smile lost its dimples--and moved to leave. Celestia flicked her gaze away and turned back to Rarity. "I raced inside to face the invaders head on. If nothing else I could stall while the foals were evacuated and the military arrived. But I found no dragon vanguard waiting for me inside. No ambush led by discontents with draconic muscle on their side. Instead I found a filly squirming in pain and confusion, magic like I'd never seen coursing through her body." Celestia paused to look directly at Rarity. "I hope you'll forgive another tangent, but it is important to me that I give context to the story." 

Rarity waved a hoof. "But of course, your Majesty. I do not know if you know, but a mutual friend of ours is quite talkative in the fields of science and history from time to time." Celestia gave a polite chuckle at this, extending her wing toward a tub big enough to comfortably fit two alicorns. Rarity supposed that made sense, though it was strange to think of Celestia and Luna sharing a bath together. She pulled open the door and settled herself inside. 

"One of the strangest parts of being regent is that my first meetings with ponies are often one-sided affairs. I rarely know a face in my first conversation, but of course they know mine," She tilted her head, looking away from Rarity for a moment. "You yourself saw me as the height of Canterlot decorum before I'd so much as uttered a word your direction." 

Rarity swooped in. "And I regret that decision very much in hindsight." Celestia smiled again, and eye contact was restored. 

"But of course you can see what an obstacle that can be. I can know nothing about an individual who purports to know and love everything about me. It can be very isolating. In this case, however, I did know this pony. At least in the way she knew me, as a concept more than a person. She was that beaming little face that always ran to the front of the line during the Summer Sun Celebration." Celestia chuckled at the memory of the tiny purple filly looking up at the spell she would cast in wonder, then turned on a pair of massive taps and set some bombs into the bath. "You must imagine that the Summer Sun Celebration is not an easy time for me," Celestia began to lather shampoo into her mane. Rarity did not imagine the Sun Celebration was hard for Celestia, in fact, and the look of confusion on her face must have been quite telegraphed because Celestia looked up from dipping her mane in the water and mouthed 'Luna'. 

And just like that the Princessly enchantment was broken. Celestia stuck her head under the tap, and the water washed away the magic, ethereal wisps of aurora. In their place the alabaster pony's hair turned to multicoloured strands of very equine hair that tangled clumped under the tap's continual flow. "But little Twilight's giant smile was always a highlight for me, even before I knew her as anything other than Giant Smile Filly. The thought of such a jubilant little unicorn in agony overrode my senses. I did the first thing that came to mind. I put a comforting hoof on her back to calm her down--and found myself becoming an equine lightning rod.

"In that moment I was filled with a kind of magic I had known only once in my life before. More powerful than Discord, Tirek or a thousand others I had faced. The magic of Harmony." Celestia quirked an eyebrow at Rarity. "But it was more than just that. Twilight Sparkle, at her most powerful, is not so much a unicorn, now alicorn, with access to the Elements of Harmony as she is a conduit for the Elements of Harmony in unicorn, or alicorn, form. Of course I only learned that as a thousand gigajoules of magic was coursing through my body and discharging through Canterlot Castle, but such was my reward for acting without thinking. 

"When Twilight came to, she was scared, vulnerable and guilt-ridden. My first thought, once I had stopped the buzzing in my own ears and returned my sense of balance, was to setting the inhabitants of the room at ease. Especially Twilight, who seemed most frightened of all by the truly unfair amount of power that had been thrust upon her so abruptly. I had to find a solution that would set my worried teaching staff at ease without crushing the hopes of the sweet, fragile pony in front of me. So I offered to teach her. It was a leap, I admit, having just adopted a young alicorn--that would be Cadance, mind you--and having to find room in the palace for a dragon hatchling, but it seemed the only natural course. I would help control her power and teach her to harness it and she would in exchange use her power responsibly as best she could. I hoped she'd find the arrangement comforting."

Celestia chuckled and pulled her mane back, revealing eyes that dazzled with memory. "Imagine my surprise when she lit up into the most adorable little dance I had ever seen in my life, screaming her joy to the high heavens." 

Rarity rolled her eyes, moving to grab some shampoo of her own. "So I have seen from time to time, yes." 

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "So you have seen?" 

Rarity gave Celestia a flat look. "Twilight reenacts the dance whenever she recounts the story." 

Celestia burst out laughing at this, unable to stop herself. A wide smile spread across her face, and, try though she might to resist its infectious exuberance, Rarity found herself giggling uncontrollably after long enough. "What a beautiful visual that is." Celestia concluded once she had enough air to say so. 

"Better to see it for yourself, dear. But what was that you were saying about Spike and Cadance?" Rarity paused, letting the shampoo work its way to her roots and then following through with a suitably generous supply of conditioner. "Did you have a herd of little creatures running underfoot while you were training Twilight?" She tried to imagine young Spike, Twilight and Cadance all together in the same castle. She was uncertain of how she would manage such a situation without screaming. 

"It was a difficult and wonderful chapter in my life. It may have been too much for me if not for the help of the ponies I had chosen to adopt into my life themselves." Celestia's eyes cast back to a nostalgic world now long since grown beyond. "Spike was near impossible for most of the palace staff. I cannot go into much of his raising without breaching his trust, given he is very sensitive about his origins, but I will say that we would have had to surrender him to the dragon lands and an unknown future if not for Twilight.

"She had time enough between her studies to spend time researching Spike's needs in parts of the archives even I had forgotten about. When it comes to her ability to organize, she was as diligent then as she is now." 

"But much shorter." Rarity thought on the idea of a deadly serious tiny Twilight Sparkle leading palace staff through a labyrinth of ancient books, rattling off facts and assigning ponies to dragon-care duties with the severity of a military instructor as she went. She couldn't help the coo on her lips. 

"Yes, she was very precocious in a number of ways. But I soon learned she was also very fragile. Her first day in a larger classroom she ended up hiding in the bathroom for hour-long blocks when the extra stimulus became too much. Ponies came to me with complaints that if the class got too loud then she would lose herself in the textbooks and refuse to interact with others even when prompted. Worst of all, a single negative word from anyone, most especially me, could ruin her entire day and cause her to spend hours at a time trying to undo whatever flaw she or the other party perceived." 

"Oh dear. You mean to tell me that was worse when she was younger?" Rarity thought of all the times Twilight had taken a negative thought to heart and how well each instance had ended. 

"At first, yes. This is where Cadance really shone. She was a teen by the time I had taken her in, and very insecure of herself. It would be a violation of her trust to explain my reasons for adopting her to you, but suffice it to say very few ponies were allowed to know a new alicorn had abruptly ascended in Cloudsdale, especially given some of the trauma of her ascension." At Rarity's look of concern and curiosity, Celestia gave a gentle shake of her head. "Trauma which I am not at liberty to disclose. Cadance rarely speaks of her ascension even with Shining Armor. I mention it was hard for her only because it may help you understand why asking her may be a poor idea itself. Do you understand?" 

"Yes, Celestia. I do. So how did all this tie back to Twilight?" The picture was beginning to form, but it was not yet complete. 

"Cadance found a kindred spirit in her. The memories of her ascension haunted Cadance in much the same way Twilight's thoughts tortured her. Nightmares, moments of horror that froze her in place, overwhelming and sudden fear at seeming simple things like bright flashes of light or loud noises. Twilight was also tormented by the mundane, and I think it was purifying for both of them to see that in another pony. But Twilight was much younger than Cadance. Cadance could teach her, comfort her, help to raise her, and in doing so, teach, comfort and raise herself. It's no secret that a good teacher learns and grows with their students. Twilight may well have saved Cadance from her demons in ways I don't think even Twilight herself is aware of." 

Rarity thought with gratitude back to the simplicity of her own childhood. But there had been moments of insecurity, had there not? She cast her thoughts back to distant memories she'd long buried. "I think I understand." She lost herself in the thought a moment. Celestia sat back politely, beginning to rub soap along her hooves and torso while she listened. Rarity bit her lip, uncertainty creeping into her. Was Celestia trustworthy with this information? She certainly seemed careful with Spike and Cadance's secrets. Perhaps she would wait till the end of the stor--

"I think you do." Celestia gave a tiny nod. Simple, gentle, encouraging. "I am always overjoyed to hear of that kind of mutualism. It is the philosophy upon which our nation was founded, the kind I always try to aspire to in my rule and in my life." She waited for Rarity's reply. Rarity in turn began to wash the cleaning products out of her mane, using the distraction to consider. What she knew of Celestia thus far was a considerate, secretive pony who had great empathy for everyone she encountered. The fashionista decided to take the plunge, parting her hair to look Celestia in the eye. 

"Sweetie Belle is a very musical pony," she began slowly, "and I have always loved sewing and fashion. These are not very practical career paths..." This was it. Now or never. "My parents were...are...well, not terribly well off. I know, it seems trite compared to whatever Cadance was going through," Celestia shook her head. No, it doesn't. Another nod. Keep going. Rarity smiled a little, "but it made it hard for us to find ourselves. Mother and father would both come home exhausted, jobs were hard to come by. Sweetie and I did much of the chores. We had little to encourage ourselves to grow. But we had each other." 

"Twilight has never told me this story. I do not think she knows." Celestia searched Rarity's own eyes for confirmation. 

"Very few ponies do." Rarity admitted. beginning to clean her barrel with a bar of her own soap. "It's not a happy memory." She brightened. "But it has a happy ending! Once I was old enough to sell the fabrics I started to make, money started coming in and my parents had the time and energy to properly encourage me. In turn I could buy better materials and the combination of more money, more practice and more support turned some humble presents for the neighbours into a flourishing business in the heart of the city." 

The inevitable question of what happened to Sweetie Belle crossed Celestia's mind, but she put the thought aside. Rarity would tell her when she felt comfortable, and the finality of her story thus far told her she was not comfortable enough right now to divulge quite everything. "But enough on me, you were explaining the little trio you had at Canterlot." 

"Yes, well, Cadance at this point also took an, ahem, shining to Twilight's older brother."

Rarity gave her a flat look. "Puns are unladylike." 

"I am old enough to be your mother two hundred times over. I am allowed an old mare joke every now and again." There was that puckish wink again. Another thing for Rarity to consider down the line. 

Rarity huffed. "Yes, yes, you were saying." 

"She was very shy about her attraction at first. But Shining Armor loves his sister very much and was very impressed by Cadance's own protectiveness. I could tell they were in love even back then, though they did not admit it themselves at first. It can creep up on you, the knowledge you are in love with somepony." She chuckled. "To say nothing of how long and hard you slaved to make Twilight and I see what was plainly in front of us. Through nursing Twilight's own concerns, as well as her time sitting for Spike and her budding romance with Shining, Cadance began to recover. Become her own mare."

Rarity's snout wrinkled into the daintiest of tiny pouts. Celestia quirked an eyebrow at the unladylike display of vexation. "Is there something troubling you?" 

"Some mares..." Rarity shook her head. "Do not mind me, darling." Rarity sighed. "Just thinking of my own future." Celestia waited for Rarity to go on. When she did not, Celestia decided to weigh the costs and benefits of letting Rarity stew compared to prodding the sore point she'd stumbled upon. 

"You are a young and spry mare, Rarity." She meant the compliment in earnest, even if it did sting of some manipulation. "You have an entire life waiting ahead of you, filled with wonderful friends and charted by a meteoric career. Why would your own future earn such a look of distaste?"

Rarity sighed again. "I am merely being petty and silly. We should just drop it." She continued to sulk an inelegant sulk. "Cadance's life came with many hardships mine did not. I do not need envy her." Rarity's ear twitched in the ensuing silence. Celestia opened her mouth to ask if Rarity wished to speak of a different topic, but Rarity's voice cut past her own. "Fine! Fine! You have talked me into it!"

Celestia said nothing. Something deep and instinctual within her told her that if she so much as uttered a word the ticking explosive that had formerly been known as Rarity might detonate then and there. 

"I just think it's so unreasonable that a mare makes herself available in all the possible ways, flags down stallions left and right and still, still is not able to find a proper mate in this world! I am aware that life is seldom fair, but it seems more and more like some terrible joke is being played upon me and that I am the only one not in on the punchline. I mean, really, is it so much to ask that one singular stallion actually see something in little old me?" Rarity huffed, crossing her hooves. A gentle wing lightly touched her shoulder. 

"Is there something you wish to talk about, Rarity?" 

The little unicorn sagged. "Life is not fair. That is all." 

"An accurate assessment that most adults must come to terms with at any point in their lives. But allow me to give you a counterpoint to your perception." Rarity looked over at her reluctantly, trying to force herself away from her own pity-party. "Do you think most ponies find true love on their first try?" 

"Well, I mean, a proper lady should be able to--" 

"That is not what I asked." Celestia's smile was gentle and supportive, but also firmly shut out that line of thought.

"Well, alright, but I've tried so many times and so little has come of any of it! It's not for a lack of trying that I find myself set far down the path to spinsterhood! No, it is destiny, I tell you!"

"Rarity..."

"Cruel, heartless destiny! But I will not let it effect me!"

"Rarity." 

"I will be stoic, a proper martyr in the face of overpowering loneliness. Bravely will I sew dresses for the happy couples that surround my life." Rarity's lips wavered in a crooked smile. The waiting explosion continued to build. 

Celestia returned to listening. There was clearly more to this Vesuvian display of emotion that demanded itself be heard. 

"Though my own heart silently breaks, happily will I ready myself to provide for the endless tied of dances, of marriages...and anniversaries...of...of baby showers..." The dam broke, and Rarity flopped herself into Celestia, who caught her in simultaneous surprise and confusion. "Oh, Princess!" Rarity wailed, a hoof to her head and, to Celestia's surprise, genuine tears forming within her eyes. "I do not want to die a-lo-o-o-o-one!" 

Celestia held Rarity while she wept, the former trying her best to keep her surprise at the outburst from compromising her ability to help the latter. When the inelegant blubbering of the dainty fashionista had reduced itself to the occasional sniffle, Celestia waited with patience. 

"And who have been the ruffians who have broken darling Rarity's heart?" Celestia gave Rarity a squeeze for support and then set her back down, lowering herself to look the other mare directly in the eye. 

Rarity sighed. "There was that Blueblood rapscallion," Celestia grimaced at this. Ah, "and then there was Trenderhoof and then most recently I was shot down by Hoity Toity! In all cases I never even had a chance to prove myself unworthy! Always turned away at the gates!" 

"I remember this journal entry. Tell me, after learning more about Trenderhoof and Blueblood, did you especially feel you had lost anything of great value in failing to enter a relationship with them?"

Another sigh. "No, but that isn't the problem." 

"Oh, but I think it is." Celestia was gentle, but firm. Rarity began to suspect there was a lesson about to be sprung upon her at the heart of all this. "What about Hoity Toity? Did you think he would be a good mate, or was there another reason for you selecting him?" 

"I-I mean, it was more out of a need to find somepony on Hearts and Hooves day..." Rarity bit her lip. She began to consider what Celestia was asking of her. "And you are saying that each time I was looking for something in my life instead of somepony." 

Celestia gave a little nod. Rarity took little consolation. "B-but I'm not shallow!" She protested by weakly flailing a hoof, which splashed water from the tub with an inelegant 'ploop'. 

Celestia continued to look directly into Rarity's eyes. Years of experience dealing with deflated little ponies helped buoy her while they spoke. "I never said you were. The story you told me earlier provides strong context to your actions. Your desire to seek out an influential stallion is admirable from the perspective of a career mare who had to fight against waves of resistance from the upper class to get where she is today. You want a partner who will see the beauty in your dreams and protect you from the barbs of the nobility. That is not a petty desire, though you can see why it has not landed you any interested stallions." 

Rarity sank a little deeper into the water. "Well...yessss, I suppose I can see why being used to further somepony else's career might be unappealing. But it's not like I only wanted to use them!" 

"No, dear. And I know this. But they could not possibly know as much having only met you. You and I both know better than most how important first impressions are." 

"And the first impression I've been giving is of a desperate mare trying to prop herself up. Oh, Celestia, no wonder it's been disaster after disaster for me! Thank you! Thank you so much for all your help!" Rarity practically bounced, her previous sagging left behind. 

"I am afraid there is something else I must add." Celestia breached this portion of the conversation slowly. 

"Yes? What?" Rarity stopped her exuberant vibrating, pursing her lips and inspecting Celestia's face for possible clues. 

"Your life dream, based upon what your story tells me and what your goals in dating have been, is to rise in prestige to the heights of nobility, is it not? To be admired for your artist's work and your sophisticated social grace?" 

"Well, yes, and...?" 

"Your current romantic efforts have been self-defeating, I am sorry to say. What you are trying to prove to the world is that you can rise to the heights of greatness on your own. With your birth circumstances working against you like they are, your goal is to show anypony can be truly noble no matter who they are or where they come from. But there are many mares who entered the nobility through romance. Marriage is one of the most common ways for the lower classes to enter into houses, and it is a tale as old as time. Do you see how that would erode your ambitions, instead of bolstering them?" 

Rarity's eyes, which had been growing wider and wider with horror as each new piece of information fell into place, at last closed in shame. "You are right, of course. I did not think through my greater implications, and as a mare of high society, I should be ashamed of my lack of forethought." 

"Hardly. You have caught me making far worse romantic missteps than your own, and most ponies look back on their earliest attempts at romance with at least some degree of remorse or shame. As I said before, you are a young mare with her entire life ahead of her. You can afford to make these mistakes in the knowledge there will be time to correct them." 

Rarity put a hoof to her chin. "But where would I even begin to look? Ponyville? Manehattan?" 

Celestia chuckled at that. "I can't tell you how to live your life, Rarity. But I can give you some time to think. Would you like to hear the rest of my story while you contemplate?" 

Rarity's brow furrowed. "Story? What do you--goodness, your story! I'm sorry I interrupted! Please, by all means, continue." 

Celestia's chuckle morphed into a full laugh, soft and carefree as a gentle summer breeze. "I am glad that you did stop me. This old mare can talk for hours if she's left unchecked, and it has been far too long since I've been able to help a new friend. Besides, the discussion reminded me of past talks with Twilight, and her growth is the next chapter in my tale.

"Twilight was largely removed from the classroom environment when it became clear she did not do well in a standard academic setting, and thrived from then on in what was more akin to a homeschooling overseen by her various professors and presided over by myself. She was allowed a room in the astronomy tower where she could study quietly away from her peers, and this she swiftly converted into a small library. She learned spells at an incredible pace and grew in confidence, growing herself in more ways than one. She began to show the loving and compassionate side of her personality to more and more ponies, even forming tentative bonds with ponies like Moondancer that she was beginning to work up the nerve to act upon." Celestia's nostalgic smile was replaced with a frown. 

"But Cadance and Shining both became more distant to her in this time. They were busy with new lives that did not intersect with her own, and beginning to develop a relationship in secret that she quite obviously could not share in. She lost them to their careers, and became bitter and cold in the aftermath, something you may have noticed when you first met her. It was hard for her, her early independence. Spike decided to stay with her rather than leave her to rot in her tower, and while she was not terrible to him, she did not treat him with the respect he deserved. Something had to be done." 

"I think I know the rest of this story, yes." Rarity waved a hoof. "But what of you? You talked at length about how these ponies helped each other, but that was not my question." 

Celestia gave a helpless laugh. "Guilty as charged. You know by now that I rarely talk at length about myself." She thought back to Rarity's earlier confession of her own childhood days, and gave a sheepish smile, a silent plea for acceptance that Rarity took with a graceful bob of her curls. "They were hard days for myself also. I knew of a terrible looming future that my little protegees did not. I was terribly worried for them and their safety, and terribly proud of their achievements. Everything I did had to be enough prepare for the chance that Nightmare Moon..." She whispered the next bit to herself. "That my own sister would..." She returned to her previous volume. "They were powerful in magic beyond words. Threats to the Nightmare's power. She might have targeted them, as I knew she would inevitably target me. And I also feared losing them to their own demons, as I had lost Luna to hers. 

"I took a student before Twilight, as you've by now become familiar with. She was powerful and wise and precocious as Twilight or Cadance, but also vain and entitled and aggressive in ways they were not. I was foolish to isolate her. I made her training intensive in hopes of better equipping her to fight the Nightmare, swelling her ego and making her impatient to surpass me and be recognized for her talent. I could not get her to stop and see the need to reach out and join others, forgetting, fool that I was, that the magic of Harmony operated on the bonds forged with other ponies and not on the strength of the user's magic. So there was always the fear that one of them might fall into the same traps as she had. I wonder sometimes if adding her to my peculiar little school of powerful oddballs might have...but there is no point thinking on the past. 

"Though they were days of looming danger and the shadow of past mistakes, they were also days of joy that I shall always treasure. Cadance was a pony of infectious joy and enthusiasm, always with a positive spin on life that I couldn't help but take in stride myself. It made me feel that if she could move past her trauma and see the beauty and wonder in life at such an early age, perhaps some day I might be able to forget my own darker moments. She also was very observant in a time when nobody at the palace was very aware of my own growing anxiety. I daresay I taught her the subleties of the different Princessly masks a little too well, as she became very good at smoothing palace life and giving me some time to unwind that I desperately needed. For the first time in four hundred years I was able to take days off! It was a small miracle." 

Rarity would store that particularly heartbreaking line of thought away for later. Celestia did not need pity right now. She smoothed her face toward receptiveness, hoping Celestia had not noticed the wrinkle. 

"Spike, once he was old enough to do more than belch fire and giggle, was a needed grounding presence among several extremely dysfunctional ponies. He developed a sharp wit from Twilight and a sense of togetherness from Cadance and combined these together to grow into a child filled with amusing observations and a keen understanding of the people around him. Some of the most poignant observations into my own state of being come from Spike. To say nothing of his eagerness to help others and how touching it was to see him racing about the palace trying to please Twilight in some way or other. 

"And lastly Twilight..." Celestia drifted off, chewing the inside of her cheek. "Where to begin? Twilight was...well, most of all a source of faith for me. That little filly believed in me absolutely no matter what the circumstances, and this was very welcome." Seeing the way Rarity had tilted her head to listen more closely, Celestia forced herself to elaborate, sucking in air in the hopes it might quell the rising burning sensation building in her chest. "It is...hard. To believe in oneself when your largest mistake begins to overwhelm your entire future. It is hard to believe in oneself when that mistake looms overhead, threatens to take your dearest loved ones from you. When it already has. It is hard to..." Celestia trailed off, looking away and hiding her face behind the wet strands of her mane. "...I'm sorry, I'd rather not explain that further. I hope you understand." 

Celestia turned away fully, her back to Rarity and her head bowing over the side of the tub. She tried to purge the memories from their place at the front of her mind. There can only be one Princess in Equestria. Something shook her from her thoughts. A little tap against her shoulder. Rarity, bless her, had her little hoof placed firmly upon Celestia, a gentle smile on her face. Celestia reacted to the touch by placing a hoof over top of Rarity's own and looking back to smile at her. She tried to begin again. "Twilight rekindled my love for ponies whenever I spoke with her, too. She was always trying to help others, always trying to make the world a better place, even though she was terrified of so many aspects of other ponies and the world around her. She was strong in ways I could hardly imagine, and seeing that in turn gave me strength.

"Twilight was also a second chance of sorts. Always patient with me, always understanding, or trying her best to. Always seeing my good intentions for what they were. After so many had turned...well...on me, I..." She shook her head, lips failing to find purchase on words. "I'm sorry, Rarity. Much of what I love about Twilight is bound up in emotions I do not often express." 

"I meant it when I said you did not have to explain more than what made you comfortable." Rarity said this with a gentle firmness. "We can speak of Twilight another time." She decided to shift topics. "Do you think that was the key to these days being, as you say, filled with joy, then? That Cadance and Twilight and Spikey formed this, this network?" 

"Of course. Networks are how ponies form society itself. Think of your career. Think back to all the ponies that helped you on the way. Hoity Toity. Photo Finish. Fancypants. All of them have nothing but good to say about you, and I am sure you have much good to say about them. They all had their own starts to their careers, all needed ponies to help them with that precious, delicate first start." She considered what she had said for a moment, then chuckled and pulled the plug of the bath tub. "Maybe Twilight is more right than she knew." 

"About what?" Rarity began to pull towels from their shelves beside the bathtub, levitating several to Celestia. 

"That is between me and her, I am afraid. But I will let you in at a later time, I assure you. Until then," she glanced at the clock, for it was getting late, "consider this: if you wish to form a counterculture of acceptance and diversity in Canterlot that you once described to me, you will need others with which to build it. Reach out. Form bonds. They are what built this nation, and they are what keep it strong." Celestia chuckled to herself and shook her head. "If only I had remembered that." 

Rarity soaked this much all in, then glanced at the clock herself. "Oh dear. It appears to be getting late. Well, thank you for this very much, darling. I missed our conversations so."

"And I as well. Oh, and before I forget, I was wondering...I would like to arrange a visit to Granny Smith's at some point. Would you mind discussing it with Applejack?"  

"Of course not, dear. I'll be sure to let her know right away." The two ponies removed their towels and Celestia returned her regalia. "May I be so inclined as to ask if we might...do this again some time?" 

Celestia chuckled a gentle chuckle. "You might be. I would love to return to this at some point. Especially if you," She jabbed a wingtip at Rarity's nose with a puckish smile, "do some of the talking next time. Though I confess I find myself interested in rumors that you are opening a dress shop in Canterlot soon. I may have to find time in my schedule to stop by, present company permitting."

At this information, Rarity began to prance in place and made a shrieking noise rather like the mating call of an exotic bird. Celestia could only laugh at this. "Take care, Rarity." 

"Oh, I will, your majesty! I will very much, thank you! Thank you!" She began to bounce towards the door in a way that made Celestia think back to a little purple pony chanting the word 'yes' over and over, babbling to herself about endorsements and advertisement and the generosity of others. Celestia smiled a quiet and ancient smile. 

The door closed behind the bouncing unicorn, and Celestia found herself lost in both the memories of her time raising that strangest circle of friends and in thoughts to the future of the new friendship she was beginning to truly cultivate.  

Her reminiscence was interrupted by a humming noise, and the glowing of a tiny, hopeful glimmer of teal light on her regalia. She looked down at her neck in surprise, only to see a tiny opal of pale blue had miraculously inset itself into her peytral. The stone was but a pinprick, perhaps even barely formed, but there nonetheless. She removed her slipper and touched a careful hoof to it. At once she was bombarded with memories and magic. Adopting Cadance. Giving Twilight her tower. Spike's first blanket. The first scholarships at her school. Returning Luna to her throne. She pulled away in surprise, uncertain of the nature of this foreign stone. But the aura of power had been unmistakable. Twilight was right. Tiny, fragile as it was, the stone was unmistakable. With a delicate smile, she touched her hoof to it again. An Element of Generosity.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweet Apple Acres. Even the mention of the place filled Celestia with a sense of nostalgia. This magnificent estate had been a tiny cottage in the woods once. A smooth road running evenly through veritable forests of apple trees and potato fields had once been a timid path carving its winding way through the dark and twisted vines and roots of the Everfree Forest. The only mare crazy enough to settle it had been a lime green earth pony with a shocking white mane and fire in her eyes. When Celestia had first met her she'd been barely past teenaged and better known for sour moods than good business. Now her empire of agriculture was large enough that Celestia could muse on the entire span of its history just walking across the property. 

Waiting for her near the clearing that led to the barn and farmhouse was another pony who'd grown into something beautiful in the years since they'd first met. Twilight was wearing a pair of bulging saddlebags that bore her cutie mark and an excited grin, taking a few steps to let off excess energy. Celestia settled in step beside her. "You seem to be in good spirits." 

"Rarity told me all about the big spa day! She spent half an hour talking Spike's ear off about all the stuff she's going to have to change for the opening, and how happy she was that you asked to come." Twilight glanced around, then gave her a tender nuzzle to her side. 

Celestia accepted graciously yet cautiously, her eyes also searching for potential witnesses. "It isn't like we've never embraced in public," she reasoned more to herself than to Twilight, "I think we can still get away with those without our ruse being guessed." 

"Right. Well, I told Applejack you were coming, but she wanted to know why and seemed suspicious when I froze up a little. I don't know how long we'll be able to hide from her, because she'll want more than just 'a friendly visit' as justification for why you're here." Celestia's face fell. 

"Luna also will not be fooled for long. I have distracted her during our evening and morning meetings by discussing a recent worrying habit of casting magic in her sleep that she seems to be developing, but she is more than ever suspicious of why I have been out." Celestia cast a glance down at the tiny gem resting upon her peytral. "And also of this." 

Twilight immediately honed in on the crystal and its magical signature. Her eyes went wide, and her expression went from worried to awestruck in the blink of an eye that it took her mind to process what she was seeing. "Already?!" She hissed, eyes wide. 

"Yes. As you yourself said, things with Rarity went well. Quite well. It is barely formed, and will have to withstand any strains on our friendship that may occur, but I think Rarity and I are truly beginning to see each other as friends. The Elements, as you predicted, have been reacting in turn." 

"B-but this is great!" Celestia felt herself nod, only now noticing her comfortable smile and that her thoughts of Luna had vanished. "Well, now we just need to see if...well, obviously, if you still want to..." 

"Which I do." 

"Right! Well, I could ask around, or...no, I should let you do this. But if there's anything I can do to help, I'm right here!" 

"That attitude alone has done more for me than I can ever repay. But come, I believe the Apples are expecting us." Celestia spread her wings, and took a leap into the air with a carefree laugh. Twilight was stammering something about waiting up, but a few rapid flaps of her own wings and her faithful companion was right there beside her, as Celestia knew she would be. Celestia's wings spread wide and soaked in the sun she had risen earlier that morning, her eyes closing to better soak in the sensation of air rushing over her. 

Snapping her eyes open, she made a quick diving bank towards the Apple household, calling Twilight's name and using the tilt of her wingspan to beckon her forward. Ever the over-achiever, Twilight shot under her barrel like a bullet, body spinning in a tight corkscrew. Celestia watched her trajectory, realizing with a start that Twilight had too much speed and not enough experience for the maneuver she was about to attempt. Realization turned to fear, and she yelled out Twilight's name with a gasp. Then came the thud. 

In a heartbeat she had folded her wings into a dive and landed beside her companion, whose face was currently planted directly into the ground in a trough of her own making. She silently chided herself for being so foolish as to not watch where Twilight was going. "Twilight! Are you alright? Please, tell me if you can stand." Twilight's chest began to shudder, a rhythmic noise muffled by the soil coming from her buried partner's face. "Say something, Twilight, please." She hauled Twilight up, trying to throw up her best supportive smile at what were surely going to be sobs of pain and regret. 

Twilight's giggles took her off guard, as did the fact that the mare was grinning from ear to ear. Celestia watched Twilight wipe the dirt away from her face with a hoof, and her anxiety was wiped away with it. "Now I know how Dash feels. Oh, that was about eighty percent amazing and twenty percent embarrassing. I can see it now. Twilight Sparkle's Spinning Faceplant, the next Sonic Rainboom!" She noticed Celestia's look of worry and shrunk a little. 

Applejack's laugh cut in, and the two mares turned to see her setting down her apple cart. "Howdy, yer Majesties!" 

"Applejack--" 

"I know, I know, no titles." Applejack rolled her eyes, pulling up her stetson to better look the two over. "You didn't sprain anythin' in that there crash, did ya Twi?" 

"Please. I crashed way harder than that after Shiny launched me on my coronation." Twilight's gaze followed Celestia's ears. At the expected droop, she clarified. "I'm not hurt, really. I calculated that we weren't flying high enough to actually hurt myself if I picked up speed and missed my mark. I wouldn't try to impress you and leave room to fail so badly I got hurt." Celestia opened her mouth to reply, but Applejack was quicker to the draw. 

"Next time could ya maybe pick a backup plan that doesn't involve making craters in my front lawn?" Applejack winked, and Twilight blushed at this. 

"Yeah...I can fix that." With a sheepish grin, she began smoothing the dirt over such that the trough she had dug into the Apple property started to even itself out. She shot a reassuring smile back to Celestia, who gave the tiniest of nods in response. 

"So what brings you here to our orchard today, Princess? Twilight said you was here for a 'leisure visit', but I'd buy a family's worth of life insurance from Flim and Flam before I buy that. What do you have ta keep hush-n'-hush?" Applejack's squint followed both of their faces in equal measure.

"Twilight spoke the truth, I am pleased to say. You may be aware I spent some time with Rarity recently--"

"--Me an' everybody else in Ponyville--" Applejack rolled her eyes.

"--and I greatly enjoyed the visit, as I am sure you have no doubt also heard." Applejack chuckled at Celestia's wink. "Twilight has been taking on more of our shared duties recently," The little alicorn beside her puffed up her chest at this mention, "and I now find myself with some time off."

"So whatcha doin' at little old Sweet Apple Acres, then? I'd thought you'd wanna go sightseein' in Manehattan or take a vacation or somethin'." Twilight giggled at that, putting a hoof to her lips to stifle the gentle sound. 

Applejack blinked. "Somethin' funny?" 

At a look from Celestia, Twilight waved a hoof. "Sorry, sorry. I should let Celestia explain." 

"Well, alright." Applejack glanced over at the alicorn in question. 

"I am older than most of Equestria's monuments, Applejack, and have had opportunities to attend their openings, centennials and bi-centennials each in almost all cases. And beyond that..." Celestia held her tongue, unable to find quite the right words for the rest of her explanation.

"And beyond that, ponies mean more to her than statues and buildings ever will anyway." Twilight waved a hoof, finishing the smoothing over of her indent in the Apple family lawn with a final flick of her magic. "It's why the palace has stained glass of all the stuff everyone's ever done for Equestria, not landscapes or portraits of the four of us. This is a vacation to her, Applejack." 

"Quite." Celestia's expression relaxed ever so slightly, meeting Twilight's eyes to give a silent thanks. Twilight gave a proud little smile at that.

"Well, uh, I mean you're welcome as long as you'd like to stay." Applejack opened the door and gestured for them to enter. "Just wasn't expectin' you to just sorta show up."

"I understand, Applejack. It is a common reaction." Celestia ducked her head to fit under the door, and Twilight followed suit. "I was hoping I might speak to Granny Smith. Would that be possible?" 

Applejack put a hoof to her chin. "Well, I ain't certain how lively she'll be, but I can try for her. Granny!" Applejack trotted up to the foot of the stairs and stomped a hoof. "Granny! Visitors!" 

"I'm comin', I'm comin'! Saw through the window. Just can't take these infernal stairs like I used to. Applejack, could you be a dear and help this old mare down?" Applejack jumped to the task with a simple 'on it!', and shortly Granny Smith was seated at the head of the table, with Applejack on one side and Celestia and Twilight on the other. Granny looked the two visitors up and down--or, more accurately, she looked the space between the two up and down and then clicked her tongue and smiled to herself. Celestia and Twilight shared a glance, which she also took note of. 

"So what brings you to our humble neck of the woods, yer Majesty?" Granny narrowed one eye and widened the other, leaning across the table. 

"You and I know better than most that there is nothing 'humble' about Sweet Apple Acres, Missie." 

Applejack and Twilight shared a look of confusion. Granny simply chuckled. "Best not to use my real name in front of the youngins. They get mighty confused to hear my name isn't 'Granny'." 

"You might understand why I would find calling you 'Granny' to be a tad ironic." Any tension that might have come from meeting Applejack had already left Celestia's body, though the mare in question was looking between Celestia and her grandmother with growing confusion. 

"Ha! Well, nice to know the Celestia I remember wasn't just my imagination. So I take it this isn't royal business, then?" She looked between Twilight and Celestia.  

"I admit this is more of a friendly visit." Celestia's gaze saw past Granny rather than into her. "If this is an inconvenient time I can come back later." 

"Nonsense! T'ain't a crime to visit a pony for friendly reasons." Granny smirked. "Tried to flag ya down at the Summer Sun Celebration last year, but ye seemed a mite distracted by somethin'. Or someone." She gave a nod to Twilight. 

"How does Celestia know Granny exactly?" Twilight whispered. 

"Granny bought the deed to our land from her." Applejack responded. "An' every time we needed to buy a new plot, she asks the Princess about it again." 

"Wow. How long has that been going on?" 

"How come you never stopped by before, anywho? Surely you'd know by now yer welcome here on Apple land when e'r you please." Granny sat back in her chair a little. 

"Since Sweet Apple Acres was founded." Applejack replied. 

"Really?!" Twilight turned to Celestia. "Princess, you didn't tell me you'd known Granny that long! We could have started with her!" 

"Started what?" Granny blinked, and Twilight shrank back into her chair with a blush and a bashful smile. 

Celestia wrapped a wing around Twilight, squeezing her companion's shoulder to calm the both of them. "Twilight's recent crowning has allowed me some time off, and she recently convinced me to start using the new spare time more effectively." Celestia looked down, but a tiny smile was upon her lips. Applejack blinked. Was Celestia...nervous? "We thought I might...reconnect...with my subjects. I admit I've been much more distant from my little ponies than I would have liked for much longer than I would have liked." She looked back up at Granny with a smile that was as strained as it was genuine. "I had...hoped...that I might...visit an old friend?" 

Applejack again tried to fit this shy and nervous pony into her vision of the calm, patient and wise Princess she'd grown up with. It was hard for her. She could tell she was missing some of the pieces that made the puzzle fit together.  

"Well, that's mighty big of ya, Princess Sparkle." Granny nodded to Twilight, who waved off the praise. "I'd be happy to talk a little more close-like with a business partner as reasonable as the likes of you." Celestia flicked an ear, returning it to its former height. "And yer partner here." She nodded over to Twilight. 

"Umm...well, yes. Partner." Granny was grinning for some reason and Twilight wasn't sure she liked it. "I, um, like to think of myself as more of an assistant..." Granny's smile turned predatory. 

"Applejack, where are your manners? Get our guests some refreshments!" Applejack jumped out of her seat with a 'yes, Granny Smith!' and set off toward the kitchen. Granny clicked her tongue. "That pony. Didn't even ask what ye wanted neither. Hope you still have a taste for apple juice." 

"From your farm? Always." Celestia's wing still rested upon Twilight. Granny's eyes traced the appendage from Celestia's chest to Twilight's shoulders. 

"And I s'pose I have you to thank for all this? I knew it'd take somepony special to haul this old mare away from her throne. Shoulda seen it sooner, fool that I was, but I'm not as sharp as I used to be and the farm takes a lot out of me." 

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Well, I mean, I am the Princess of Friendship. But Applejack said you two went back. Surely you two have talked as friends before? What do I have to do with this?" 

"More than yer lettin' on, that's what. Celestia weren't a pony for makin' friends before. Awful quiet-like and never speakin' her mind, 'fore you came along. You got her visitin' Ponyville just to check up on ya. She'd go decades without visitin' Ponyville, but she ain't gone a month without visitin' you." Twilight suddenly very much disliked where this was going. 

"What I mean is I've seen pegasi doin' cartwheels in the skies together before, yer Majesties." Both of the ponies in question failed to keep their eyes from bulging at the accusation. "Ye sit too close together, too. Lookin' at each other when you think others ain't lookin'.  Never thought I'd see you of all ponies actin' like a filly at the dance, Princess Celestia." Granny Smith rested her chin on her hooves, a look of incredible smugness only growing with the panic forming on both ponies' faces. 

Applejack trotted back into the room to see this strange tableau, setting a tray of apple juice glasses and roasted oats. "Granny, what in the hay did you say to our guests?" Granny's smugness continued. 

"Just that I'm proud of little Twilight here for what she's been helpin' her Majesty with." Twilight tried her best to hide behind Celestia at this, a blush spreading across her face. Granny cackled at the display

"You mean the papers? Yeah, it's mighty kind of you, Twi." Applejack herself settled back down at the table. Granny's grin only spread to reveal her dentures. 

"Papers? Oh hoo, hoo hoo he ha ha!" Granny's cackles turned into howls of laughter. Applejack gave Twilight a look of sympathy. Twilight gave Applejack a look that begged for the sweet release of death. "Mighty kind indeed. So how long has all this been goin' on, Princesses?" Granny smiled a cozy smile. She was rewarded with Celestia, mighty ruler of the vast and proud country of Equestria, portent of the sun itself, trying to find words that would not come. At last the regent of sunlight found something to offer the apple farmer. 

"We agreed upon the arrangement about three weeks ago." Celestia had branded it in bureaucratic terms. But that wouldn't do. Not when it was plain to see how much more it meant to her than bureaucracy.  

"'Round about Hearts and Hooves day, then. Seems about right. Was it this one who asked, or did you work up the nerve?" Again the scramble for decorum began, and Granny had some of the finest entertainment she'd seen since that pink pony had burst into the barnyard with a genealogy tree. 

"Twilight had asked me about it."  

"But Celestia was the one to really talk about it! I just had some vague ideas of what I wanted to do. Celestia, um, showed me how it all worked." At last Twilight herself chimed in. Applejack was beginning to suspect they weren't talking about papers anymore, though what it all meant was still eluding her. Granny turned to her again. Another chore? 

"Applejack, isn't it time we fed the pigs? Lookin' like the sun's in about the right position." Applejack had to fight back a sigh, standing up with a 'yes, Granny Smith'. Applejack, for her part, shot Twilight and Celestia a look on her way out. A look that asked for explanation. For some reason that seemed to fill them both with a kind of mortal terror. 

"Now what're you two doing going and hidin' all this from my granddaughter anyway?" Granny looked between the two. 

"Missie, Twilight was my student once." 

"Yeah, and?" 

"Well you can see how ponies would see that as a grave imbalance of power. An abuse of Twilight's affection for me." Celestia's wings flicked even at the mention. 

"Sounds like those ponies'd need to get their heads out from between their flanks. Not a lot you kin help that you have a history with most everypony in the country you're runnin'. Take anypony in our little town. Misses Rarity? You tax her business and yer popular enough to yay or nay her whole fancy-schmancy career. Pinkie Pie? Parents own a rock farm on crown property. Any o' my grandkids? Have to go through you to expand the farm and pay yer taxes on our business. Anypony you know probably owes you somethin' like that down the line, unless you'd be plannin' on gettin' involved with that draconwhatchamacallim' varmit what made me dance till my hip near gave out." Twilight visibly gagged at the suggestion.

"'Sides, if it's what ponies think that yer worried about, he'd be top o' the list of choices they wouldn't approve of." Granny rubbed her hip. "Me included. That hurt, consarnit." The apple farmer looked back at them. "Point bein' I don't hardly think Applejack would be against it with a little forethought, long as you're both happy and y'know what you're doin'." 

"Eheh, know what we're doing, yeah..." Twilight tapped her hooves together, her pupils pinpricks and sweat running down her face. 

"Ya can't tell me you just jumped at Princess Celestia without ever bein' in a relationship, misses Twilight?" Granny had meant the question rhetorically, but Twilight only seemed to get more tense at that. 

"It just, um, sort've...happened?" Twilight squeaked. 

"...Oh dear."

"But we are both happy." Celestia confirmed, placing a wing on Twilight. Instantly the tension began to melt away, Twilight looking up at her with gratitude. "But we are also leaders of a country, and cannot be seen as immoral or improper lest our ponies lose faith in us." 

"I woulda thunk that'd have happened by now if it was gonna. Thousand years is a long time, ponies make mistakes." 

"But you can see why I wouldn't want Twilight to be considered one of them." Twilight wilted at the implication, so Celestia pulled her in a little closer. "I certainly don't see her as one." 

"Girl is a bundle of nerves, that's fer sure. But if you two are confident it won't matter what nopony thinks. S'how me and my husband did it. An Apple marryin' some hooligan what spends all his time climbin' around the Everfree Forest? But we made it work. Made it into a business, point of fact. If'n it's gonna work with you two, you two will have to accept that it's not gonna be popular with everyone." 

"But you can understand why I would wish to explain it delicately." Granny cackled at this. 

"Sure, sure, you always were a bit of a stick in the mud. Do it in yer own style, but you gotta do it one way or 'nother or the relationship's gonna die. And that'd be a cryin' shame. It's good to see somepony's finally gettin' you out of yer rut." 

Applejack took this moment to come back, wiping sweat off her brow and toweling off the mud flecking her hooves and coat. 

"Applejack! Good to see yer back! Was just talkin' business with the royals." Granny looked over at Celestia, who swallowed. "These two have somethin' they outta tell ya. Leastwise if'n their as committed to it as they look ta be"

Celestia pursed her lips. 

"Listen close, I'm only gonna tell you once. Y'said you wanted to be more friendly-like with us Apple folks? A friend of the Apples is plain and honest, simple as that. Don't matter if yer some fancy-pancy student of the Princess," she nodded to Twilight, who shot Celestia a supportive grin, "or some moneybags from the center of town or some crazy pink pony what pulls kayaks out of her mane. Yer good 'as family here at Sweet Apple, but only so long as yer willin' to treat us like it. And family deserves to know what yer sittin' on." 

"Ha! You were hidin' somethin'. I figured from the way Twi was acting all squirrely." Granny gave Applejack a proud smile, which Applejack took in stride. 

"Of course I wished to tell you, both of you. But I am...Well, it is hard to shake old habits. Especially bad ones. So I hope you will forgive me, now and in the future, if my nerves catch up with me and my honesty fails me." Granny accepted this with a nod and a quiet smile, then looked at Applejack expectantly. Celestia swallowed, turning to the farmer in question. "Applejack, I...have been seeing your friend. Seeing Twilight." 

Applejack did not seem to catch her meaning. She prepared for the worst. One word left to say. One word that might destroy Applejack's respect for her forever. One word that could brand her a deviant and a manipulator in the other pony's eyes until the day she died. "Romantically." Applejack's eyes widened. Here it came. 

"Wuh?" Applejack pulled back her stetson, light on her hooves. Celestia lowered her gaze and buried her muzzle in the crook of her neck, looking for all the world like a filly waiting for a scolding. A reddish-purple aura nudged a chair towards Applejack, who sat down with a prominent 'thud'. After a moment of silence, Applejack spoke up again. "You, uh, you mind runnin' that by me a second time?" 

"We've been...dating." This time Twilight was the one who spoke up. "Since Hearts and Hooves day. That's why I keep getting Spike to stay at Rarity's or Pinkie's. We've wanted the, um, privacy. I know, I know, it's weird and it's irresponsible and it isn't exactly your textbook romance, but..." She ruffled her mane with a hoof, staring at the floor.

"Well that's...definitely somethin'." Applejack looked between Celestia and Twilight. All the pieces of the puzzle were in place, but they still seemed to form a strange shape in her mind. 

"'Somethin' good, or 'somethin' bad?" Twilight pressed. 

"Well, it definitely explains some things. I just didn't know. 'Bout you swingin' that way, both of you, 'bout you seein' each other that way. Seems like a lot of stuff went over my head, and it's a lot to take in at once. Can you gimme a minute?" She tilted her stetson back into its usual position. The table continued in silence that way. Celestia could feel her heart racing. If it weren't for Twilight leaning into her wing, she was certain she'd have excused herself by now, and without Granny's patient smile, she was certain she'd be squirming and retreating back into herself even with Twilight there. 

At last Applejack looked back at the two of them. There was, mercifully, no venom in her expression. Just confusion. Celestia would take confusion for the time being. "So, uh, why? I don't think I fully see it, if'n ya don't mind me sayin'. I just figured you two were close like Twi was with Cadance, or with Spike. Honorary family and all that."

"T-to be fair, Cadance was like that with Shiny before they--y'know..." 

"What Twilight means is that bonds can change over time. We only re-interpreted ours recently, and only after a great deal of confusion." 

"A great deal of confusion." Twilight stressed. "It almost didn't happen. I missed a lot of signals and stepped on her hooves a lot--" 

"--And I did not explain my intentions well and misinterpreted several of Twilight's viewpoints." Celestia refused to allow Twilight to blame any failings in her personal relationships squarely on herself, no matter how much the mare was prone to doing so. 

Twilight brightened. "But in the end, we learned from our mistakes and became closer. And it's still not perfect, it's...I'm really not sure how this is supposed to work--"

"And neither am I--"

"But we're making it work. The best way we know how." Twilight concluded, resting her head against Celestia. Celestia placed her head above Twilight's, closing her eyes in harmony. Applejack chimed in, causing them both to crack their eyes open and look towards her. 

"Well, it is a lot to take in, but...it looks like it's good between the two of ya, and that's what counts far as I'm concerned. But just don't...expect me to have a lot of good advice about it or anythin'. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it." 

"You are already far more receptive than I had hoped." Celestia said this softly. "Any change in my lifestyle is bond to make ponies uncomfortable. Thank you for having the patience and maturity to give my life decisions respect." 

"And thank you fer havin' the honesty to tell us." Granny gave an affirmative 'mhmm' from the head of the table. 

"I'll, uh, I'll try to appreciate that it can be hard on ya. I know Shy has trouble sayin' all she means to. And sometimes Dash has trouble sayin' things she doesn't mean." Applejack gave an exasperated glare at that, then looked back at the Princess. 

"Thank you, Applejack. In turn I will be understanding if my indirect nature offends you at any point. I will try to uphold integrity regardless." Celestia looked over at Granny. "I must ask you both for some secrecy on this matter, however. The more that this spreads the more strained my relationship with Twilight will become, and while Missie is correct that our relationship will have to endure that strain in order to survive regardless, I would like some time for it to solidify and strengthen more before we come to the obstacle of public backlash." 

Applejack nodded. Granny only giggled at this. "Not many ponies gonna ask for this old mare's story when it comes to Equestrian royalty. But yer secret's safe with me."

Celestia smiled, and the tension in the room seemed to dissolve. "I am very glad to hear that." 

"Now then, if that's all the business there is outta the way, let's get to some more casual-like speakin'. How's that little flyin' rat of yers, Celestia?" Granny rocked back in her chair. 

"Philomena is still the minor terror I've always known and loved. Recently she's taken to hiding my favourite quill in the hopes of extorting treats from me." Celestia sighed, a patient smile reaching her face.

"And ye haven't been spoiling the wretch fer that, have ya?" Granny peered over. 

"It is my official policy that Equestria does not negotiate with terrorists, yes." Celestia proudly reported. "But it does not make the search any easier." 

"Could always put a tracking spell on it." Twilight supplied. "Or just use a sensory alteration to make it taste like bitter paste." 

"I could do that, yes. But that would be an admission of defeat, you see." Celestia's eyes lit up, and Twilight immediately realized the carefree nature of the feud. "Eventually I'll simply find all the good hiding places on the bookshelf. And then she will have to find some new way to torment me." 

"Verminous critter." Granny shook her head, but her words did not match the knowing smile on her face. "Winona's been doin' mighty fine. Ever eager to please, always runnin' off whenever it's time for chores so she can git a head start. Model of a pet, that dog. 'Cept that she took off Carrot Top's weather vain the other day. How in the name of Equestria she managed to pull it off we still don't know, but Mrs. Top doesn't seem inclined to forgive and forget either way." 

Celestia noticed Twilight's bittersweet smile and frowned. Something in their discussion was upsetting her. Time for a change in conversation. "How is Apple Bloom? Still as ferociously dedicated to her cutie mark as ever?" 

Granny blinked. "How'd you know 'bout all that?" 

"Twilight has been keeping me up to date on her life here. The antics of the Cutie Mark Crusaders are not an infrequent topic. Some of her most interesting stories have come from them." 

"I, uh, hope that wasn't meant to be private." Applejack waved a hoof. 

"Yer practically family anyway, Twi. But I wouldn't want my sister's life spread around to a bunch o' strangers. Keep it to friends and family and we outta be good." Twilight nodded.

"Just how much has little Twilight been tellin' you 'bout us, then?" Granny scrutinized. 

"Well, it's more about her life than about yours. It's not like she's been spreading around gossip." Twilight giggled at the suggestion. 

"Twilight Sparkle, closet socialite." She rolled her eyes. "I just tell her about my week really. Nothing too out of the ordinary. It'd be like pen pals if we couldn't teleport into one anothers' houses when we wanted to." 

"So kinda like the world's most convenient long distance relationship, then." Applejack pulled her hat back. "Must be mighty nice havin' that goin' for you." 

"It is!" Twilight stressed. "She's been wonderful to me." 

"And you to me. Missie was correct in noticing that Twilight was helping me to reconnect with my fellow ponies. But that isn't all she has helped me to reconnect with. I should explain the full extent of what she's been doing in helping bring me close to ponies I wished to know better." Celestia pulled back her hair to display the tiny dot of opal on her collar.

"She helped ya bring back yer fashion sense?" Granny Smith blinked. 

"Why is it that that looks so consarn familiar..." Applejack put a hoof to her chin. "Did Rares do that for ya? Looks pretty, but it's a little small for her." 

"In a sense, Applejack." Celestia for the second time that morning lowered her head to obscure her face partway with her mane. It was at that moment Applejack noticed just how similar to Fluttershy's the curtain of aurora strands really was, and how unlike it Twilight and Cadance's manes were. "It is small, and may yet be lost if I do it disservice, but it is the beginnings of an Element of Generosity. My time with Rarity has been helping me to nurture it." 

Applejack's jaw dropped. Granny waved a hoof. "Oh, that all? Well, it's mighty pretty on you, yer Majesty. What does it mean, exactly?" 

Celestia chuckled. "It means that I am reforging my bonds with the Elements of Harmony, and with it developing genuine friendships once more."

"How in tarnation' did ya get one of those?!" Applejack was nearly standing in her seat. 

"Twilight had a theory that I could rekindle my own connection with the Elements if I started rebuilding some of my friendships. It seems to be correct, though I confess it will take some time and a great deal of effort on my part."

"Effort how?" Granny peered at the tiny stone. 

"Well, for example I clearly owe you some form of apology, Missie. I'd need to work at that if I were to find a proper common ground with you again, beyond simply resolving to be more open." 

Granny waved a hoof. "Ya don't owe me squat. But if'n it makes ya feel better, we kin work out somethin' for ya to give out in return for the debt ya feel ya gotta pay." 

"Well, ain't that somethin'!" Granny smiled and nodded. "Well, like I say, was mighty good of Twilight to bring all that up then."

"I will endeavor to visit more frequently, and be more honest. I only hope you can forgive my stumbles." 

Applejack chimed in at this. "'Course! Twilight here tried to cheat her way through Winter Wrap Up her first year in Ponyville." Twilight blushed and looked at her hooves. "Didn't stop her from bein' the best Winter Wrap Up planner this town has ever had, once we gave her the chance." Twilight stopped blushing, but still did not meet Applejack's gaze. Applejack frowned a little, but continued. "And it's not like I haven't made my own pigheaded mix-ups." She gave Twilight a teasing smile. "Remember that time you had to round up the girls and haul my stubborn behind outta Dodge Junction on account of not winnin' some medals?" 

Twilight looked up at this, a little grin on her face once more. "I think Pinkie Pie would have dragged you back all by herself if we hadn't stopped her." The two chuckled, Applejack turning back to Celestia. 

"The point bein' we Apples aren't afraid to get our hooves dirty. S'long as we own up to what we did wrong and make a move past it." 

"A welcome sentiment, but I still feel I must do something in exchange. Especially since hard work seems such an important part of the Apple tradition." Granny nodded at this. "Perhaps..." She gave the room a quick scan for ideas. The Apples clearly needed a better carpenter. But she wished to repay Granny with her own gesture. Apples were interested in hard work and dedication. Rarely did she engage in rustic activities, enjoy them though she did. She seldom had a chance to build, nurture or grow more than her... "Missie, how do you feel about flowers?" 

"That's a great idea, Princess!" Twilight beamed. 

"Could take er leave them." Granny waved a hoof. Celestia pursed her lips. Perhaps not... "Why?" 

"Few of my hobbies would likely be of much interest to you. Historical fiction, teaching, magical theory, chess, harp. But I do keep a garden. I could never match the food you grow yourself, but I could always bring some flowers with me on my next visit." Celestia gave a humble little smile. 

"That'd be a welcome start, Celestia. We could throw in some produce and make ourselves a nice little potluck." Granny gave a firm little nod at this. "S'long as yer the one what's growin' them."  

"Did you say teachin', um, yer Majesty?" Applejack chimed in. 

"Of course. You don't think I taught Twilight just because I had to, did you?" Applejack had not in fact thought much on Celestia's desires in teaching her friend, but pressed on nonetheless. 

"How good is that little garden of yours?" At Twilight's look Applejack backpedaled. "What I mean is...do ya keep any herbs? Apple Bloom is lookin' into growin' herbs for Zecora in the gardens and she doesn't have anypony to teach her how. Earth pony magic don't work the same for zebras and we know 'bout as much as a prince in a potato field when it comes to medicine herbs."

"I confess it has been a while since I've studied applied earth pony magic. But a return to a favourite subject is never an unwelcome thing for a scholar." Celestia stood up in her seat, giving her wings a stretch. "Twilight should gain some lessons on how to use her earth pony magic anyway." 

"I have earth pony magic?" Twilight blinked. "I mean, I knew it was a little weird that I've stopped needing Spike to water the geraniums, but I thought that was the castle..." 

"I rest my case." 

"Right, well, if you could spend some time with Apple Bloom showing her how, that'd be very welcome." Applejack gave a quick smile. 

"'Course, ya don't have ta start all at once, and if'n yer too busy..." Granny cut in.

"Nonsense." Celestia folded her wings back into place, one of them wrapping its way around Twilight. Applejack still couldn't help but wrinkle her brow at the gesture, puzzling on where this jump had come from. "If I can teach for a full class of unicorns I can find room to start teaching earth ponies about their own magic, too." She looked at Granny apologetically. "And I have been far too quick to dismiss ponies over work in my past. You more than most. The least I can do is make time for your granddaughter." 

Granny closed her eyes, giving a firm nod and a gentle smile. "Apple Bloom'll be thrilled. You have our thanks, Celestia." 

"Just don't burn yourself out." Applejack scratched the back of her neck. "Too much work can do wonky things to a pony's brain." 

"I distinctly remember that letter, yes." Celestia's smile turned playful for the first time since she and Twilight had met with Applejack. "Something about worms and muffins." Applejack pulled her stetson down a little, grumbling. 

"If you start using my letters to blackmail my friends, I'll just stop sending them." Twilight stuck out her tongue and crossed her hooves. Applejack tipped up her stetson and held in a laugh. 

"You wouldn't dare." 

"I...shouldn't play poker, I'm told. But the threat alone should be enough." Twilight gave an affirmative nod. 

"Cheater." Celestia stuck out her tongue right back. The room fell into a comfortable silence. 

Granny paused a minute. "Applejack, Twilight? Can you leave us old mares alone a minute. Need to speak with her Majesty in private." 

"Alright, Granny. Twi?" 

Twilight glanced back at Celestia and squeezed her hoof under the table. They shared a quick nuzzle, and then Twilight got up and trotted after Applejack. Celestia's eyes followed the pair out of the room. 

Applejack led Twilight down to the pond. Sunlight danced with sparkles on the water, giving the water body a magical appearance. A lazy breeze shifted the water from time to time, and ducks drifted to and fro in the current, occasionally flipping upside-down in a most undignified way to go skimming for mosquito larvae. 

"That all was a lot to take in, Twi." Applejack began. 

"And you don't approve." Twilight finished. 

"Hey! I didn't say anythin' about that. But do ya ever think what might happen if'n it went wrong?" Applejack looked down at the currents, their changes rapid and at the whim of a halfhearted breeze. "Ponies depend on the both of ya. A lot of 'em. If you two were to start hatin' each other." 

"That could never happen." Twilight's tone didn't invite discussion on the subject, but Applejack pressed on. 

"Ya never know. What if she up'n decides her crown comes first? If she's been hidin' away all these years, what if she decides your one of the things she needs hidin' from?" Applejack grabbed a stone and skipped it across the water. Twilight sat, but to Applejack it looked more like her entire body had wilted. "Has she even ever disappointed you? You two ever had a fight?" 

"Well...not as a couple yet, exactly, no. But she's hurt me, yeah. More than a few times." 

"Really? I know about any of these?" Applejack stopped to look at Twilight, who retreated further into herself.

"Well, mostly to do with Discord..."

"But not all." Twilight nodded. "And some of them you don't wanna talk about?" Another nod. 

"But not because of her."

"Why, then...because o' me?" A smaller nod. Applejack could already see pinpricks of light shining in the corners of Twilight's eyes. The alicorn rubbed a hoof against her eyes. 

"Because of everyone. That day was a lot of things to me. I had a lot to think about. And I don't want to talk about it because we moved past it, we grew stronger from it. I've never had a fight with her that made me think she wasn't worth it anymore. Same as all of you." 

"Well, that's mighty sweet of ya, Sugarcube. But you need ta think maybe somethin' like that could happen again." Twilight nodded glumly, sniffing a little. 

"B-but if it does, I...I love her, Applejack. Really, and truly. She's used me, accused me, crushed me when I needed her most. But she's always come back, and always made it better. I know she's worth it." Applejack could practically see the old scars healing over a second time as Twilight talked. "And she knows I'm worth it, too." The little alicorn whispered as much to herself. And suddenly, even though she was doubled over on herself and her wings were stuck to her sides, she seemed a whole head taller, and a whole lot bigger. 

"Well...alright. But I'm worried for ya, Twi. This is a big step, and it can break a pony if somethin' goes wrong down the line. I just...want ya to be safe, Sugarcube. And her too. You both deserve that much." Twilight nodded, wiping her tears away. 

"I know. And she felt the same way when I went to live here. But do you know, that thing about the worm muffins? That memory's funny to me. I don't remember it because of how wacky the stuff you did was or how important the lesson was. I remember it because of the harvest we all did together at the end." Twilight looked down at the lake, at the rippling waters and the changing streams. "That was the happiest I'd ever been in my life."

"Really?" Applejack adjusted her stetson, eyes widening. 

"Yeah. Really. Everyone pitched in to help, and it wasn't because Equestria was in danger or there was some evil staring all of us down. It was because you needed help, and you trusted us to give it." Twilight looked up at her, directly into her eyes. "I never had that before." She shifted her wings, expanding them out and pulling herself up into a sitting posture. "And it was the greatest thing in my entire life. It still is." 

"I'm real happy to hear ya say that, Sugarcube. But what's it mean in regards to you and the Princess?" Applejack looked back out across the pond, eyes searching for all the possibilities in their future. 

"It means she'll always be my friend. Even if this fails. I got hurt a lot between you and the girls, and maybe Celestia will hurt me like that, too. Maybe it won't work out and I'll feel a little empty inside whenever I see her, know that something broke and we'll never be able to fix it." Twilight turned her eyes out to the pond as well, then looked back to Applejack. Something in her resolve hardened. "But I wouldn't let it rip Equestria apart. I would come back for my friend. Friends have been the greatest thing in my life."  Twilight looked into Applejack's eyes. "And nothing has ever kept me from them. I'll fight as hard as it takes to make sure nothing ever will."

"Well...it sounds like you've already set yer mind to this, and I know how you get when that happens. Just promise me you'll be careful, and that you'll come to the girls and me if things get rough between you two. I'm just tryin' to look out for you." Twilight gave the smallest, warmest of smiles at that. 

"I know Applejack," she whispered, "I know."
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Now then. Got the whippersnappers out of our manes. Mind if I say a piece?" Granny settled her chin against her hooves, watching Celestia evenly. 

"You may feel free to speak whatever you wish around me." Celestia was attempting not to seem rigid. She snuck a glance up at her drooping ear and frowned. She really did need to do something about that. 

"Ye want to be my friend, and I'm mighty flattered, but I'm a mare of facts and the facts are not workin' in our favour. It's been a long time since this old mare's been up to the sorts of things Applejack gets up to with Twilight and her little friends. I'm creaky, I'm achy, days seem shorter and shorter all the time. An' of course I'm ornery whenever somethin' don't sit right with me, no matter who ya are." 

Celestia laughed at that last bit. "That part I am very much familiar with."

"An' I'm gonna hold it against ya that it took as much as it did to convince ya to really talk with me. Ain't no two ways about it. I lived a full life, had a full family you coulda known. But you passed that by. We coulda shared that together, Majesty. An' only now you wanna try sharin' anythin' at all? I won't say it don't hurt just for yer sake." 

"And I will try my best to make up what I can." Celestia sighed. "Be the friend I should have been so very many years ago."

Granny leaned forward in her chair. "What I'm sayin' is it won't be easy. These are just the facts of the way it is now. Some days I won't be in health to see ya, and yer gonna have ta live with that. Sometimes the farm is gonna be too busy on account o' we don't have half the family helpin' no more, and yer gonna have ta live with that." Granny looked melancholy a moment. "Wish I coulda introduced you to my husband. My children. All that's over the hill now. I'm not long till I join 'em. Ya picked a mighty fine time for all this, Celestia. We missed all the golden days, and now I'm just a tired old pony waitin' to pass on the torch." 

"I understand." Celestia shut her eyes. "More than you know, I do." 

"Why'd you always come to visit me in person when we was snaggin' land anywho? Ya coulda just signed our papers and been done with us." Granny sighed. She knew the answer coming, but it was not one she wanted. 

"I may not have done my best extending a hoof of friendship to your family, but..." Celestia voice dropped to a whisper. "I wished to. Believe me, I did." Granny nodded along, her face wrinkled with memories that could have been. Celestia picked up a fragile smile. "But we aren't over that hill yet, are we?" 

"Well..." Granny considered. 

The two elders sat in silence. The only motion in the room was the slow drifting of dust kicked from the gnarled floorboards, dazzling sunlight making the ancient grains of wood seem brilliant and beautiful. Granny Smith broke the silence at last. "Twilight ever tell you 'bout the time Apple Bloom got herself stuck in a taffy machine?" 

Celestia looked up at this. "I don't believe so, no..."

"Well, I was on my way to the center of town, when what do I see but a giant walking sheet of candy with three little pairs of eyes stickin' out of it. It wandered this way, then that. Then this way, then that." Granny Smith demonstrated the living candy wad's wobbling movements with a swaying of her hoof. "'Ventually it almost sucked the poor mailmare in, so I ended up roundin' up that crazy baking pony and she ate the whole thing in one gulp. Fished out three little fillies afterwards, the lot of 'em quivering like they'd seen a cockatrice in the hen house. One of 'em piped up and said they didn't get their cutie marks in bein' eaten neither!" Celestia cracked a smile. That did sound like Pinkie Pie. 

"At least they weren't capable of setting you on fire." Celestia added. 

"You'd be surprised." Granny feigned a haunted look. "The little folks can be a right terror, they can." 

"Let us not forget the big ones. One of Twilight's friends once tried to kidnap my pheonix under the belief I was a negligent bird owner. It took us the better part of the afternoon to find her, and Philomena seems to have rather enjoyed toying with the would-be birdsitter a bit too much. I sometimes find her hiding in the wings or mane of a very flustered pegasus with a yellow coat or a pink mane when she's feeling mischievous." Celestia gave a long-suffering sigh. "I haven't managed to make her understand that not every pegasus with a similar colour scheme is secretly Fluttershy in disguise. At least I seem to have disabused her of the idea of Fluttershy being able to change genders." 

Granny chuckled. "And that ain't even gettin' into the half of it. Whatever else this time may be, it's darn near the zaniest my life's ever been." 

Celestia's smile grew more comfortable. "I confess I have not been immune to the eccentricities of the era. Recently it's come to my attention that the position of royal chef has a high turnover rate."

"Eh? Why's that?"

"They inevitably begin to feel slighted by the royal baker. It's no secret I have a sweet tooth, and I may have a...habit...of sneaking in desserts before their meals. It bruises their egos more than their careers, but the knowledge that their efforts will inevitably be trumped by another's frustrates any dedicated professional." Celestia blushed, a shy grin on her face. "And I may do the sneaking more often than is socially acceptable.  " 

"My, ain't you a rebel?" Granny rolled her eyes. "I ever tell you 'bout the time I bet the farm to a couple 'o con artists what wanted to use some fancy magic machine to make apple ciders?" 

"You did not!" 

"Darn tootin' I did! Applejack was lookin' ready to jump me the whole way through the bet--till Twilight did some fancy paperwork and suddenly we was joined by all her friends. Didn't think that filly had it in her to con a con artist, but there we go." Celestia paused. 

"I don't believe I've ever heard this story." 

"Not one AJ likes to tell often, on account of she don't fancy those two boys in the showboaters much and they tried pullin' the wool over my eyes a couple times since. But we won in the end, and Applejack's been good 'bout keepin' those two troublemakers off our property ever since." Granny sighed. "Darn proud of her, too." 

"And what exactly was it Twilight did to con the two ponies in question?" Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Twilight's better known for getting tricked into letting Spike stay up till midnight more than pulling her own fast ones over in Canterlot." 

"Well, she asked those two if'n she and her friends could count as honorary family fer the contest. Waited till those two had a big enough lead that it seemed impossible for us to come back, so they waved her off and she got a little contract out. Got 'em to sign just in time to pull us all ahead." Granny snickered. "The looks on the faces of those two snakes in pony suits was worth every drop o' cider."

"She would use paperwork." Celestia gave a long-suffering sigh. "Some days I end up getting letters requesting more. I honestly believe she considers bureaucracy fun! How she does it I will never know." 

"You sayin' ya don't like yer job?" Granny's eyes widened a little at the thought. 

"There was a time when my job was not signing papers and placing stamps on proposals. I remember times when I was able to go out on adventures like Twilight and her friends, times when Luna and I were simply community heads more than icons of worship." Celestia looked out at the sunlit window. "But no, I do not dislike my job." She turned her head and looked back at Granny with a smile, her face framed in sunlight. "Rather, I love it. Seeing my little ponies thrive and blossom under the government I run is worth every sacrifice. I take pride in the country we have established, and in the work I have put into making it that way."

"But ya miss the good ol' days when that didn't mean sittin' around in a stuffy office all day." Granny considered. 

"Even the most rewarding of work comes with trade-offs. While those days of excitement and adventure were more to my own personality, more ponies suffered under those same conditions than they do in this present day. And that will always be more important to me than a good thrill ever was." Celestia turned back to face Granny fully. "Still, you are not wrong that I miss the simpler days sometimes, when I let nostalgia take me."

"Heh. Sometimes I still wish I was a youngin' fightin' with timberwolves fer a place to plant my first little appleseeds. 'Course it's easy to say that knowin' it all turned out fer the best in the end. But it was nice bein' the start of somethin' new, not the last of somethin' old." Granny sighed.

"You know, Missie..." Celestia began. 

"Huh?" Granny blinked a few times. "Sorry, was losin' myself a little." 

Celestia nodded. "I appreciate the sentiment. I was going to say that it isn't too late to reclaim that feeling, though it may seem that case." She looked out to see if Applejack and Twilight were still there. It did not seem they were. "Even when you have lost everything, when you are exhausted and feeble and filled with pain, it is not impossible to start anew." Granny seemed unconvinced. But Celestia knew the mare needed this. Beneath that hardened shell was still the core of a stubborn and steadfast pony, full of life and mischief. She needed to pull that back out. 

"I said I understood more than you know, and I meant that." Celestia felt her wings tense against her side. This was not a pleasant subject, or one she brought up lightly. But for a friend as old as Missie, especially a friend she had failed, she would brave the memories. She would crack that brittle shell of elegance and show the fire that hid underneath. "I still remember quite well the first year of my monarchy." She forced out the last word like it was a lungful of ash. "Learning to control the moon, relocating the capital from the ruins of our old one, doubling my workload to accommodate the recent loss." She decided that 'living with the guilt' was best left unsaid. "I woke up exhausted every morning, having not done enough and with still more to be added the moment I left my bed. For four weeks I had to use magic to help myself breathe, owing to a wound to the chest I'd suffered in combat. By the sixth month of leveraging two astral bodies I suffered from magic exhaustion, and even my most basic levitation suffered awful tremors and periodic failures.

"I tell you this not to depress you or to take from your current state, and I would appreciate your honesty if I have stepped out of line. I tell you of my prison to explain the means of my escape." Her eyes lit with memories. "Something miraculous happened not long after the seventh month. I found a pair of phoenixes outside my palace worrying over an egg. I had had a meeting in the morning. I cannot remember all the details. Something about winter months with the...yaks? Griffons? I was exhausted. But the sound of anxious parents drew me from my chambers. I found a cracked egg between the pair. I do not know to this day why they chose me, or how their egg had been cracked. But I knew I could supply it with a warmth not even phoenixes could.

"For three more months I served as an equine incubator, the magical bond I shared with the sun allowing me to help the parents keep the fragile infant alive. I would heat the egg when one of the phoenixes came to visit. Ponies complained that it was disrupting evening court, which at that point was held in a chamber overlooking the gardens for space reasons. I told them that it was part of a therapy to keep my magical strength up. That was the last I heard of the issue. The parents watched the whole way through. They knew their egg needed saving. What they did not know was that their egg was saving me. It felt like I was truly accomplishing something, instead of simply floundering in the aftermath of a loss. At first it was small--I read some books on diets and medicines that would allow me to replenish my strained magic supply--and then it grew larger. I began sleeping better. I started exercising again. As the phoenix neared hatching, I began to prepare little presents for the parents. Bits of fabric from Luna's old pillows. Golden bobbles leftover from chandeliers that had been destroyed by her magic.

"Eventually the phoenix hatched. A tiny, naked little skeleton of a creature, shivering against the feather coatings of her parents. She was beautiful despite it all. My darling Philomena." Celestia's eyes shined with radiant tears, the memory glowing like the sun itself within her. "I helped them feed her. Supplied water for her from the streams. She grew up before my eyes into a lifelong companion, developed a penchant for mischief and a fondness for exploration that I loved to cultivate. It saved me, Missie. I could not save my sister, protect Equestria from her inevitable return or bring back the beautiful country we'd ruled together. But I could save one little phoenix. Watch her grow into something splendid. And that was enough."

"Princess!" Twilight called from outside. Celestia wiped her eyes and turned towards the window. "Something strange is happening to Applejack and I's Cutie Marks! You might want to take a look." Celestia gave Granny an encouraging look, then stepped outside to investigate with a 'pardon me. I just want to make sure it isn't dangerous'. 

"Coming!" She called out, opening the door. 

Granny considered everything Celestia had said. She considered what her world consisted of at the moment. Most of the farm duties were left to the grandchildren. Quiet work indoors was most of her life now. Sewing and woodwork and reading to Applebloom. What was it she had lost? And where had it come from, to have gone before? What had that spark been?  
She closed her eyes and sifted through the days of her long life, searching.

Between the days of her stuffy farmhouse childhood and her stuffy farmhouse old age came memories of a rewarding life. 

Adventure. Out in the woods, exploring ravines and climbing fallen trees away from the safety of a humble orchard and a cozy furnace with some colt her parents had hated. A dashing smile and a wink that was just for her. A dance for two that wove between oaks and under fallen pines and across fields of brambles, shared with dragonflies and bluebirds and set in the wildest part of Equestria. Choice boulders, shimmering streams and rare flowers their flirtation. The tangles of branches their refuge. Bells and vows and a bond that would last two lifetimes. 

Drive. A far-flung dream of the greatest orchard in the nation, built on the edge of the most dangerous woods on the continent. Fire and fang clashing in the night. A war for space with snarling beasts that stalked the darkness and could crush a pony between their claws or their teeth, fought with torches, wits and pitchforks against giant claws and saber teeth. By day, a different kind of battle waged between field and forest, her and her family's will against the Everfree's. Axes and hoes taming roots and trunks, vines and creepers claiming sheds, floors and ceilings as quickly as they'd been able to put them up. 

Mania. A house in chaos. Long hours of the night haunted by crying, brief hours of the day ghosted by peace and joy and a quiet, fierce pride. Fearful spells of sickness that claimed to snatch the fragile life she'd given so much for from her at any time. A tiny pony she'd brought into the world all at the heart of it, growing bigger and more alive with every passing day. 

Growing. A farm, a village and a family taking root all at once. Long hours in the sun, long hours with her son. Growing together, meeting new friends who added to their little orchard and the community it had started. Days spent with saplings covered in brilliant pink blossoms that bore no fruit. A farm became a neighbourhood, a field became an orchard and a colt became a stallion. Apples trees yielded fruit, contracts with the locals yielded profit and a marriage yielded grandchildren. By the end of it a town surrounded a estate surrounded a family. 

Then it had grown different. Lost something. Somehow the focus had shifted, and even in the days before she'd lost them all, one by one, something had fallen away. What did they share, those better days of old? Part of something new, she'd said. But wasn't her sewing and knitting 'something new'? She'd never done that before at one point and it still somehow rung hollow when she compared it to what she once had. 

It wasn't just a search for something new, then. Those days been about things worth more than spare blankets. She snorted at the thought of even comparing. Applebloom liked her rug designs, sure, but it wasn't the world's ending if she made an ugly one. But more than that. There was no great celebration over a pattern that worked. No great sorrow at the absence of a new set of curtains. Bring a rug into this world and ponies would politely wipe their hooves on it. Bring a child, a farm, a community and a family into this world... 

Now that was worth doing. 

Celestia re-entered in time to see Granny's wrinkled, tired face overtaken by Missie's hard look of determination. "Applejack and Twilight have a matter regarding magic and the Elements of Harmony to attend to. They say they will remain in touch, but may be gone for a few days." 

Missie nodded. "You reckon yer good fer a walk?" 


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


Whitetail Woods was a bit of a jog for the two older ponies, but Celestia had long legs and eternal youth on her side, and Missie had that shine in her eyes that told any who bothered to look that she was on a warpath. The only thing that even began to slow her down was her hip, which she'd accommodated as best she could. A saddlebag on the opposite side helped shift weight off her back leg, and she made sure to shift her weight as she walked to avoid straining the arthritic joint unduly.  

Celestia did not spend time guessing at where they were going or why, instead enjoying the chance to stroll beside an old friend across Ponyville's beautiful countryside. She sucked in a breath through her nose, letting the scents of the dirt pathway they were strolling along overwhelm her senses. While the gardens of Canterlot were lush and exotic, they were also closely monitored, strictly controlled and tamed for the benefit of their viewing public. It had been ages since Celestia had taken in the proper smell of fresh earth. She savoured it like it was the smell of baked goods pulled straight from the oven. 

There were no Neighponese Hornets or Atlas Moths among the insects of Ponyville's outskirts, but the honeybees and cabbage moths that danced and darted between the flowers were not carefully contained within magical fields designed to keep them from leaving the tropical environment of the gardens. There were no Bird of Paradise Flowers or Angel's Trumpets shoved proudly in her face, but the lavenders and the daisies around the pathway grew wherever and however they wanted, giving her gentle reminders of her favourite pony and brightening her day. Missie broke into a light, chipper whistle and tilted her head to watch the clouds. Celestia followed her gaze, enjoying a blue sky free to show its wide expanse of infinite potential without the shadows of the Canterlot skyline constricting it. 

Celestia picked up the tune. She didn't whistle particularly well, but a certain alicorn she knew insisted she was the best singer she had ever heard, and so she broke into a quiet hum to help carry the tune further. She did not know the song, but the melody was pleasant and the chorus seemed to beg for a background. The opening to Whitetail Woods was far more pleasant than the maw of thorns and tangled branches that served as an entrance to the Everfree. Birds fluttered through the trees. Squirrels bounced across the pathway in a twitchy, panicked gait that reminded her of an alicorn she knew who insisted she was the best singer she had ever heard. 

Missie seemed to be taking all this in very differently from herself. To Celestia this was time off to relax and explore the kingdom she so loved. To Missie this seemed to be the first step in some great journey. She cast her gaze from tree to tree, occasionally raising a hoof (never on the side with the bad hip) to compare alongside the trees. Her keen and fiery eyes darted from one set of branches to the other, ears twitching and swiveling at each and every sound. Celestia wished to ask what the project Missie had set for herself was, but the intensity of the other pony's focus suggested that disruptions would be unwelcome. So she held her tongue and enjoyed the gentle spring breeze against her coat. 

They began their way towards the forest's center, past collections of cherry, fir, maple and mulberry trees. Celestia's presence drew the occasional stare from ponies who were enjoying the scenic walk for themselves. Celestia tried not pay them heed, instead focusing on Missie and making sure she was in good condition to continue. Her steps had turned more into limps than into strides, but she still had that determined look on her face. Granny hobbled more than stepped off the path and made her ponderous way towards what looked to be a particularly dense patch of trees. Celestia did not understand the intent, but still followed her nonetheless. 

Granny continued to limp, now stumbling and fighting her way across the uneven ground in a battle that looked soon to be lost. Celestia pursed her lips. What to do? Missie could seriously injure herself before admitting what was wrong, but disrespecting her free agency and dignity would undermine any newfound goodwill or optimism they had been building towards. She had to support Missie in a way that was close without being forceful. She had to provide the leg Missie needed.

But that level of trust and openness? And so soon? Could she really be so earnest with a pony she'd wronged for so many years? Would her attempt at compassion not seem hypocritical and condescending in light of her past attitudes? She ran a hoof along her peytral, feeling the gentle slope of the gems that had embedded themselves there. The feeling of the dull, ancient Element of Magic and the newborn, brilliant Element of Generosity both fed into her resolve. Under hoof lay the best evidence she could ask for that harmony could triumph across boundaries she'd thought impassable before, proof that maybe ponies were worth trusting in again. Proof that Missie wasn't the only tired old mare who could start a new life for herself. She made her decision

Celestia fell behind so that she could reposition herself. She slid up next to Missie, making sure she was walking adjacent to her aged companion's bad hip and that her step matched with Missie's own. She pulled one wing up and leaned back, signalling her intention without forcing it upon the hobbling elder. Missie did not notice at first, focused on her journey towards the clearing as she was. But eventually her march crawled to a hault, pain and arthirits crippling her attemps to keep moving forward. She searched for Celestia, her memories of similar expeditions with Applejack or Big Mac leaving her expecting a lecture about straining herself and a joyless return escort to that dismally safe farmhouse on the healthier pony's back. What she saw instead was a friend offering her a helping hoof. She closed her eyes and breathed out.

In that moment, she wasn't a tired old mare held together by her grandchildren. She wasn't a bag of aching joints waiting for age to finally catch up with her. She was twenty-three years old and had tripped on a stone on her way down a valley in the Everfree. Her mane was a mess, her lips were caked with mud and her body was bruised by the rocks that had jabbed into her on the way down. And a pony in a stetson with a berry red coat was offering her his hoof, barely holding back a laugh at the state she was in. But it was okay. Because she was going to get up again. She took both of the hooves, present and past, and back in the modern day she leaned herself against Celestia. The limping seemed to grow fainter. Missie closed her eyes, her jaunty whistle returning, and Celestia caught the faintest of flickers of orange light filling her peripheral vision. She could feel the tug against her peytral. But she would think on that later. For now she was thinking on the feeling of an old friend walking by her side. 

Eventually they reached Missie's goal. A stand of towering oak trees surrounded them, gathered like worshipers around a single large rock that had deposited itself in the middle of the forest. The two of them curled up upon it, and Missie opened her eyes, the fire returning. Out of her satchel she pulled a tattered journal and a tape measure. She eyeballed the trees, their roots, the ground around them and the rock she was sitting on. She began to scribble furiously, muttering about tubers and soil condition. Celestia did not pry. Instead, she focused on the simple joy of her own sun against her coat. It was rare she got to enjoy her own handiwork. She inspected her hooves, which she noted with some satisfaction were dusted a light brown by the pathway's dirt. Wouldn't that be cause for alarm among the nobility? She chuckled to herself. 

"'Bout time I told ya what I've got cookin' in this stubborn ol' head o' mine, eh?" Missie cut her off from her thoughts, closing the book for a moment. 

"I was rather curious." Celestia surveyed the forest, wondering what Missie saw that she did not. "I imagined you were interested in exploring, but I'm still not entirely sure to what end. Another branch of Sweet Apple Acres?" 

Missie shook her head. "Think there's enough orchards goin' 'round Equestria at this point. Matter o' fact, I think we've come a little too far in that direction, if'n you catch my meanin'. Ponies gettin' a little too enthusiastic with their axes these days." She surveyed the treetops, focusing on a robin with a set of branches in its mouth. It settled upon a collection of twigs and mud that formed an even bowl shape and set to work weaving the branches into the makeshift basket. The little bird twisted the sticks into a buffer against any weight that might be placed on the side of the future nest, finishing its job with a tug of its beak. Satisfied with its work, the little bird flapped its wings with enthusiasm and warbled its triumph to any females who might be watching.

Missie continued. "I don' regret what me an' my husband did to the Everfree. Was a right terror when we first came across it, filled with all that fancy dark magic and unnatural critters like them timberwolves. But it weren't the only forest in Equestria and these days it seems like everypony wants to take an axe to any group o' trees they can git their hooves on. Now I don't mind when that's fer feedin' a community like Misses Carrot Top here in Ponyville or my nephew down in Appleloosa, but I'd rather nip this cuttin'-frenzy in the bud than see them forests what made my fillyhood get chopped down so snakeoil ponies like those boys in showboaters can make a quick buck on a half-baked farm." She slid down from the rock gingerly, making her way towards the trees. "So I want ta see if I can find some way to make them stuffy ponies in Canterlot what tend to have the power ta change things care about the trees here in little ol' Ponyville." 

Celestia smiled, soaking in the warmth of the sunbeams cutting through the clearing. "A very admirable goal. I have also noticed that in our haste to industrialize we have sometimes neglected the natural world around us, and had been hoping a movement to preserve our natural heritage might begin for some time." 

"Well, that should make it right easy then! 'Tween you and me we shouldn't take half a day to git a couple bills passed keepin' forests like this up fer ponies to go adventurin' in forever!" Missie pulled out her tape measure and began wrapping it around the trunks and the roots of the trees in question. 

"I am afraid it's not that simple." Celestia gave a chuckle. "I cannot give my official backing to such an upheaval of the status quo without momentum behind the movement. If I were to let my personal feelings on the matter override my respect for the wishes of other ponies I would be seen to be overbearing and selfish, and that would breed contempt for and resistance toward my government in the private sector where there is currently cooperation and harmony. Furthermore, as you are a personal friend, I myself would have a direct conflict of interest were I to rule on the matter. I would have to defer your request to my ministers and allow them to decide, and if I were to endorse you, it would have to be in private, away from the press."  

"'Sounds to me like that's a fancy way of sayin' yer scared of what other ponies will think of ya stickin' up fer a friend." 

"In this case it is not simply nerves, Missie." Celestia emphasized her point by slipping off the rock and trotting over to the other pony. "You would not let a friend grow illegal substances on your farm, would you? As a pony, I will continue to try my best to be more open and supportive to you and the others I consider my friends. As a career mare, I would not allow even Twilight to demolish a noble's villa to make room for a public library, even if that would be more beneficial to ponies in the long run. It would be an abuse of another's rights and my power. Using my authority to stomp out legal business operations I felt were a detriment to our community would be much the same. No, the change must be pushed for legally, and by my fellow ponies as much as by myself." 

"So yer sayin' that it'd be getting us both in trouble if'n you were to pitch in?" 

Celestia shook her head. "Not entirely. I cannot use my reputation or my administrative powers to help your case. That does not mean I cannot help you at all. I am happy to assist you in making your measurements and compiling your arguments, things a friend would do for another friend. I simply cannot let that trickle into my job." 

"Why didn't ya just say so?" Celestia thought the better of reminding Missie she had already tried. "Here, hold this." Missie thrust the notebook at her. "I'm gonna call out some numbers and I want ya to write 'em all down. Y'see that list in the corner?" True to her word, there were indeed numbers in the corner "Each row has a number, and each number is a tree. When I call out a number, it'll be fer the tree I'm facin'. Ya can also see I got three columns with labels on all of 'em. I'll tell ya which numbers go where by callin' out the column name 'fore I call out the number. Ya get all that?" Celestia gave a nod. 

Missie began to shout measurements, and Celestia dutifully scribbled down each of them. In the moments in between they carried a conversation on the purpose of their task.

"My husband, rest his soul, pioneered this business when we'd just bought the Everfree properties. Twenty-eight! Said that the size o' the trees'd tell us how big our own apple orchard'd be. That it'd tell us the type o' soil we were dealin' with and what all was in the forests around here. He was right as rain, so this all outta tell me how well these here trees are growin' an' if the soil's any good fer them. Seventy-seven!" Missie moved on to the next tree, stretching the tape measure out to take note of the span between it and its closest neighbour. They kept going like that for a while, with Missie calling out numbers in between explaining how she'd used conditions in the Everfree to her advantage when growing her orchard. Eventually there was a pause, Missie muttering something under her breath and then widening her eyes.

Missie smacked a hoof to her forehead. "Consarnit! Forgot to divide by type o' tree again. Conifers is mighty different from deciduous in how they grow, but I can't ever seem to remember puttin' it down no matter how old I get! Every single time, I swear, since the day I was born." She continued to mutter to herself, with the words "Now we'll have ta start from square one!" making it to Celestia's ears intact. 

"Perhaps we might indicate type of tree with an icon? Like a circle for deciduous or a triangle for conifers?" Missie blinked. 

"Why not just make a little doodle of 'em?" 

Celestia blushed at this. "I was...never particularly good at drawing..." This earned a chuckle, and a slap against her withers. 

"Lands' sakes, pony! I ain't expectin' Picassoats from ya!" Celestia thought the better of pointing out Picassoats' style was abstract and that it'd be useless as a diagnostic tool for trees anyway.

"I can do my best." She concluded. Missie went back to the measuring. 

"What made you choose this as a new beginning, anyway?" Celestia stuck out her tongue, noting with some frustration that she could not even make the stems connect to the center of the triangles effectively. 

Missie put a hoof to her lips. "Thinkin' about worthy causes, I s'pose. What all ya said about yer bird helped me ta pick. She was somethin' fragile and lively that nopony was protectin' and ya just felt like ya had to swoop in. Forests are like that these days. The big woods filled with dangerous critters and dangerous magic aren't much present anywhere but the frontiers, and that just leaves the side of the woods what made me want to explore the Everfree in the first place. Delicate spots full o' life that have wonders ponies ain't botherin' to explore what with all the processin' and packagin' they wanna do before they even know what they have." 

"Hmm. And what sort of wonders do forests hold that you could market to a growing economy?" 

"Yer startin' to sound like Filthy. That ain't the point." Missie pulled out the tape and measured another root. "Seventeen!"

Celestia frowned at her pitiful attempts at doodling a deciduous tree's circular boughs, but wrote down the number regardless. "Perhaps not to you and I, but in swaying the ponies of industry practical applications will be key." 

"Well then, take zap apples as an instance." Missie wrapped the tape measure around a trunk and peered at the number. "Fifty-nine! Only appear for the one day a year, but they make jam what can revitalize a pony's magic and help heal bones and muscles when they're injured. Use it sometimes when Big Mac sprains himself workin' the fields, if'n the season is right. And that's just one example." 

Celestia smiled, her pencil working furiously while she listened. "One might also argue that once secrets like those have been uncovered, the forest will have lost its merit and can be replaced with farms instead." 

"What kinda crazy pony would argue that?!" Missie looked at Celestia like she had declared the sun might be more useful if it was tied down and harvested for sunlight.

"The kind of crazy pony that your petition will have to stand against." 

"Well if'n that's how little thought they're puttin' into it my point is good as proved. We let the Everfree stand alongside our orchard for a consarn reason! Still findin' new ways to put it to good use to this day!" Missie stretched the tape between two trunks. She narrowed her eyes, then smiled. "One hundred and sixty four!" Celestia floated the pencil up to the table to fill in a number, then returned to writing.

"And even if'n we weren't, forests are always changin'. Ya can't schedule 'em like an office or a factory. Entirely new resources might be there one year dependin' on what manages to grow and what doesn't. Now we can help this some by managin' the weather and the seasons like we do and tryin' to help what we'd like to see more o' to grow, but we can't make it run like fancy clockwork." Missie paused, leaning down to measure the roots of another of her target trees. "Twenty-one!" Then she stood back up. "Ya gotta trust ponies what know the forest to do their jobs and let the trees have room to grow naturally."  

"But in that case wouldn't it be more efficient to replace them with something more consistent?"

"Ya been listenin' to any o' what I been sayin'? What these woods produce ain't replaceable to begin with. Zecora's been out in the Everfree makin' medicines from plants what only grow in the shade o' trees. Fluttershy's been helpin' us to raise bat colonies what eat fruit in the Everfree and fertilize the soil on Sweet Apple such that we tripled our harvest this season. Ponies starvin' and gettin' sick on account o' some city folks tryin' ta tell us how to do our jobs ain't just insultin', it's outright dangerous! If'n ya want ta chop down all of yer trees ta make room fer processing plants ya might as well tear down a bunch a banks and plantations while yer at it for all the good it'd do ya."   

"Of course, if we use only the Everfree as an example, we run the risk of marginalizing the other woods." Celestia continued to scribble. 

"Sixty-four!" Missie turned back to face her. "That's what we're here in Whitetail fer. To make sure we kin find some things in these here groves what'll make ponies see this is true o' forests all across Equestria, not just the Everfree." Missie measured out the gap between the last of the oak trees arranged around the boulder. "Two hundred and thirteen!" The farmer let the tape measure snap back into place with a 'click' and turned to face Celestia. "But the good news on that is that I already got a couple o' ideas fer what to do with Whitetail here." 

"From the measurements?" 

"Aye, an the tree types, even if'n I keep forgettin' to take a look at that on account o' I'm plum stupid sometimes." Missie waved Celestia over, and the alicorn dutifully rose and walked over to the cluster of roots Missie was standing over. Missie pointed to the trees, specifically singling out the leaves and their knobbed, rounded branching patterns. "What we got here are some healthy oak trees here in the deep woods. They're growin' apart properly and they're a healthy size and shape fer their age. The little groves ponies walk along around the path help protect these trees, which grow only where there's shade to keep away the fast-growers they compete with. The rocky soil o' the clearing combined with the presence o' the oaks and the climate o' Ponyville all means one thing--these trees'd be fine truffle-producin' trees. The little pods'd be helpin' to fix the nutrients fer the trees and that'd help 'em to grow."

"Truffles?" Celestia blinked. "In Ponyville?" 

"Aye, and not in the Everfree, neither. Soil there is infused with magic what inspires strangler plants and sunlight competition like nopony's business. But these here trees are growin' in rocky soil that prevents that kinda cutthroat scramblin' for sunlight, lettin' 'em sit and grow natural truffle groves what'd make the folks in Canterlot have a field day. And that ain't all. I saw mulberries in the thinner parts on the way in. Next time I come around here I'm plannin' on takin' a look, but if we cultivate 'em right we might be able to get materials fer Misses Rarity that'd bump up her Boutique's outfits mighty fine fer half the cost she'll be payin' right now."

"How so?" Celestia continued to write, her attention more focused at Rarity's mention and ideas already forming in her head.

"With the right environment the mulberries'll be housin' silkworms. We kin farm the silkworms on our own turf, but we'll need 'em to grow in the Whitetail itself if'n we want a sustainable bunch of them on account o' Sweet Apple Acres don't have the right soil type for mulberry trees. So we'll need to look after them trees and the worms they's feedin', but if we can, Ponyville could start producin' silk what would rival the kinds they got in Manehattan, and Rarity wouldn't have ta import it, neither." 

"Provided that these mulberry trees actually can support silkworms." 

"Right." Missie nodded, waving a hoof. "Gettin' ahead of myself. But the point is there's potential here what nopony's tapped before and reasons ta keep this and other forests protected from the likes o' fancy ponies from Manehattan and Las Pegasus what think they know best fer everypony in the towns they've been clearin'. And once we assemble a good case fer it we can actually get to lobbyin' them ta stop! If'n only I could think how to say it right for them noble-types in Canterlot." 

"You already have." Celestia flipped through the pages in the notebook, a playful smile forming. "But if you ever need a reference, I believe I took down most of what you were saying." She gave a wink. "You did tell me to take notes." 

"Eh, wha' now?" Missie blinked, a bit of Granny's quiet confusion slipping back into her features. And then she realized Celestia's ploy. Hadn't she said she was on Missie's side? So what had been all that nonsense she'd been spouting? "Ya tricked me! Them arguments ya raised weren't none o' what ya really thought, you just wanted ta hear me yammerin' about what I'd tell them ponies in Canterlot so ya could get it all on paper!"

"Guilty as charged." Celestia chuckled. "I may have enjoyed myself at your expense a little, too. Your passion is very," she paused, making a point to search for the right word, "admirable."  

Missie continued her glare for a moment, but upon seeing Celestia give a playful toss of her head, it turned into a snort, then a chuckle when Celestia raised an exaggerated eyebrow, and then at last a full laugh when Celestia leaned in to inspect her further. "Serves me right fer talkin' to ya like you was one of them snooty noble types!"

"You did say you wished me to be more expressive." Celestia shrugged her wings, fanning through the notebook until it was properly closed and then slotting her pencil neatly between the pages. She levitated it back to Missie with a proud nod of her head. "One thing most will learn quickly is that Philomena is not the only one with a penchant for mischief." 

"So all o' that roundabout about yer job and the other ponies and whatnot was just gettin' me comfortable enough with fightin' my point that ye could take it down for me?" 

"Not entirely. Everything I told you was the truth, and all of the arguments I raised will be brought to bear against you. But yes, I did have the ulterior motive of structuring your arguments, and of course I was always interested in seeing you succeed in making them." 

"An' you were plannin' to tell me all this when?" 

"Exactly when I told you." Celestia stretched out her wings, taking in a breath of the fresh forest air and smiling up at the beautiful blue sky. "Nothing I said was untrue. I cannot help you directly, but yes, I absolutely can and will help you with your arguments and try to support what you do. I took the notes you asked and gave the advice I promised, and called attention to what I was doing exactly when it needed calling attention to." She blushed a little. "Unorthodox as my methods were." 

Missie only laughed harder at this. "Gotta watch this one with her words, I do. Yer a clever pony, Majesty. And I'll be thankin' ya fer yer help when I get back to the farm ta start tallyin' up all of them arguments ya helped me figure through." Missie put the notebook back and turned towards the clearing's opening. 

"And speaking of, I believe that it's about noontime. I believe it's time for my briefing on the yak delegates, therefore, and I will have to hurry."

"Don't suppose ya have the time ta walk me back ta the farm?" And for the first time since they'd left for the Whitetail, Missie seemed uncertain. "I don't wanna end up tuckered out on the side o' the road..."

"Of course." Celestia said, stretching her wings out to offer Missie a place by her side as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I can send a letter explaining I may be delayed." Missie returned to her side with a newfound surge of vigor, her steps locking in beside Celestia's at a pace that would have seemed alien to those who knew her only as Granny Smith. 

All the way back they talked about past adventures and new adventures, about histories of orchards and palaces and about losses and triumphs across their long, strangely intertwining lives. They talked of bills and forests and of argicultural revolutions married in harmony with industrial ones, and of the future Missie would strive towards in their time apart. And as they talked, neither one of them took notice of the tiny glowing orange seed of Honesty that proudly grew from a tiny gemstone and fruited into a magnificent fixture upon Celestia's neck.
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was rare that Luna peered into Celestia's dreams. One too many encounters with Nightmare Moon had taught her that her sister's dreams were not a place she was welcome. But she needed to do this. And, while still insulting, this dream was at least more pleasant than the night-terrors that had driven her from Celestia's dreams to begin with. The woods she was travelling through seemed typical of the set that would crop up in Celestia's dreams. Dark, winding and filled with places she, the villain, could ambush Celestia from. But this time, the narrative was different. Celestia was not alone.

A procession of ponies patrolled through the woods proudly. Some of them Luna recognized, some of them she did not. A jaunty tune carried on a flute played by...Rarity, was the white unicorn with the gem flanks?...cut through the forest, following the ponies' progress and setting the speed of their march. The ones at the front, a pair of green and orange (that one was "Applejack", she recalled) earth ponies, carried torches that cut through the Everfree. With every sweep of a torch, waves of light formed that swept away the corrupting darkness. 

Lunar flowers and thorn-coated trees warped by the Nightmare's black magic wilted away under the harsh sun, replaced by rolling fields of golden wheat and farmhouses overlooking lush orchards. In the back a pink earth pony, Pinkie Pie, would ring a set of large bells and pull funny faces any time one of the Everfree's monsters made to attack. All of this directed by the shrill, nasally voice of Luna's own archrival, who dictated this devastation of her domain in accordance with one of her trademark checklists. 

The danger and cruelty of the night was chased away, and in its place ponies frolicked in the safety of the day.  Bats were replaced by butterflies and mushrooms by flowers wherever ponies dared travel. As if the creatures of the night had less right to life. As if they could not be enjoyed on their own merits. It was only once all trace of the nightmarish night had been removed that communities began to grow. 

Ponies would group up, touch noses and close their eyes, and around them would form buildings, attracted to their harmony like magnets. Bricks, mortar and wooden planks would fly from patches of earth and groves of trees, forming themselves piece by piece around the ponies until at last a roof would fall into place tile by tile over their heads. The green stranger met a golden one and formed a farmyard. Around it formed boutiques and cottages and bakeries. And libraries. 

Cursed libraries. Luna rolled her eyes and flicked her tail. This exactly was why she was here. She made ready to announce her presence, but it was then that she saw her replacement approaching Celestia's side. She remained in her hiding place. Perhaps more evidence of her systematic neglect would make itself clear yet. Celestia leaned down and touched her purple puppy dog's nose, and together they created that hideous castle of shining crystal. At least it had not been the Castle of the Two Sisters.  

Twilight Sparkle. The purpose of her journey. Once she had called the mare friend. Twilight had been the first to accept her after her return. Had helped her to find new friends, find a niche in modern Equestria and a hope at the acceptance she had never had when she had last been free to walk among other ponies. It would have been charming. Sweet. Were it not another way to get nestled further into her sister's embrace. Push Luna further into the margins. 

Luna snorted. She hadn't truly noticed what was happening to her until shortly after Tirek's defeat. Until Celestia had made journey after journey to Ponyville to visit Twilight more and more, and in turn spoken to her less and less, made less and less time for Luna's own clumsy attempts at blossoming into her own mare. And then she had started to put the pieces together. 

Celestia had snubbed Luna's aim to save the Crystal Empire, culling any attempt at redemption Luna may have found there so that Twilight might find glory and adoration amongst the Crystal subjects instead. And just as Luna had begun to return to her duties, had a chance to show other ponies what an alicorn other than Celestia could do, Celestia had pasted wings onto the twenty-something unicorn's back and called her a Princess. 

Worse, she'd been granted far more than Luna herself. Was treated with far more fanfare. She had a castle all her own, her own domain out in the wide sunlit world, while Luna had been forced back into the shadows once more. She held the prize place by Celestia's right side that someone else had once enjoyed. Luna narrowed her eyes, walking towards the castle and raising up a hoof to knock on the door. 

Now Luna had the evidence she needed. When she had come to Celestia before the mare had steered the conversation away from Twilight. Asked about Luna's dream magic. Any attempts to talk ill of her were smoothed over with examples of Twilight's successes. Successes that should have been Luna's own, that had been arranged by Celestia from the start, but successes nonetheless. 

But now Luna could show Celestia the reality of Twilight Sparkle. That she desired things from Celestia that even Celestia would have the good grace to realize were wrong. Was sick in ways Celestia would see were dangerous to her kingdom. Was a threat that Luna did not pose, had used them both and would do so again to appease the darker corners of her mind. She did her best to ignore the shadow she cast upon the glittering home in the brutal sunlight, tapping her hoof against the cheery, shimmering door. 

Celestia opened the door. She didn't even have the good grace to banish the image of Luna's replacement, which remained proudly at Celestia's side like the loyal dog she was. But at least she had the grace to smile like nothing was wrong. "Luna! What brings you here!' 

"Somepony had a good day." Luna's instinct was to produce a bitter leer, but she forced the muscles in her face to form a wry smile instead. 

"I did, thank you." Celestia beckoned her in with a wing. "Would you like to enter?" With all the small miracles she had enjoyed to that point, Celestia actually dared to hope they might talk amiably. That she might not be asked to feel ashamed of the source of her happiness. 

Luna's smile faltered. "That is...why I am here, actually. I...have concerns about you."

Celestia's grin also faltered, the hope she'd held for a friendly conversation dying on her face. She hadn't had a civil conversation with Luna since she'd begun her relationship with Twilight. She rather missed her sister. But this was her rival, not her family, that had come to visit once again. Come to request some concession of her regarding her Twilight once again. Two reactions clashed within her head whenever her darker counterpart arrived in this sort of state. In the end politeness always won out. "How may I help you?" 

"We need to talk." Luna flicked her gaze down at the Twilight by her side. Celestia stretched a wing over the dreamscape version of her beloved alicorn, stepping ever so slightly between her and Luna. 

"We are talking." Celestia laid out the framework carefully. Conversations with an anguished Luna, like conversations with stubborn politicians, were affairs of the mind and not of the heart. Celestia held a breath, readying to make the first move. 

The game went like this. Luna would come to her with some emotional need Celestia had neglected, disguised as some failing of Celestia's. Luna would attack her insecurities in the hopes of convincing her to bend to her will. She would be unduly harsh and blunt and force Celestia to agree with her on the smaller issue Luna was currently wrapped up in. This would placate her until another inadequacy cropped up and Luna returned to demonize her once again. It was effectively a ransom, and if she could not guess what was on the table, if Luna gained enough momentum in her accusations, Celestia would have to concede to Luna's wish. 

That was if all played out without Celestia's interference. Force Luna to show her true intent and she could reason with her. Be candid or clever and Luna's frustrations would reveal themselves. From there she could catch the building emotions in the act of erupting and defuse them with some kind words, a reasonable offer of her own. Something sisterly. The conflict, then, was whether Celestia could stall Luna long enough to guess her true intentions. How well Celestia knew Luna's feelings on the issue, how long she could stretch out their talk in hopes of identifying them, these were the factors that determined the skirmish. 

"No, we are exchanging platitudes. We need to talk." Luna stomped a hoof to emphasize her point. Celestia hid a forming smile. Luna's teeth grit. 

The game went like this. Luna would observe some injustice inherent in Celestia and her philosophy and bring it to her attention. Celestia would deny it or offer halfhearted counter-measures. She would smooth over Luna's problems and marginalize her voice. Luna would then bring up how this particular affront connected to the wider picture, and how it mattered to Celestia's subjects. From there she could use Celestia's desire to appease ponies that were not Luna herself to negotiate a small allowance of empathy towards her. This would be enough consideration to appease her, until eventually Celestia again forgot about her needs and she was forced to return. 

That was if all played out without Celestia's interference. If she caught Luna with one of her own inadequacies, if she could trap Luna in a prison of her own making, Celestia could slip through Luna's hooves and force her to acknowledge yet another of the ways in which she was the inferior sister. From there she would leave Luna with an offer of peace, which Luna would accept out of shame. She would leave with a halfhearted smile, leaving Luna the more empty and broken for it. The conflict, then, was whose shame would reveal itself first. Which pony would yield to their failings, which sense of loss could be dredged further up, these were the factors that determined the skirmish.

"I am listening." Celestia said this as if it were the most self-evident thing in the entirety of Equestria. Luna gave a mighty groan. 

"Fine. I will just show you." Luna, having long since lost patience with her sister's pleasant falsehoods, carved a hole in Celestia's dream and beckoned her forward. "Come." 

"I am not inclined to share in another's dreams, Luna. I would not violate their privacy or your realm." Luna fought down a barking laugh. Would not violate another's dreams, Celestia said. Not unless they were dreams of being a better pony, right, sister? 

"I assure you that this particular dreamer would jump at the chance to have you in her mind." Luna did not stop the toxic smirk this time. "Now come. Or shall we have this conversation at the Royal Summit?" 

"Fine." Celestia tried to keep her voice even. Luna would drag onlookers into this. She followed Luna into the foreign dream.

Around them was a tattered village. Thatched roofs and stone walls with holes for windows. Carts lying abandoned in the street. Ponies watching them with eerie smiles that stretched across their cheeks but never reached their eyes. Every one of them had a Cutie Mark in the shape of an equal sign. Celestia took note of it all. Strange to say the least. Luna's princessly parade led them to a small, stocky building on the far end of town. This one's walls were thicker stone, its door reinforced with heavier wood, and its windows shut with heavy bolted locks that did not exist on any of the others. 

"A prison?" Celestia looked at Luna. "Luna...where is Twilight right now?" 

Luna waved a wing. "'Tis not important to our conversation. Somewhere peaceful enough to sleep, presumably. And peaceful enough to make a mockery of you." 

"Lulu, where is Twilight right now?" Celestia fought down the panic in her voice. "She said she would keep in touch." 

She beckoned Celestia over to the window. "Come, see for yourself." 

Celestia grit her teeth behind her smiling lips, mind taking in the town more closely now.  If Twilight was in danger, if Luna truly felt no concern for that...Celestia tossed aside any concern she may have felt for Luna's argument before. She focused on her surroundings. Focused on figuring out how to help Twilight, since it was clear Luna would not. She soaked in the village more closely now. The climate suggested near the Crystal Empire. The make of the houses suggested border town. She needed some kind of identifier, some kind of landmark...Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by Luna jabbing her with a wing, then pointing it towards Twilight herself. 

The little alicorn was nestled in between her wings, their horns crossed closely. The dream Celestia leaned in to whisper into Twilight's ear. "You are intelligent and resourceful. You can find a way out of this. You know better than to lose hope in moments like this. You will overcome." 

Emotions swarmed up in Celestia's chest. Love was first. A wood-stove warmth in her core that glowed at being Twilight's voice of strength and reason. Pride next. Twilight was a mare of doubts and distress, and to see her believing in herself gave Celestia hope for a future where Twilight would finally find the confidence and peace of mind she truly deserved. And then, as last, worry rushed in. 

For Twilight and for her. Twilight, for it was clear she was in danger and Luna still refused to disclose as to how. Her, for the stress of Twilight's situation had revealed things she was not ready for Luna to see. Things she was still grappling with herself. Luna's scornful eyes were a chilled wind smothering the glowing coals in her heart. She looked away. 

"I do not see how this is so terrible." Celestia said at last. 

Luna gestured between her and Twilight with an open mouth. "Does it not bother you to see yourself reduced to a caricature? Some kind of safety blanket?" 

"Is that truly what you see?" Celestia shut her eyes and bowed her head. Luna continued.

"I see a mockery of you and your values. I see an entitled desire for affection that insults your dignity." Luna raised an eyebrow at her sister's demeanor. "But enough of what I see. What do you see?" 

"I see that a pony I care about cares strongly about me also." Celestia held her wings close to her sides. 

"And in a way that you approve of? Is this truly how you see yourself and your ex-student?" Luna moved closer, standing tall over Celestia. 

"Twilight is her own mare, of age and matured. Her desires are not mine to judge." Celestia looked over at Twilight's vision. 

"That was not an answer to my question." 

"Is it really so terrible a thing for her to feel?" Celestia studied their locked horns, reminiscing on that first evening together and the magic that had flown between them. "When did love become a crime in the kingdom of Equestria?" 

"Stars above, Tia! Answer the question!" Luna tossed her head, wings flitting at her sides. "It disgusts you as much as it does me. Just admit that much and we can discuss what to do about this silly crush and your growing co-dependence!" 

"Yes." Celestia whispered, hugging her wings to herself. 

"Good. Now, we--" 

"Yes. I do approve." Celestia pulled herself up, ignoring the dry feeling in her mouth and the pressure building behind her eyes. "I approve and I share." 

Luna took a step back, jaw falling open. 

"She and I have reinterpreted our feelings recently. It is why we have seen more of each other of late." Celestia brought herself back to composure, her glance staying even. But still she could not stop the chilly feeling of something smothering her inner hearth every time she chanced a look at Luna's disbelieving stare. "We have been working towards a point where we were comfortable with sharing." Celestia sighed. "Of course, we did not know you would be so keen to--" 

"Pry the truth from you?" Luna looked on her with pity. "Oh, sister. Is this how desperate you were without me?" 

"Desperation has nothing to do with it." Celestia flicked her wing out absently. "This decision was made long after your return, long after Twilight's ascension and crowning. It was made by two consenting adults, and you insult us both to imply otherwise." 

"It is not simply that." Luna shook her head and began to stalk away from the debauchery. "There is much else I have to show you. There are things about that mare you do not know." 

"It is fortunate, then, that you stumbled across this unchecked danger so swiftly. And that you came to me before her. I can only imagine the consequences had you talked to the mare in question about your concern for her."  Luna frowned, marching on without acknowledging the jab. 

"She is not fit to have such things discussed before her." Celestia's eyes narrowed for a moment. Luna did not notice. Luna moved away from Twilight and towards the evidence of her own righteousness. "You will see." 

A fluffy white bed with a set of pillows in the patterns of ovular white pills lay hidden amongst the branches of a particularly dark grove of trees not far from the village outskirts. Celestia noted the train tracks in the distance, how they reached to a station and then abruptly stopped. Wherever Twilight was trapped, it was at the end of the reach of the trains. That was a concrete location she could teleport to. Luna interrupted her with a cough. In the midst of the fluffy bedding was a grey button-eyed Raggedy Ann with curly black yarn for hair. Its head slouched to one side, featureless eyes watching the duo of alicorns without seeing them. Luna gave a shudder.

"This is why I did not share my concerns with Twilight Sparkle. Do not touch the doll." Luna walked to one side of the copse of trees without even so much as giving it a glance, her brow furrowed and her shoulders tensed. She gestured to it. 

"You mean Smarty Pants?" Celestia looked over at it. "She may seem rough around the edges, but she can grow on you if given the chance. I think she's rather cute myself." She walked over to inspect it. The faint echo of laughter and the sound of quills scribbling reached her ears.  

"Do not touch the doll. Listen to its whispers and you will learn the source of my scorn." Luna's wings were rigid at her side, her head lowered to level her horn at the filly's toy. She began to march herself towards the Raggedy Ann. Celestia reached out a hoof and scooped it up, shielding it away from Luna's advances instinctively. Luna reached out a hoof. "Sister--"

The cause of Luna's fear became immediately apparent upon Celestia's skin touching Smarty Pants' own. The doll latched onto her like a parasite. A maniacal panic began to beat itself against her mind.  Mad laughter and the sounds of her own enraged voice filled Celestia's ears. Her sight swam with admonishments written in red ink and blurry visions of Twilight's friends in tears, of Twilight herself crumpled in a neurotic mess of cowlicks and overwide smiles. A thousand flittering thoughts threatened to swallow her up and suck her into the doll's mad realm of terrors and shames. Another pony would have been captured by the whirling vortex of insanity. But these terrors were no more alien to Celestia than the shadows of her own heart. She stroked the grasping, cackling creature.  

"Shhhh." The mental assault broke against the waves of calm Celestia projected. "I've seen all this before. I forgave you then and forgive you now." The dark anxieties hidden within the dream began to fizzle away. The grasping embrace grew warm and gentle at her words. Celestia gave the doll a kiss on the forehead. It flopped down, head leaning itself against her cheek and thoughts turning to resolution and pride. Celestia nuzzled it back. "You are better than you will ever know, even in these moments. Remember I have always believed that." The doll dissolved itself into cartoonish hearts that flapped away in the breeze, the hurricane of anxieties and inadequacies replaced with a calm breeze of trust. 

"That was a Tantabus!" Luna hissed, recoiling at its sudden transformation. "I spent three hours and half my magic reserves trying to vanquish it! How in the name of Equestria did you do that?!"

Celestia shrugged. "You do not know Twilight Sparkle like I do. We can discuss it later. For now, you had concerns you wished to air, and apparently needed to violate my closest friend's trust in order to do so." 

"Nay, sister. This ties altogether too well into what we need to speak of. Do you not see how dangerous this mare's mind is?!" Celestia's entire body tensed, and Luna only retroactively sensed the line she'd crossed. She tried an appeal to empathy. "That...that is to say, how unstable her ties to you are, and how them going awry could damage you?" Luna did her best to ignore Celestia's glare. The cold iron lance that was Celestia's look of contempt was one she had learned to deflect long ago. What she took from it instead was that her words rung of some truth. 

"Given the truly incredible ignorance you have displayed thus far, I suspect I know far better than you." Celestia flicked a wing at her and turned away. 

"Ignorance, sister? In what ways?" Luna pressed her advantage. Then froze. Celestia was smirking. Luna had walked into a trap.

"Firstly, the being I 'vanquished' is not a Tantabus. Although similar in machinations, Twilight's tormentor was not created by another pony and cannot be destroyed." Celestia opened her wings to cup some of the swarming hearts. "Ergo, secondly, I did not 'vanquish' it at all. I merely calmed it for the moment. Battling it makes it stronger. Embracing it weakens it. But it cannot be killed. The form you have found it in is Twilight's best attempt to tame it." Celestia turned to fully face Luna. "It can be difficult to trust one with a troubled conscience with large-scale decisions, especially if they have harmed you in the past." And gave Luna a gentle smile. "But, with effort, you can find that such trust can be rewarded."

Luna ignored the distraction. "This has been inside Twilight for how long?" 

"Since she was born, I imagine. As long as I have known her at least, though it grows and shrinks in size."

"It was worse before?" Luna paled. 

"And far louder, yes. It was at its worst not long after Discord's escape and has grown much weaker ever since her trial in the Crystal Empire." Luna tensed at the mention, gritting her teeth. "Cadance and I have worked for years to help Twilight tame it." She chuckled a little. "And of course Spike. He helps more than I think he realizes." 

Luna blinked. "How? None of you can walk dreams."

"In the waking world. I admit I had never interacted with it physically before." Celestia smiled. "The experience was rather refreshing." The little hearts swarmed themselves around her, tickling under her chin and her wings. She giggled at their touch. "There, is that what was troubling you? Yes, there are parts of Twilight's mind that are troubled by obsession and driven by compulsion. No, she made no move to hide them from me. Part of why she loves me is that I accept her for what she is." Celestia's gaze hardened. "And before you get another silly idea in your head, yes, Twilight is aware of my own shortcomings and yes, she accepts them for what they are, too."  

Luna chewed the inside of her cheeks. 

"And speaking of Spike, if we are done speaking of Twilight, it would be nice if you might spend some time getting to know him. He is your nephew, after all." Luna rolled her eyes and opened her mouth again. 

"You're changing topics." 

"I thought we'd said all that needed to be said about Twilight. I thought I might be able to speak about others you may enjoy the company of, since you seem to at last be showing interest in your fellow family members..."

"Perhaps I have been remiss in that regard." 

"You could also talk with Cadance, and her husband, also a member of the Sparkle household." Celestia chuckled. "Perhaps you might glean what it is about them that is so magical from speaking with her." 

Luna rolled her eyes and snorted. "Thus far all I have learned is that they are neurotic and unreliable." 

"Would it hurt so much to laugh once in a while, Lulu?" Celestia looked past her, then blinked and refocused her gaze upon Luna's blank obsidian peytral. 

"I have been given little to laugh about of late." Luna crossed her hooves over the piece of jewelry, folding her wings to her side. 

"Some things in life must be found rather than given. And even gifts must be accepted." Celestia ran a hoof over the gems set in her neck. "You really should meet Cadance properly, you know. I think you would like her, if you were to speak. Play a game with her, show up with a deck of cards and show her some tricks." Celestia's voice did not change, but she felt herself shrinking away from her sister. "You used to love that." 

"I still do, sister. But I must address some things first." 

"Spike, then? Maybe I could bring you to Sweet Apple Acres some time. I know you've been speaking with Apple Bloom. She requested somepony to teach her and she could use a tutor." 

"Spend more time around the palace, then." Luna countered. 

"I already work and sleep there, Luna. What more do you want from me?" 

"Some time alone would be nice." Luna huffed. 

"Like tonight?" Celestia drew away again. Luna stiffened. Celestia looked up, that same false smile on her face again. "Come with me to see somepony. Rarity, perhaps. She would love to see another royal. She was sad to miss you last Nightmare Night. Or perhaps you could introduce me to a friend."

"I have not the time to make friends, sister. Once you could claim the same. But that mare has done things to you. Changed you in ways unfit for a Princess of Equestria." Celestia stepped back, her gentle smile wavering. But then it found its footing again. 

"You're right. Spending time with Twilight has changed me. But you are also wrong. Equestria is a land of friendship and compassion. Of honesty and generosity. Things I have been sorely lacking. Things I have relearned about myself." Celestia touched her collar. "Things you can learn, too. Maybe not from me. But from somepony." 

"Perhaps I'd have the time for that if I too had crowned some other mare to do my job for me." Luna huffed, rolling her eyes. 

"Do not confuse Twilight's actions for my own. I gave her nothing but a title to go with her wings. She discovered and completed Starswirl's final spell. She found access to the magic powerful enough to become an alicorn. She found the harmony necessary to earn the change. She took on a kingdom of her own choice and jumped at duties once assigned to me. These were choices I consulted you personally on, in a time when you were still thinking of Twilight's growth and life objectively." 

Luna ignored the barb, going for the heart of the matter again. "And you gave her that book just so she could study Starswirl's magic, yes? There were no indications you expected anything more?" 

"I expected her to wish to better herself. Spells can be undone, Luna. Every unicorn knows that. If Twilight was unhappy with her choice to repair the spell she could have returned to who she was. If our subjects disliked the change, they showed it in a strange way. But that is what our subjects wish for. Harmony and celebration. That is what Twilight wishes for. She chooses not to stay anchored in the past. She chooses to dream of a better tomorrow. And now, so do I." Celestia's gaze grew distant again, her smile growing smaller and more gentle still. Luna seized the chance.

Something was building in Celestia. The final push in the game was set. And then Celestia threw a curve ball. She gave a distant sigh, and some foreign expression drifted across her face. "Can't you just be happy for me?" 

"Sister...I am worried for you. You must understand that." Luna made another allowance. Stick to the script. She's about to relent. Celestia sighed again, her brow furrowing. 

"Worry then for the harm you would do to my companion. Saying Twilight is unfit to bear my affection because of her psychology is crueler than I would expect of you, sister."  

Luna said nothing, crossing her front hooves and sitting instead. This was...something new. What was Celestia's angle? What was her game? 

"Twilight's condition also makes her eager to please and quick to observe what others miss. They keep her organized and drive her to excel well beyond what is expected of her. They help to enrich her. A fact you should be well aware of, considering that she was the only pony to reach out to you on your first Nightmare Night." Luna opened her mouth, but was cut off again. "In spite of all you did and have done to harm her." 

Luna bit her tongue, glowering. "Perhaps she needs a pony to keep her in check, since it is clear that you will not." 

"That duty falls to her friends, ponies who would rejoice in seeing her succeed and support her even in failure." Celestia eyed her muzzle, daring her to speak out of turn. Luna's eyes shone with venom. 

"And what of when she next fails? Will you continue to shield her?" 

Celestia took a deep breath, spreading out her wings and settling her expression to neutral. One last chance, Lulu. "I would be grateful if you were to be there to show her errors, if only that I may guide her back to success. The same success that allows us to speak at all, Lulu. The same success that allows me to dream of better futures." 

There it was. The concession. She had folded into herself, now Luna had but to drive her point home and she would once more have the deserved spot at her sister's side. But then Celestia spoke up again. "But I would agree to this only on the condition that you relent in your disregard for her feelings. Caution I appreciate." Celestia's body clenched. Luna made ready to deliver the final blow. "Cruelty I will not abide." 

Luna struck at Celestia's heart one final time. "Cruelty has its place." Celestia snapped her wings back to her side, teeth clenching behind her neutral expression. "Sometimes we must be harsh on others we love. You have done as much for me many times. It is thanks to this philosophy that the Nightmare was banished." Celestia's eyes screwed up. She sucked a rigid breath into her chest, wings tensed. Almost there. "In a mare as--as unhealthy--as Twilight--" Celestia's eyes snapped open, and Luna's own eyes went wide at the emotion written across her sister's face. There was no platitude. No gentle guilt. No serene plea for forgiveness. For the first time since Twilight's replacing her, she had plucked a genuine emotion from her sister. Quite a shame it was rage. 

"Enough. What you are trying to do is cruel to me as it is to her." Celestia advanced on Luna, who shrank backwards, uncertain of the dangerous look in Celestia's eyes. "I see your game, Lulu, and it revolts me. Twilight is not inherently healthy, no. And she never will be. But she is happy with me. And I with her. Would you really tear that away from us to sate your jealousy?" Honest pain distorted Celestia's face, pinching at the corners of her eyes and the edges of her lips. She lowered her head. "I suppose this is my penance for being too happy, is it? That I need be kept in check so I can stay trapped forever in your vicious cycle?" 

"Sister!" Luna straightened, lowering her muzzle to scowl at Celestia. "I ask you to consider the safety of our subjects! You have raised a new alicorn who is a danger to herself and others. You have given her rule over the lives of thousands of ponies. Think for a moment of the consequences of your actions!" 

"I have thought much on the consequences of my actions." Celestia smiled a bittersweet smiles. "On how they've enriched me. Healed this tired old mare's heart." She looked back at Luna, her gaze souring immediately. "Though it is plain you have not thought on the consequences of yours." Celestia took in a breath, eyes pleading Luna not to interrupt. "Where is your catastrophe, Luna? Where is the evidence of Twilight's failings you so cling to in the hopes it would drive me into your hooves again? Against the dozen successes against creatures we failed to best? Why will you not bridge the gap yourself?
Join us and accept us, find happiness of your own in our bond? This has never been about Twilight's wellbeing matching ours. It has always been about propping up yours by destroying hers. And it has been wrong of me to enable it to go this far." 

Luna stomped a hoof, spreading her wings to their fullest extent. "Go this far?! The only thing you have taken too far is your journey from your throne! Your flesh and blood!" Celestia bit her lip. Perhaps Luna was right. Perhaps she went too far. Luna was family. She deserved a chance to--"If you will not see how far astray she has led you, perhaps our subjects will." 

Celestia spread out her wings and shot forward, thrusting her head out to clash with Luna's own gaze with a snarl. "She would not be the first alicorn of questionable sanity I have let lead me astray against others' better judgement." Luna's jaw fell open. "I will not be lectured on the mental health of my loved ones and the choices I have made for my kingdom by a pony who threatened the starvation of our entire country and betrayed the vow she made on Starswirl's deathbed to satisfy some petty grudge she held against me!" Luna backed away, tears forming. "I have made my life's work creating a society where ponies like you and Twilight can thrive and be celebrated--loved, even! To throw it back in my face--to threaten me with sewing discontent for my love in my own subjects--insults myself and the ponies I love. 

"It insults you and the good inside of you. It insults a kingdom I gave my life to better! A kingdom you threw away out of envy of me! And look at what that rising envy has done yet again? I have tried to understand you, tried to trust you, and in the process enabled you to twist me around your hoof time and again. I have ignored the warnings from the past in hopes of a better future. But that future cannot include anypony but yourself, can it? I'm as blind now as I was then." Celestia raised herself up to her full height, staring Luna directly in the eye for the first time since the defeat of Nightmare Moon. "I will ignore your envy no longer. My loved ones are off limits in your quest to best me. Understand that or leave." Celestia's eyes narrowed into a glare. 

"S-Sister...I...I beg you to think..."

"If you cannot approve of the ponies I love, then you are no longer welcome among them." Celestia turned away, flicking her tail at Luna with a snort. "Is that clear?"

Luna wiped at her eyes. This had been a mistake. It had all been a mistake. Trying to talk sense into her sister had been a mistake. "As crystal." She spread her wings, and with a flick of her head she carved open a hole in the dream, uncaring as to where it led. Somewhere she was valued. Somewhere she was cared about. She launched herself away from Twilight Sparkle's world without a second thought.

And with that it was over. The spell was lifted. Celestia did not weep. She did not bow her head in remorse. Celestia stretched her wings out in the sun and sighed as if a gigantic weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Luna knew. Luna knew and she hadn't approved. And Celestia hadn't let it ruin her. She'd stood up for herself. Said no. And there was nothing Luna could do about it. She actually allowed herself to smile. 

She loved Twilight Sparkle. And there was nothing Luna could do about it. Haha! She had friends now, real friends. And there was nothing Luna could do about it. She was free to love her own way. And there was nothing Luna could do about it! She jumped into the air, her wings pushing her towards the sun. First a few tentative flaps to get off the ground. Then, as she thought more on the implications of Luna's fading shadow, she went higher and higher into that limitless sky. 

Possibilities, new freedoms soared along with her. Her first business was Twilight. Whatever danger she faced, she needed her more now than Luna ever had. Celestia flew over the town she would need to find in the waking world. The end of the train tracks nearest to the Crystal Empire. A chance to show her new friends her best. To save them from their enemies. Enough of Luna. Enough of Nightmares and guilt and a broken family. Enough of sacrificing her happiness to appease another's misery and envy. She was going to save her friends.

While Celestia celebrated, Luna pushed herself onwards. She did not look back. Whatever dream this was, the dreamer was near to Twilight's location. No doubt one of her friends. She took one look at the balloon spires in the distance and immediately cut a hole into another dream. A field full of flowers and hummingbirds. A friend of Twilight. She cut again. A barn--Twilight. She cut again. She readied to make yet another jump, but stopped herself short. This time she found Canterlot like she'd never seen it before. 

The immense city held its same typical layout--a series of houses attached to a mountainside by a set of stone disks and a series of powerful spells. But that was where the similarities ended. Hay roofs and cobblestone buildings replaced the marble and gold of the Canterlot of old. Evidence of the houses' previous states could be found at the base of the mountain, where piles of ivory stone, thin metal and gems of shimmering colours had been unceremoniously dumped. Luna decided to investigate.

This she could flee to. Luna decided to investigate. Ponies greeted her on the street with the usual fervor. "Hello, stranger!" (she decided not to take insult to that one this time) and "Welcome to Canterlot!" She paid them no notice, instead soaking in the ways in which her sister's vision for Equestria was being defiled. Equal signs flew proudly from flags affixed to every post and pole across the city. Once made of smooth, finely sanded and colourfull painted wood, these flagpoles were little more than small trees that had been stripped of their branches. 

No pomp. No decadence. She could get used to it. She walked forward, looking around for more oddities. The work being done in the town was also strange. Public gardens were replaced by farmers' fields, and despite the soil around Canterlot being notoriously poor for farming thanks to its alpine location, somehow wheat and barley was growing and thriving. Ponies worked in teams of six or seven to do what one would normally do alone in Canterlot proper, but they did it together, working in perfect synchronization. 

She kept going, now seeing teams of construction ponies, some strong and some skinny, straining to pull a single wall up in groups of ten or twenty that marched in unison. Ponies sat at craft tables talking on how to make hammers or pulleys, some having better understandings than others, but all working quietly and assisting each other when the need arose. Near the center of town was a set of billboards made of that same rugged, barely serviceable wood she had seen before. 

The billboards displayed the words "Tasks for the Day" at the top, and each one had a set of cards that displayed the names of a set of the town's inhabitants. Each set of names was filed under one of a set of various activities, such as construction, cooking or farming. Luna could guess from the mixed experience levels of each of the ponies she'd seen that ponies would swap tasks at the end of each day. Somebody cleared their throat, making Luna turn. 

"Princess Luna? Excuse me, it's an honour to meet you." A unicorn with a light pink coat and a purple mane stepped forward, teal eyes glimmering dangerously. 

"Well met to you as well. What is all this?" Luna gestured to the contents of the dream. 

"A better Equestria. The Equestria we know is one of chaos and inequity. A world that divides based on destinies and talents, when we should share in our unity and in the basic compassion all ponies are owed." The unicorn began to pace as she explained. She chanced a glance at the alicorn of the night, and when she saw that Luna had a hoof to her chin and a distant gaze, she continued more eagerly. "Equestria as we know it is one where a single pony can be elevated far beyond all others, in ways that other ponies never should be. A quirk of destiny or a chance encounter can force a pony onto a path they may not understand, want or even deserve. It can tear apart communities, ruin friendships...break families." She gave Luna her best look of sympathy. Luna stared back into the strange little unicorn's eyes. 

"Your...your words ring true. These are also problems I have thought much upon of late. My sister does not recognize them. But perhaps you well might." Luna gave a bow, then rose to stand over her new companion once more. "Well met, subject of Equestria. Please, tell me your name that we might be better acquainted." 

The unicorn's face rose into a smile, eyes narrowing with determination. "My name is Starlight Glimmer. And I'm going to change the world."
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia landed near the outskirts of the village with a silent folding of her wings. The urge to simply jump to Twilight had been strong, but distant memories of her mistakes with Sombra reminded her that alarm wards keyed to teleportation spells were common in paranoid and dangerous unicorns. She'd ported a thirty minute flight away, following the railroad tracks with pounding wingbeats, but at last her journey through the stinging northern air and near-total darkness was at an end. Now came the time for a plan. 

Alright, Celestia. Information first. The village was even more bizarre outside of Twilight's dream of the place. In Twilight's mind the houses had been nondescript, but in truth they were identical. Same number of windows, same layout in the stonework, same space between the door and the roof. The village was more a single house repeated than a cluster of homes huddling together. Inhabitants? 

She had to be careful not to shine the light from her horn near any of the windows, but the windows held no candlelight save for one, and upon closer inspection she heard a gentle snore coming from within that one building. Good. Now to my allies. She looked for the prison. A compact building on the edge of town, different from the rest, immediately jumped out at her even in the dim light provided by her horn. Now to reach it without being noticed. 

Goodness, how long had it been since she'd had to sneak? She fought down the giddy memories of Still, she had a great deal of practice at trotting through her palace halls with silent elegance, and in this lighting it was hard to spot even an ivory-coloured giant with a flowing mane. It was certainly much easier without the risk of her hooves making metallic clinks wherever she went, and given she had been capable of walking silently even when wearing her shoes for eight hundred years now...It was unlikely that the villagers would hear her entrance.

Her regalia were left by the bed in Canterlot, where they belonged. It was three hours to sunrise. Another five till court. She could make up the lost sleep on one of the times Twilight was shouldering her workload. She had eight hours to be Celestia before she had to return to being the Princess. She approached the window of the prison, looking in on her exhausted friends. Oh, but the looks on their faces when they saw who'd come to their rescue. She could see it already. 

Five little ponies curled up in sleep, each of them beaten and disfigured. The sixth and most treasured was still diligently working away, her brow furrowed and her hooves carrying her back and forth across the room. Celestia couldn't and didn't want to keep the scowl from her face when she saw the state of her friends. The discoloration on their coats and the frailty of their drained bodies brought her back to Discord's return and the traumas Twilight had suffered from it. Her brow creased and her gaze hardened. Not this time. No powerless begging, no frantic hope that Twilight would prevail. This time was different. This time she saved them. She slipped a window open, jolting the pacing Twilight from her thoughts. "Hello, my little ponies." Twilight was at the window in a heartbeat. 

"Princess?" She blinked, a hopeful smile breaking through the exhausted mug she had been wearing before. Then her eyes widened. "What are you doing here?! It's dangerous, there's this crazy pony--" 

"Out to remove others' Cutie Marks. So I have seen." Celestia smiled a supportive smile. It was okay, Twilight. She was here now. "You are thinking on a way to stop her, yes?" Twilight tried to chase the concern away from her face.

"I haven't come up with much. I think we might be able to get them to agree to let Fluttershy out, and she'll be able to figure out where our marks are from the--oh." Celestia's amused smirk cut her off. "Princess, I mean it. She wants to steal your Cutie Mark most. This is really dangerous." 

"And that," She poked Twilight's nose with a wing, "is exactly why I am here. Luna sensed your distress and informed me of it." Not a lie in the strictest sense of the word..."Far too many times have I sat back and allowed you to shoulder the perils of our kingdom alone. But not tonight. Tonight I stand beside the pony I love." The two of them blushed at this, but for once Celestia did not look away, her smile wide and earnest. 

Twilight still seemed uncertain. "But what about what I--What happens if you get caught? What happens if Starlight leverages us in exchange for more power?" Twilight looked down. "What if you get hurt?" 

"Not to worry, Twilight. I have several fallbacks in case things go awry, and none will take long enough to leave Equestria unattended. This won't be my first rebellion I've had to negotiate." She gave a gentle smile. "Will you help me?" 

Twilight seemed to take solace in this, for she gave a firm nod and hardened her expression back to that look of unconquerable determination Celestia had grown to know so well. "Always. Starlight Glimmer's her name. Unicorn. Soft pink. Darker purple mane and teal highlights. She hid our Cutie Marks in a cave. If we can just get them back--" Celestia nodded. 

"Show me the way to this Starlight." Twilight pointed with a hoof. Celestia made her way towards one of the nondescript shacks as silently as she could. Her haste meant she did not notice the small sigh that escaped her fellow alicorn at her leaving. She peered through the window. Sure enough, there were the pirated Cutie Marks. She quashed the instinct to simply power through the rogue unicorn's magic and have the culprits arrested. She could petrify every living creature in this village with a flick of her horn. And the instinct to make little Starlight feel truly small and insignificant for daring to harm her friends, for daring to harm her Twilight, was tempting. 

But no. This was a rebel against her ideals, not her military, and to best her opponent, she would have to demonstrate why her ideals worked. If she were to simply crush the perpetrators under the weight of her magic and political clout, she would feed the rebellion. But discredit the upstart, show the world her true colours and the kind of society a pony who disfigured others by force would really make, then she could sway her lost little ponies. Bring them back towards Harmony. That is what a Princess would do. She approached the window, finding the problematic unicorn she was looking for lost in the throes of some particularly vivid dream.


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


"And how, pray tell, do you intend to 'change the world', Starlight Glimmer? Your vision for Equestria is interesting. Your criticisms of its culture valid and your intents just. But what is your mechanism? My sister is experienced in dealing with rebels, and you would not be the first to try and fail to bend her ear on such important matters." Luna inspected the unicorn, who straightened herself and put a hoof to her chest. 

"I already have Princess Twilight Sparkle herself in my captivity." If Starlight had considered the consequences of admitting to treason in front of Luna, she was hiding it well. But Luna heard her out. "With a bit of conditioning and some showcasing of our culture, we can bring her into our fold, and from there the endorsement will bring others. The momentum will carry the cause from there. Soon enough we'll be at Celestia's door with a list of demands, half the country at our backs." Starlight threw out her chest and gave a quick smirk. 

"I regret to say that will never work." Starlight's smirk vanished.

"You're not going to stop me, if that's what you're thinking." Starlight gave a breathy laugh. "I'll just wake myself up and set up some wards in case you teleport in." 

"Peace." Luna stepped back, raising a hoof in placation. "That is not why your plan would fail. You have selected perhaps the worst among the Equestrian Princesses as your would-be envoy. Your plan hinges on attempting to tell Twilight Sparkle that her world view and outlook is wrong, and to convince Twilight Sparkle that she is wrong in any respect is perhaps the greatest labour a pony in our kingdom can undertake. Even her friends wrestle with the task at times."  

"I can still ransom her! Her and her friends are hostages, which means I can--" 

"Are threats of violence truly where you want your vision to lead?" Luna laughed a dark laugh. "You will wake up a thousand years later with an offer of 'forgiveness', banished and sealed for your troubles. And that is if you agree to 'repent'. The last unicorn to attempt violent rebellion against Celestia was sealed in ice and shadow for a thousand years and then vaporized by a magical artifact upon his return." 

Starlight's pupils shrank at the thought. She flicked an ear. "W-well, I can always..." Starlight sighed, wilting. "I have no idea what I'm doing." 

"Regardless of what you may be doing now, rest assured you have no need for Twilight Sparkle's support. You already have the interest of an Equestrian Princess." 

"Really?" Starlight tilted her head. "Who?" 

Luna sighed and rolled her eyes. "Of course, my support wanes in the face of statements of insulting ignorance such as that." 

Starlight stiffened, eyes briefly widening in panic. "Right! I, sorr--" But just as quickly as the fear was there, it was gone again. "I meant no disrespect. I've merely faced resistance to my perspective whenever I've shared it in the past.  

"Tis why your plans interest me so. It is clear as day that Equestria is a flawed society. Ponies slip through the cracks all the time. And when they do, do we stop to help them up? Do we work to help them feel better? No. They are neglected, left behind by the endless parade of Harmony. And those who fail to comply with the simpering cheer are left to rot in the shadows, where their hearts grow dark and festered. I have a vision for a better Equestria, one where those left behind are caught and accepted, but it seems like few other ponies can see the problems inherent in the system. You seem to have that clarity." Luna looked up at the moonlit sky of the dream, giving a low sigh. "They will not listen to your plans and concerns, but I will." 

Luna saw motion out of the corner of her eyes. The peculiar unicorn had drawn closer to her. 

"That's...actually a big relief." Starlight swallowed, then looked up at Luna. She tried to force back the suspicion. It had driven ponies away before, but if she could just tame it now..."I just wasn't expecting you of all ponies to come around so quickly to the truth."

Luna paused. "Truly? Why not?" 

Gentle, Starlight. Gentle. "You're Celestia's own sister. I just thought one of the younger Princesses would be a better pick for shaking up the status quo. You two must be close." 

To Starlight's shock, Luna's entire face darkened, her bowed head framing her features in shadow and her starry mane obscuring her eyes. Starlight made to smooth over the faux pas, but Luna cut her off with a scowl. "I assure you that Celestia and Twilight Sparkle are far closer than she ever was with me." 

Starlight paused, unsure of what she was witnessing. Normally her need to confirm support would bring about this reaction. But this time it seemed directed at other ponies entirely. "Really?" 

"Blood does not equate to friendship." Luna scowled. "Of that I can assure you." 

"Well, but this is good, then! You must know a lot of ponies who have problems with Celestia. We could use them! If you send them my way we can spread the word, and then...then...what is it?" Starlight blinked. The lunar Princess had turned away. 

"I am afraid I cannot help you." Luna bowed her head. 

"But why? You said you'd listen! You promised!" Starlight stressed the last point in particular, though Luna had done no such thing. 

"Celestia is superb at making allies. Twilight Sparkle moreso. We do not endorse them, and so we are alone." Luna stepped away, her wings drooping at her sides. 

"You--" Starlight's next words came unbidden. "But you're a Princess of Equestria! You could be friends with anyone you wanted." 

"Aye, and what then?" Luna turned back to her, eyes glassy and narrowed in a glare. "Be part of my sister's parade? The darker, the lesser once again? No. We forge our own path. It is not so easy as hers. But it makes us strong." 

"Who's the 'we', though?" Starlight pressed. "You just said you didn't have anybody." She said this part more quietly, forcing her voice to go soft once more. 

Luna froze. She looked away, her mane obscuring her eyes. "It is just a figure of speech..." She murmured. 

"Your Majesty?" A truly strange pony, this Princess Luna.

Luna gave an unconvincing chuckle, a hoof to her chest. "Sometimes I speak in dated parley. In the past Equestrians knew me as the head of their state, a representation of all of their hopes and their dreams. At times I fall back into those old ways." 

"Sounds like things used to be better..." Starlight trailed off. 

"Once. We were truly sisters long ago." Luna's gaze grew distant, a deep sigh leaving her chest. "She and I would adventure together. Share in all each others' secrets. With me by her side, we faced evils that would crush her and her new alicorn of choice in the span of a day. We explored the ruins of kingdoms older than her own dear Equestria by orders of magnitude, founded the cities Celestia puppets from afar side by side with our own citizens." 

Her eyes fell upon Canterlot Castle, and she narrowed them with disdain. "But then came the peace times, and the way of Harmony. Equestria grew fat and complacent, and she with them. She thrived in this new era, falling in love with the joy of control and the idolization her perfect composure brought her. But we were not so lucky. For as they worshiped her they came to ignore me. Soon that turned to fear of me, and from there to anger. Till at last I was demonized as surely as she was deified. Little has changed in that time. I can feel the process starting anew already. Feel myself being crushed under the shadow of newer, younger alicorns, turned into something evil and petty." 

"Well, that's perfect, then!" Luna blinked, sucked away from her bitter ministrations by the outburst. "My Equestria doesn't have demons or angels. No Princesses and politics. We're all just ponies. Just the same as one another. You won't have to compete with anypony else in my Equestria. No divisions. No stations or duties. No more bureaucrats and nobles." 

"Perhaps..." Luna rubbed a hoof against her chin. "It would do us good if you might show me some of these subjects. We wish to see others engaged in this society of yours."  

"W-well, y'see I...haven't really had that much success yet. The other ponies in town go along with it, but I don't think any of them really appreciate how important it is to me. I can tell some of them aren't really happy with the changes..." 

Luna looked over, her gaze softening. "It hurts. To be isolated, and unwelcome in your own home. But those who would neglect you are not worthy of your time. You must accept that, or the pain will consume you." Luna gazed at the moon. Her charge as much as her prison. 

Starlight's melancholy reacted to the sorrow reflected in another. Sadness briefly flared into anger. "I wish they'd just tell me so I could fix it. Why can't they just let me in? I'd change their perspective and really show them what Harmony is really about." 

"What use is there in that? Leave them, I say. They never helped you anyway. Focus on those who care." Luna closed her eyes and hugged her wings close to her sides.  

"No. That just leads to divisions I'd have to deal with down the line. I can make them see. I just need to put an end to ideas that would distract them from harmony. The stupid parties and muffins don't mean anything." She gave an exasperated sigh, then pulled in a breath and recomposed herself. "I'll show them the bigger picture and then they'll understand." 

Bigger picture. Why did that sound familiar? Luna turned from the moon, her eyes wide. "What?" 

"Parties, muffins, skiing. It doesn't matter, but they keep acting like it's the end of the world that we don't have any of that! When we're in control we'll have bigger plans then baking and balloon animals!" Starlight huffed. "You know how that is."

"And you feel that they cannot be your friend while holding to their own passions?" 

"That's what happens when you give ponies too much freedom. They run off on tangents that don't mean anything and ruin your friendships! It's just like you said with your sister. She stopped adventuring with you and started worrying about appearances and politics and look what happened!" Starlight stomped a hoof. "The only stable bonds come from unity. The only way to achieve unity is control." 

Sister. Luna's thoughts went to another pony with a bigger picture she knew. Domineering. Manipulative. Perfectly in control, and utterly alone save for the one pony in Equestria desperate enough to cling to her. She looked back at Starlight, herself alone save for Luna's own presence. "Is that so?" Having trouble finding allies indeed. 

"Of course it is! If you leave room for choice you split ponies apart. Provide two roads and you get two sets of travelers." Starlight's glare left no room for discussion. A clumsier version of a familiar face, no gentle smile to hide it. Luna stiffened.

"So you cannot call another friend unless they agree with you in full?" 

"Of course! Otherwise the differences between us will just build up until one of us leaves." Starlight shrugged. "It's ugly, but that's just how it works." 

Luna stepped away, no longer looking Starlight in the eye. Her eyes instead focused upon the night sky above her. "What are your opinions on the stars, then? And what of dreams?" Now that she was seeing the 'bigger picture' in all its glory, what she saw revolted her. 

Even her own creations were uniform in this strange land of enforced equality, the stars forming a compass rose that stretched across the darkness for the benefit of navigation alone. Hard lines replaced elegant swirls, unique pinpricks of light tamed down into dull, even dots that were spaced in regular intervals. She was certain that if astronomy did not exist, if navigation was not a necessity, there would be no stars at all.  

Starlight shrugged, cutting her out of her thoughts. "I never really think about them. White noise, really. Stars are background. Dreams are worse--distractions from reality. They're a lie." 

Luna tasted vacuum. Another one. Bitter and damaged perhaps, but no more her ally for it than Celestia herself. Just another mare looking to slave her dreams to their own perfect visions. Another perfect world for her to not fit within. "A pity." She spread out her wings. "We'd hoped to find a kindred spirit. But there is no more welcome here than anywhere." Luna flapped her wings, launching into the sky. 

"No, wait--please!" Starlight held out a hoof, watching the strange new alicorn fade into the night. "Don't go!" The outline of her new friend faded into that of the moon's. "Princess Luna!" And like that she was alone, her strange companion fading away on another pathway. She wrenched her eyes shut, drooping her head and slumping into a sitting position. "Not again." 


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


Starlight began to murmur, her hooves twitching and her head twisting back and forth. She turned over in her sleep. Celestia crouched lower, hoping to avoid detection in the instance of Starlight waking. looked around the room, then spotted something. A makeup kit? In a town as brutalist and barren as this it seemed out of place. She wrapped her magic around the contents and floated them up to inspect them. 

Coat dye, colour corrector, foundation, and the brushes, towels and combs needed to apply them. She examined the colour. Strange. They all seemed to match Starlight's own coat, save for a black coat dye and foundation. Why black? She searched Starlight's face for any sign of the colour. No indication of the foundation there.  Her next step would be more delicate. With a gentle pull, she lifted the blankets off Starlight's body. Celestia summoned a jet of warm air to keep the sudden cold from waking Starlight, and set the blankets on the floor discreetly with a flick of her horn. 

She scanned Starlight's body for black markings. At last she spotted the location of the mysterious black foundation. Celestia stifled a laugh at the painted-over Cutie Mark. Oh dear. She's making this far too easy. Well, she'd intended to ask a procession of gentle questions to undermine the developing tyrant, but this made things far faster and easier. She levitated the makeup back to its hiding place, then shut the windows once more. Now to wait for the cold to wake the sleeping unicorn. 

But Starlight had other plans. She jolted awake with a start, eyes shooting open and then lowering back into the haze of bleariness that a troubled awakening always brought. She whispered a little 'no...' and turned away from her window to look at herself in the mirror. Celestia slunk away. She had the information needed for her plans. Her first task would be to halt the momentum of Starlight's revolution. Right now her enemies saw her as a rival with ferocious magic and tyrannical absolute authority to bring to bear. That brought them strength in their fear and their desperation, their need for change and acceptance. If she became an outlet for that change and acceptance, that driving pressure would swiftly die off. 

Time to alert Starlight to her presence. She began to weave together the delayed mass teleport. Magic wove itself around the jars of Cutie Marks and the prison. Harm her or any of her friends directly, and they and their Marks would port back to the palace on a trigger. A spell as complex as it was immeasurably powerful. It would trip every ward from here back to the train station. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to tighten her focus. The golden magic solidified itself around everything--She took special care to add an element of cozy warmth to the tendrils that wrapped around Twilight--and sealed over. Now for a focal point. The carpet leading to her throne would do. She reached out with her magic all the way back to Canterlot Castle. 

A door slammed open a few houses from her. Lights in the other houses were beginning to switch on one by one, the unicorn inhabitants of the village no doubt feeling the power of the enchantment Celestia was about to complete. She sealed it over with a smile, throwing up a quick shield for good measure. There. I'm ready to receive you now, Starlight. Right on cue, a lance of blue magic shot out at her, and was easily parried by a bubble of yellow magic. She threw on her best shocked face. "Excuse me!" She raised her shield spell a little higher for emphasis. "Is that any way to treat a visitor?" 

"Princess Celestia." Starlight Glimmer sneered at her and lowered her horn, exhausted unicorns slowly making their way out of their houses to crowd the scene she was making. "You showed up sooner than expected. Summoned here by your little pet?" Now for some feigned ignorance. 

"I fail to see how my phoenix Philomena factors into this. I was speaking with my sister," Starlight's glare narrowed at that, earning some honest confusion from Celestia, "when she mentioned encountering your village in a dream. I was told you are dissatisfied with my rule." Celestia did not have to act when it came to the next line. A genuine frown tugged at her peaceful smile. "My subjects come first in any situation, and this is no exception. I was saddened to hear of your discontent with my philosophy." 

"I'll bet!" Starlight's horn still glowed, but now she crowded to the front of the group of ponies that had come to spectate. By this time the entire town was up. "So, come to stop us, now? Arrest us for treason? Well I have news for you--" Her eyes flicked back toward the prison triumphantly. 

"Actually." Celestia held up a hoof, looking at Starlight directly. "I have come to see your society firsthoof. The society presented in your vision seemed quite harmonious to me. I wish to experience your philosophy." Celestia spread out her wings and lowered her shield. Murmurs of disbelief rushed through the crowd like wind on a warm summer evening.

"It's a trick!" Starlight wheeled around, staring into the eyes of each of her followers. "She just wants to bring Cutie Marks back to us and split us apart once again!" 

Celestia pursed her lips. "I'm not sure I follow. Why am I to be championing Cutie Marks?" 

"W-well, because all of Equestria has them! You're the one making everyone get them!" Starlight stomped a hoof. "Ponies should have the right to choose to embrace them or reject them! But you give them no choice!" 

Celestia scratched the back of her head with the tip of her wing. "I'm terribly sorry, but you've lost me again. I did not invent Cutie Marks, nor did I choose one of my own accord."

Starlight blinked. "What?" 

"The concept of Cutie Marks predates my reign. I cannot remember a time without them, and I have yet to witness a spell that can remove them." Celestia lowered herself in a bow. "You clearly see merit in undoing Cutie Marks. I am hoping to be convinced myself." Starlight hesitated. "Surely such an intelligent and forward-thinking unicorn as yourself deserves a chance to prove herself. So, in the interest of equality, do what you must." Celestia closed her eyes and opened her wings, rearing up to allow for the little pony to strike at her. 

Starlight bit her lip, eyes darting around at the assembled villagers. Some of them seemed as conflicted as her, but others seemed glad--excited, even--to see Celestia herself so willing to explore their way of life. "Give me your crown." Starlight said at last. "I want some sort of confirmation this isn't a trick." 

"A trick? Of what sort?" Celestia again wore her best confused face. 

"That magic you were weaving earlier. I'll bet it does something to us. If I hit you it'll give us all Cutie Marks again! Or summon guards that'll start rounding everypony up and throwing them in some sort of dungeon." The villagers began to nod along with Starlight's words. 

"Goodness! I would hardly be a worthy ruler if I locked away ponies simply for disagreeing with me. I could hardly live with myself if I were to solve my problems by throwing harmless ponies like yourselves in a prison." The crowd began to murmur. Starlight's eye twitched. Celestia, for her part, removed her tiara with a hoof and held it to her chest. "You have my word, on the crown of Equestria, that I will use neither magic nor force to try to turn you from your ideals. Such an act would be the height of hypocrisy and a point of great shame against me." A white-coated earth pony winced as she said this, bowing his head and screwing his eyes closed. "I wish to speak on your philosophy, not as an enemy, nor as a ruler. I wish to speak," She paused to look around at the increasingly shame-faced villagers, "as equals." 

"She's right!" A blue-coated unicorn chimed in, cringing at the way Starlight tensed when he spoke up. "Real leaders don't use force to keep their subjects in line."

"What did you say?" Starlight rounded on the pony, who shrank back from her glare. Beads of sweat began to dot his coat, and his eyes shrunk at the way Starlight began to advance. 

"I'm afraid I don't understand." Celestia cut in. Starlight swiveled her head to stare at her, a vein protruding from her neck and her eyes narrowed in a glare. "If you're all equals, why is there a need for a leader?" 

"There isn't!" Starlight gave an overwide smile. The earth pony with the white coat looked at her in concern. "We make our decisions as a collective! In unison and agreement, unlike the laws and mandates of Equestria."

The crowd began to nod along again. "Odd." Celestia put a hoof to her chin. "It seems you have some dissent to me. Let our equal speak. I want to hear his story." The trembling unicorn shrank back further into the crowd. "Please. I promised you safety, and I am sure Starlight will do the same. Won't she?" Celestia looked at Starlight with a trusting smile. 

Starlight tapped her hooves together. "O-of course." 

"M-my name is Party Favor. I...I spoke out of turn earlier. I'm sorry," the unicorn bowed his head to Starlight, "I have nothing to add." 

Celestia gave the faintest of frowns. "But if you don't speak about your concerns, how can we have unity?" The crowd began to share glances at this. "And if you are not allowed to speak out of turn, what does that say for the rest of us?" Murmuring began again. "If I were sick, injured or in danger, I would need the right to interrupt the collective to keep myself safe and healthy. I would want that same right for my equals. Wouldn't you?" Ponies began to nod along, discussion beginning to take root among the assembled crowd. The earth pony from before was biting his lip, his stare boring deep into Starlight's barrel.

"Go on then, Party Favor." Starlight gave another painfully large smile. "T-Tell her your worries." She shoved the pony towards Celestia with a hoof. 

"I--I don't..." He sagged. Then straightened up. "We made a mistake! All of us! We're all equal here! And that means my opinion is equal to any of yours! I don't want to be part of this anymore! I miss throwing parties! I miss being able to make people smile because of what I do! Not what I'm told to do by everyone else! And I don't want to get thrown in jail just for saying that! This isn't what you promised it'd be! You said there'd be harmony and we'd all be closer, but I...I've never felt more alone!" He wilted. "I just want to have fun again..." 

"Well, Starlight Glimmer?" Celestia looked on her with that same gentle smile. "It seems you have a dissenter. Show me how your exciting new society will deal with them." 

"I don't have a dissenter." Starlight rolled her eyes and glared at the miserable unicorn. "You do. It's clear he has no place in our society. He belongs in yours." 

The crowd continued to shift and murmur. Celestia paid them and Starlight no heed. For now there was a trembling subject of hers in need of her eternal calm. She walked over to him, lifting his gaze with a wing. "Does that sound fair to you, Party Favor? There are places in Equestria that would love a party planner of your dedication. I know of a few such towns along the train tracks alone. Would you wish to rejoin them?" The little unicorn nodded glumly. Celestia frowned. "But you don't wish to leave your friends?" Another sad nod. Celestia looked back to Starlight. "What's the harm in letting him keep his Cutie Mark? Can he not be our equal in other ways? Can the two societies not coexist?" 

"Of course not!" Starlight snapped. "If he's better at planning parties then he'll need to be faster, funnier and smarter than the rest of us! He'd have the entire collective following him in a matter of weeks! And then we'd be back where we started! Your society assimilating mine!" 

"Assimilating our society, you mean. I was under the impression that your philosophy decreed we shared it." At once Starlight's anger turned back to nerves. 

Starlight bit her lip, glancing to one side. Sweat began to bead upon her forehead. "R-right. Our society. It'll go to pieces if we let anypony excel beyond anypony else! He can't get a leg up on everyone and still expect not to be treated different." 

Celestia sighed. "Could he at least visit, then? There is no reason you cannot get along despite disagreeing, is there? Is it not in the nature of harmony to bring together ponies across all kinds of boundaries?"

"It is." A white coated earth pony stepped forward. He looked at Starlight with regret. "I don't think our society should be keeping ponies against their will.  If they don't want to join us, we need to give them time to come around, not try to force them to do it. If we try forcing this we'll just get more ponies like Party Favor. I want this to work out as much as you do. But we need to be open to change, to different ideas, if we're going to make this work. I think we need to let the ponies go. We don't look smart or dedicated if we hold them. We just look crazy and afraid."  

"Double!" Starlight hissed. "What are you doing? This is our chance!" 

"You're right. It is our chance. Our chance to show a world leader how well we work together! So let's show her, Starlight! You said this society would create harmony! But look at Party Favor! Does he look in harmony?" Other ponies began nodding along. "Locking up ponies doesn't make harmony! And it doesn't make them believe us, either! It just divides us even more. We need to be honest. And we need to be fair." 

Starlight growled, her gaze cutting into the ground, but Celestia only gave a quiet nod at this. "I appreciate honesty in all of my subjects, as I hope they appreciate honesty in me." The orange gem on Celestia's peytral glinted. "If you have something you need to share, I will reserve my judgement." 

"We've been holding dissenters ever since you arrived! And it was wrong." The white pony, which Celestia now knew to be Double, looked over at Starlight. "If we're going to show the world how good we are, we need to start acting like it. I say we let the prisoners go with Party Favor, so we can show the Princess how well our society works! Not hide the ways that it doesn't." He gave a nod to Starlight, looking for approval. She only scowled back. 

"Fine." She spat the word. "Let them go with Party Favor for all I care. But you have to stay." She thrust a hoof at Celestia. 

"I already said that I wished to see your society fully, didn't I?" Celestia stretched her wings. "We can begin with the removal of the Cutie Mark once you've let the prisoners go." 

"But I don't...alright. We'll do it your way. Double Diamond, get their Cutie Marks and get them out of here." Starlight jerked her head in the direction of the prison. "Now then, where were we?" Starlight lit her horn, a malevolent grin spreading across her face. "Oh right. You were joining us." 

Celestia raised the shield spell up once more, gesturing to its boundaries. "Not until I see that your prisoners are free to go and unharmed."

"I gave you my word. I've been acting on yours and I expect you to act on mine." Starlight grit her teeth. 

"I would gladly trust you, Starlight Glimmer. But you will forgive me if I find myself somewhat alarmed by the mention of secret prisons. I will need my trust in you restored, and respecting my boundaries will be a good first step."  

"Fine! Fine!" Starlight sighed. She pointed at the prison, where six confused mares were being led out by the pale earth pony. "See. They're fine. I've met my terms. Time you met yours. " 

"I would see their Cutie Marks restored to them first." 

"You're changing the deal!" Starlight stomped a hoof.

"You agreed to release them. Their Cutie Marks, whatever our opinions on them end up being, are a part of them. One they clearly cherish. I have changed nothing."

"Ugh, Fine!" Starlight lit her horn, and the sound of shattering came in the distance. Cutie Marks flew back towards their owners, who in turn accepted them like the return of an old friend. Coats became fuller and brighter. Eyes more alive with internal fire. Joy returned to her friends.   

"There! Done now! Happy?!" 

"Very." Celestia lowered her shield spell, giving a low bow. "You may fire when ready." 

Starlight fired off the shot the moment Celestia began her bow. The blast caught the eyes of everyone involved, muffling the sound of somepony screaming Celestia's name in the distance. She felt the effects of the strange spell almost immediately. It was like the light drained from her body. She felt her fur thin and her muscles begin to fail. Her mane fell out of its ethereal flow, coiling around her seated body and into the dirt around her in winding pink locks. Cold air rushed in where her weakened fur was parting. Her chest seemed to lack the strength to draw in enough air. The world grew dimmer in her vision. Her mind started to grow fuzzier, less focused. A voice cut through it all, still shouting out her name and bringing her out of the haze the spell had planted in her mind. 

"Princess! Princess Celestia!" Twilight forced her way through the crowd with a burst of earth pony strength, rushing to her side and throwing her hooves around her. She nuzzled into Celestia's side greedily, their fur intermingling. "You said you'd be safe." She whispered. 

"Twilight Sparkle!" Celestia said the name as if it was a carefree laugh. She was careful to check Starlight, but the unicorn was busy fetching a jar for her Cutie Mark and proudly showing it to the assembled villagers. "My fellow Princess. What are you doing here?" She hugged Twilight a little closer and hid her muzzle from the gathered ponies using the back of Twilight's head. "Play along." She whispered, careful that her lips were not seen. Twilight straightened, releasing her from the tight hug. Celestia also released her hooves, allowing Twilight to step back.  

"M-my friends and I were summoned here by the Elements of Harmony to stop rising disharmony in this group of ponies." She turned and faced the crowd. "We appreciate that you've let us go, but there's more we have to do here." 

"Yeah! Like hay we're letting them turn you into one of those creepy zombie ponies!" Rainbow Dash threw her hooves out at the surrounding crowd. She was met with a colourful array of glares for her accusation. 

Celestia simply laughed. "I appreciate the concern, Rainbow Dash, but I believe we are working out an accord as we speak. Are we not?" 

Starlight sucked in a breath between her teeth, looking at the Cutie Mark she'd captured with philosophical consideration. "If you really are willing to listen, yes. We're working out an accord together. One society to another." The crowd seemed to begin to settle at this, and Celestia once again gave a gentle smile. 

"I assure you that I am. I believe that my first order of business in that regard would be looking after my mane." Celestia lifted up one of her filthy clumps of tangling pink hair. "I can hardly speak to my subjects on the value of your society looking like this." She gave Starlight's own mane a nod. "I believe something more...composed is in order, yes?" Twilight looked at her in horror. Celestia pressed on. "It could use a trim." Her eyes twinkled. 

"That...makes sense..." Starlight paused. Something seemed off. But the momentum of the crowd was no longer with her. She nodded along. "Sugar Belle!" Starlight pointed to a pink pony in the crowd. "Get us the scissors!" 

Celestia turned to look at the remaining assembled Element Bearers. "Tell me. Are there any among you who wish to stay and learn more of Starlight's culture? Or have all of you already made your choice?" 

"I'm staying." Twilight's eyes hardened, "Anything they wish to do to you, we'll go through together." She swallowed down her look of hurt, the words like you promised unsaid but implied. She gave the villagers a shaky smile. The other Element Bearers looked at Twilight in concern. 

"Ya sure 'bout that, Sugarcube?" Applejack put a hoof to her withers. 

"Yeah! Starlight's been a lying meaniepants before and she's probably gonna do it again!" Pinkie chimed in. "No offense, Starlight." 

"None taken." The unicorn in question rolled her eyes. 

"If Twilight's staying, I say we all are." Rainbow crossed her hooves. "Do what you want. We're sticking together." 

"It's what friends would do." Fluttershy added with a gentle smile. 

"Very well. That is a good number of new ponies to manage, however." Celestia folded her wings to allow Starlight better access to her mane. "Perhaps we should do me first and allow the others to watch? They seem distressed by their time in your captivity. Perhaps a show of goodwill might help them see your perspective better." 

"Celestia!" Rarity interjected. "If you intend to be subjected to the dark intentions of this ne'er do well I must insist one of us go first." 

"I'll do it." Twilight stepped forward. 

"That won't be necessary, Rarity, Twilight." Celestia looked Twilight in the eye. The two of them held the same expression. Desperate. Determined. Self-sacrificing. She turned away from Twilight to look at Starlight. "I truly believe there is merit to what this mare has to teach us. We need to see her viewpoint, and I think the transition towards that would be easiest if we started with me. Only, we'll need somepony to spray my tail and mane down, won't we?" Celestia's eyes twinkled. Starlight looked torn. "They can be quite stubborn if not wetted down." 

"We don't need anything like that. We can do the trim right here and now!" 

"Could we not be more gentle? You've already given my companions here a terrible fright. Let them participate. Let them see you and your ponies mean them and I no harm." Starlight cast a look at the town. They were nodding along. She fought down a nervous tremor. "I think it would do us all some good to let patience and goodwill prevail." 

Starlight sighed. "Alright, alright. But we're starting the cut the minute it's done!" 

"Why not bring the two together? You get in position, and we can go from there. Does that sound acceptable?" 

"Sure, sure. Let's just get this started already." Starlight walked forward rigidly, shooting a triumphant look at anypony she could catch the eye of. She needed to show them she was still in control. That this was still her idea, her village and her society. 

"Twilight, my dear fellow Princess, would you be so kind?" 

"Always." Twilight gave her another look, their eyes locking. A silent conversation ensued. 

Twilight bored her eyes into Celestia's chest. You lied to me.

Celestia flicked a look at her hair with a delicate smile. It's just a mane, Twilight. They grow back you know.

Twilight clenched her wings together. Don't make me do this to you.

Celestia gave a tiny bow of her head, gesturing toward Twilight. Please let me do this for you.

Twilight summoned a gust of mist, teeth clenching. Fine. But I'm not happy.

Celestia lowered her gaze into a submissive grin. I'll make it up to you.

Twilight gave a gentle nod. Good. Twilight started spraying her down. 

Celestia edged her gaze over to Starlight. Make sure to spray her, too. Near the tail.

On it. Twilight began to spray wider and heavier jets of water. Celestia's pink locks were swiftly tamed down from a horde of tangles to a manageable trail of silky pink. Water droplets were everywhere. The fine mist washed over both of the ponies, soaking into both of their coats. Now to wait for gravity and distillation to do their job. 

Starlight, for her part, began to trim at the hair with increasing confidence. Gentle snips at the edges turned to quick chops that took away more and more bunches with every moment. There was a satisfaction to it. Here was the source of all her traumas. The sun tyrant who'd stolen away her only friend, who was chipping away at the foundations of her village, beaten and tamed. At last submitting to her, as she always should have. Conforming and safe, not absolute and unattainable anymore. She cut away at the last of the long pink strands with a flourish of her scissors. Now for the tail. At last they could have true peace across Equestria. An Equestria where no one would ever again be wrenched away from their friends because of some immutable, nebulous magic. She set herself to humming a little tune, focusing on snipping away at the locks of flowing solar hair. Celestia was, for her part, very gracious. She sat patiently, a quiet little smile on her face. 

That was when the whispers began. She glanced around. The village was being swept up in a wave of gossip. She studied their eyes, heart beginning to plummet. What was going wrong? All of them were staring at her again. Why? She had done it!  They were going to keep Celestia and her friends forever and never have to hide again! Harmony was in their grasp, they should be celebrating, not--not staring at her flank like it had grown a second tail! Then her veins turned to ice. Her flank... The water. The cursed water they'd let Twilight spray. It was on her flank. It was on her flank and her makeup was running and--she wheeled around, looking directly at a disbelieving Double Diamond

"I-I can explain." She hauled in a breath. Everyone was staring. It was all coming undone. 

"I think I can, too." Celestia chimed up from behind her. No. Don't you dare. Don't you dare you manipulative, cruel old--
"Starlight Glimmer needed her magic in order to keep her ideal society running smoothly. Some tasks are simply beyond ordinary ponies. Growing enough food to keep our current population together. Bringing water to our nation through tornadoes. These tasks require the magic innate within us all in order to achieve. Ponies like Starlight are necessary to transition between societies." 

Starlight nodded. Maybe she could use this. It could be a launching point. "Exactly! Some ponies would need to retain certain power until true harmony could be restored! Then we'd give up that power--" 

"--Provided they all believed your cause as genuinely as you did--" Celestia added, closing the trap with a gentle smile.

"I'd make sure they did!" 

"Like you did with Party Favor, or Double Diamond?" The eyes of the villagers all turned to Starlight. She clenched her teeth, sweating profusely. Celestia leaned down to whisper into the ear of the panicking unicorn. "I think you may have wanted a second opinion on this bold new style of government, my little pony." She then pulled herself back up to her full height to speak to the village. "There are some tasks that can never be surrendered to many individuals, as you yourself are beginning to discover, Starlight." Her gaze bored into Starlight's soul, and the unicorn wilted. "Some tasks require talents that your society would never allow. Expressions of the self that no equality could ever recapture." She gave a gentle chuckle, further sinking Starlight into humiliation and despair. "Tell me, all of you. In this brave new world of yours where none had magic powerful enough to reach beyond the outskirts of your own village, who was going to raise the sun?" 

Nopony looked her in the eye. Nopony said a word. Celestia raised Starlight's chin with a gentle wing. "May I have my Cutie Mark back?"

"Y-yes Ma'am." Starlight bowed away from her, then rushed past Celestia and away from the village, her eyes shut and a pressure building in her throat. She flung open the door to her house and slammed it shut again with a resounding crack. The other villagers shuffled awkwardly, their eyes at the ground. None of them approached or even looked at her. She opened her wings, a wide smile upon her face. But before she could begin to placate their worries, her friends erupted into cheers behind her. 

Rarity and Applejack were the first to her side. "Celestia, dear! That was stunning!" Celestia closed her eyes and hummed. 

"Land's sakes, pony! Never thought I'd see the day somepony'd frisk the literal Cutie Marks off somepony else." Applejack  

"We totally have to play Steal The Tail On The Pony some time!" Pinkie Pie interjected. "I still have to give back Bulk Bicep's..." 

"Yeah, remind me never to get on your bad side!" Rainbow Dash added. 

Celestia only laughed this off. "I hardly think that likely, Rainbow Dash. You all of you inspired me on this day." She placed a wing around Rarity and another against Applejack's shoulder. "I only wanted to repay all the kindness and hardship you have endured on my behalf. Especially you." She looked over at Twilight, who had not deigned to join them. 

"I...actually have something I'd like to say about that, Princess." Everypony's eyes went to her, and Twilight, seeing Celestia's ear begin to droop, swiftly adjusted. "But I can wait on it! I just...need to talk to you." 

"Always, Twilight." Celestia said with measured grace. She made to open her mouth again, but a noise of anguish interrupted them both. 

Rarity picked up some of the locks of pink hair with delicate sympathy. "And what a hardship it was. It's a true sacrifice if ever there was one. Yours was one of the finest manes in all Equestria! Why, the way it flowed was what inspired my own curls in the first place!"

Celestia laughed again, squeezing Rarity with a wing once more. There was a faint blue glow on her collar. "I must admit I was rather inspired myself in that regard. Twilight once told me a particularly noble unicorn once did the same in hopes of saving me." Rarity looked at her in confusion. "And I was hoping a particularly talented fashionista might help me to look as stunning as she did when she so sacrificed her tail for me." Understanding reached Rarity immediately, and she blushed and waved a hoof. 

"It was nothing." 

"It was wonderful. And so have all of you been to me. I hope I returned even half of that to you. But I do believe we could all use a little less excitement at this time. It's nearly time for the sun to rise." Celestia turned to face the crowd. "I do not wish to stomp out Starlight's ideas in full. The choice is now within all of you to embrace or reject what parts of her philosophy you see fit. A choice each of you will have to make yourselves, without forcing it onto the minds and hearts of your peers. This land of ours holds many perspectives and ways of life. Grace, joy, compassion, integrity, devotion." Celestia nodded to each of the ponies beside her. 

"Each of these ponies holds different things dear. But we all respect one anothers' ideals. That is what makes us equal, not prisons or false Cutie Marks." Celestia gestured to the ponies around her. As if on cue, Starlight arrived, refusing to look at the villagers that were doubtlessly glaring at her and refusing to look at the two-faced tyrant in front of her. She thrust Celestia's Cutie Mark, safely protected within a simple glass jar, at the older mare, who lightly opened the jar and let the mark fly back towards her. 

The crowd still seemed unconvinced. Quick looks around showed ponies staring at their fallen leader with looks of pity or betrayal, and at one another with shame "My own friends do not live my life or hold my station, but each of them is dear to me in ways as unique as they are wonderful. I hope you can someday say the same of yours, and that we might one day know each other under better circumstances." She gave a gentle smile. The ponies around her blushed, but did not move. Still, they began to talk, pointing at her assembled friends and whispering to one another. 

"Yeah! And if you want us to come back some time we can totally have a 'didn't turn Equestria into a totalitarian dictatorship' party! And I can teach everypony how to make real muffins!" Pinkie Pie spoke up, bounding in front of Celestia. This got the assembled subjects to cheer at last, and hushed conversations became open ones. Pinkie wheeled around. "And we totally need to throw you a 'saved everypony and got a funky new manecut' party! To the spa!" Celestia laughed along with Pinkie, but a glance at the horizon, so close to dawn, made her smile fade. 

"I should be returning to court, I'm afraid. My petitioners will be wondering where I am..." 

"Aww, please! We can't let you go to court looking all frumpy-dumpy! It's all anypony's gonna be talking about if you come in looking like that!" Pinkie tilted her head to point at the harsh, conformist bangs. "Nothing will get done anyway!" Pinkie whispered her last point in a sing-song voice. "And this way will be more fu-un!" 

This was all true. But duty called her. Still, there was one solution to her problems she could always count upon. "Twilight? I believe Pinkie is correct. What do you think?" 

"Well..." Twilight looked at Celestia. Looked at her friends surrounded by that set of enormous wings, all looking at her expectantly. "I could look after it, but..." 

"Nonsense." Celestia gave her a gentle smile. "I wouldn't dream of leaving you out of our triumph." Twilight did not comment that she felt like Celestia already had. Instead, she nodded along. "I will send my seneschals a missive, and tell them that, owing to political complications in the North, court will reopen in the afternoon. I will make up the lost time by holding court alongside Princess Twilight on one of her scheduled days in attendance." Celestia lit her horn and hugged Rarity and Applejack closer, a golden glow enveloping the six mares. She gave the assembled ponies a gentle smile that spoke of laughter and freedom. "For the moment, I think I may be otherwise engaged."
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So why'd you just up and show up?" Rainbow Dash kicked her hooves absently, creating small currents of water in the Ponyville Spa's central bathtub. "I mean, not that it wasn't cool seeing you make that Starlight pony look like a dork, but why drop everything like that?" Why indeed, Twilight mused. 

"I think your other friends might be able to explain better than I. But," Celestia studied the looks of those nearest to her. Curiosity, support. Twilight lost in thought. She decided to press on. "Recently, Twilight has been helping me grow more open. I have been in turn growing closer to her, now that we have been more honest with ourselves." 

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Wait...when did this happen?"

"It began about three and a half weeks ago now." Celestia began. "Twilight burst into my study asking about--" 

"Hearts and Hooves Day?" Rainbow shot Twilight a smile. "Alright, Twi! Ya finally scored it big with her!" 

Twilight flustered, her wings twitching and then shooting out on either side. "I didn't 'score'! We went on a--well, a date, and then--" 

"About time you talked it out with your Princess! Been waiting for this to come up since, like, the Grand Galloping Gala." Rainbow placed her hooves behind her head. 

"My Princess? Rainbow, I'm a Princess too." Twilight tried to wave a hoof, but the hint of a blush caught the eye of Dash, Rarity and Celestia all at once.

"Well yeah, but you aren't your Princess. Anyway, I wanna hear how Twi bagged the Big C. Gimme the juicy goods. C'mon!" Dash looked over at Celestia, who hid an eye behind her mane and looked away. 

"Rainbow Dash, that is inherently crass. Let Celestia finish her thought." Rarity shook her head, then turned to Celestia with a tender smile. The two shared the look for a moment, breaking eye contact only when Dash responded. 

"Okay, okay. Just lettin' you know I probably know the ending, and I think it's about time." Dash waved a hoof. "But please. Tell me whatever ya wanna say. I wanna know how we got here."

"Very well. You see, it all began when Twilight asked me to accompany her on an attempt at a double date..." 

Celestia launched into her explanation, all eyes on her. As her voice began to drift into that warm, comfortable territory Twilight so loved, Twilight began to muse on Celestia and the emotions this morning had brought up in her. Love was the first. She was so beautiful when that eternal smile of hers rang true. The little pinch at the corners of her eyes. The way her pupils widened just enough to let in an extra twinkle of light. The way her nose twitched ever so slightly when she spoke. Details Twilight had memorized years ago, when the contents of that smile had been the way she'd measured her progress toward her hopes and dreams.

But it had been rare to see it back then. It had been like a ray of sun breaking through a sea of rainclouds. Only coming out in the smallest, most gentle of places, and only for fleeting moments. She, Spike and Cadance had been the only ones ever blessed by its light. But these days, Celestia wore it freely and for ponies well outside her private circle. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had not so much as spoken to her in private once, but she would still shoot them that same dazzling smile. Her voice was halfway to a laugh when she spoke, even when it was to the spa staff that would normally receive only the most formal of addresses in response to their pandering bows. 

Then there was that next emotion. Pride. For Celestia and for herself. Celestia, for how truly joyful she seemed to be outside of Canterlot and together with ponies she could trust. And herself, for Twilight's heart glowed with private warmth in the times when she could fight her doubts back and truly believe she was the reason Celestia was as happy as she was. Ignoring the perpetual dull buzz of toothless anxieties--am I really good enough for her? Does she really love me, or just the comfort I bring?--there was another emotion brewing in her that she so rarely ascribed to Celestia. Hurt. 

It had taken her a while to notice. She'd only had a few data points to work with, after all. And a younger, more naive Twilight had once believed Celestia was physically incapable of hurting her. But the trend was persistent where it sprung up. Twilight was often told she was bad at reading ponies. This wasn't strictly true. She was bad at reading what they said. Contexts, nuances that could go one way or the other, these things confused her. Absolutes did not. And as Queen Chrysalis had found out the hard way, she was excellent at reading who ponies were. 

Whether it was deducing Applejack was a workaholic within days of meeting her, being the only pony to identify Luna as being a lonely and troubled soul who wanted friends when she'd arrived last Nightmare Night or knowing exactly when and when not to trust Discord on his word, Twilight could pick up on another pony's demeanor better than most. At least, that was what her experience told her. And her experience also told her that a particularly emotional Celestia was prone to causing collateral damage. 

Speaking of Queen Chrysalis, that had been where it had started. Her own brother--Celestia's own captain of the guard, her most trusted defender--tormented and brainwashed under Celestia's nose. Celestia's niece locked under the catacombs of Canterlot while a fake enjoyed Celestia's blessings, her Princess none the wiser and not even bothering to look. She'd sent Twilight to the Crystal Empire--perhaps by way of apology?--in place of Luna, despite Luna's clearly wanting to help out. Luna's jab at her as she had left for the Crystal Empire had done little to hide the pain in her voice and across her face. She could only imagine how snubbed Luna might be feeling now.

It had become most obvious most recently. She'd allowed Discord to hunt a weakened Tirek in place of dozens of more dependable allies, and thereby endangered all of Equestria and traumatized hundreds of her own citizens. That had been what really opened up her eyes. And then she noticed smaller instances, like allowing Fluttershy to weep over Philomena's ashes for the sake of her beloved pet's practical joke. Or laughing off the destruction at the Gala just because she'd gotten to spend time alone with Twilight herself. What always came up was that there was some pony she cared about that she had focused in on, ignoring the feelings of another. 

And nopony knew this feeling of being trod upon better than Twilight. It had given her a lot think about, after all. She fought down the grimace at the memory, ignoring the look of confusion it was prompting out of Rarity. Most recently Celestia's penchant for getting swept up in her feelings had cost her a great deal more than a temporarily broken heart. Her house, her prize possessions, her own beloved Owlowliscious, all lost to the wrath of Tirek, a foe she could have stopped in his tracks within hours if Celestia hadn't hoped Discord could impress her the way Twilight did. 

Twilight got it. She did. With Luna and Sunset and how Twilight herself had brought them back towards stability, she got wanting Discord to be like that. To be more accessible. More compassionate. Like Luna, like Sunset, and maybe with a change like theirs, he could be one of those few friends Celestia was so desperately searching for. But he wasn't, or hadn't been, and Celestia had neither seen that nor trusted her to see it for her. And now she lived in a giant empty castle with a charred box and empty perch to keep her and Spike company. 

"Twilight? Is everything alright?" Rarity whispered to her. Celestia was, for her part, gingerly explaining the details of how she and Twilight had become so much closer to a curious Rainbow Dash, the others listening with rapt attention.  

Across from her, Celestia gestured at her with a wing. "I think it was then that we realized. It was...an enchanting revelation." She blushed a quiet blush. 

Turning back to Rarity, Twilight gave a tight smile. "Nothing I can't handle."  

"Wait...revelation?! What?!" Dash's voice cut through Twilight and Rarity's conversation. "Okay, but seriously, I can't have been the only one who'd noticed before." Dash looked around at the blank faces staring back at her. "Wait, really?! Come on, ponies!" 

"Noticed what, dear?" Rarity called back. 

"Duh! The thing between Twilight and Celestia! I mean, did she feed you that 'she's my idol' horseapples too?" Dash rolled her eyes. "Lemme tell you about idols. The Bolts are my idols. Spitfire is my idol. I wanna be like them and get famous like them. I think they'd be cool to chill with. Twi doesn't want to chill with you. She wants to spend forever with you. She doesn't want to be like you. She wants to be loved by you. Like, seriously, did nopony else notice this?! We have ponies like Twi at the Bolts. They aren't worshiping heroes, they're...well, they're crushing. They get this same starry look in their eyes whenever they see one of us and they treat backstage passes like dates and seriously it's like watching Twi at the Gala all over again." Dash gave both Celestia and Twilight a smug look. "You could have just talked to me and saved everypony a lot of trouble. Did nopony else actually notice this?!" 

"I just thought that was normal for your heroes..." Twilight sank lower into the tub, hiding herself from view further and further. 

"Well you don't treat Starswirl like that, do you?!" Rainbow rolled her eyes. 

"N-not in public." Twilight whispered. Her assembled friends stared at this, Celestia raising one eyebrow in a small smile. "It's mostly just in dreams, anyway." 

"You're a weird pony, Twi." Dash rustled her mane with affection. 

Twilight only reddened at this. "Anyway, uh, I don't see her like that now, obviously. I guess I...I try to think of her more as a pony." She gave a smile at Celestia, who in turn smiled back. 

"Well yeah. That sorta junk happens to everypony when they get a crush. Weird thing for older magical ponies or not. You either grow out of it or you move on." Rainbow shrugged. "Just weird neither one of you picked up on it. Thought you knew." Twilight flustered.  

"In fairness, such a thing seemed like a perhaps overly-formal respect for me. For example, latent feelings for me do not explain why she still insisted on my title, even as my equal." Celestia pursed her lips.  

"Yeah...that's not why she calls you Princess." Rainbow explained. At the blank looks of the surrounding ponies--and Twilight's slow dawning realization--Rainbow began to crack up, a hoof held to her lips badly disguising the inelegant snickering she was currently engaged in. 

"Rainbow Dash," Twilight began dangerously, "if you're going where I think you're going with this I have to say that you're wrong, and if you're not wrong, you've misunderstood the concept, and if you've not misunderstood, you've--" 

"Yeah, whatever you say, Princess." Dash winked, then turned back to Celestia. "You never noticed? She never says 'the Princess' or 'Princess Celestia' around you. She never says 'Princess Luna' or 'Princess Cadance' anymore, but you're still 'Princess'..." Dash gave Twilight a look of unbearable smugness, relishing the way she squirmed more the longer the conversation carried.

"Rainbow Dash, if you finish that sentence so help me I will turn you into a geranium! I've done it to ponies before, I can do it again!" Twilight's horn was lit, but her bluff was called long before the threat had left her mouth.  

"You're not the Princess. You're her Princess. This dork's been calling you that for like two years now and you didn't even notice? Come on, does nopony else see this stuff?!" Twilight's raging blush only made Dash burst into a fresh round of laughter. Twilight fired off her invisibility spell, hiding her spreading embarrassment behind walls of diffracted light. With a flourish of magic she vanished, leaving Rainbow to double over with mirth. 

The others were speechless, sharing awkward glances while Dash tried and failed to compose herself. Rarity at last broke the silence once Dash's guffaws had settled into giggles and her hoof had stopped banging on the side of the tub. "You mean to say that Twilight uses Celestia's title as a...pet name?" 

Rainbow's smug grin said everything, but before she could deign to speak again a magical zipper sealed her mouth shut. She rolled her eyes and gestured in the direction of where Twilight had formerly been sitting, then nodded in assent to Rarity's inquiry. 

Twilight was rescued from her pit of humiliation by Pinkie Pie speaking up. "A pet name?! Oooh, can I have one?! Can I, Fluttershy?!" Pinkie turned to the baffled pegasus abruptly. "I promise to feed it and water it and take it on walks just like Gummy, and I'll even come to you when it's sick instead of feeding it Magical Medicinal Cupcakes until it feels better!"

"I'm still not sure how that works..." Fluttershy admitted with a tilt of her head. 

"Pie Family Secret Recipe! Keeps all our favourite rocks healthy!" Pinkie nodded sagely. 

"Pinkie...a pet name is a type of nickname one uses to denote strong affection towards another pony." Rarity said each word slowly, careful to emphasize the right syllables. 

"Ooooooh! You mean like 'Dashie'! Or 'little Spikey Wikey!" Pinkie Pie nodded in affirmation. 

"W-well...yes. Could we perhaps not use that as an example? I wouldn't exactly want that compared to quite how Twilight means it..." Rarity blushed, grumbling her words into the tub. 

"Rainbow Dash," Celestia chuckled, "while I appreciate your...colourful interpretation of Twilight's thoughts regarding my person, neither of us chose to see our relationship at the time in such terms, and it seems your words are causing present company some degree of embarrassment. In light of this, I would like to return to my story, that we might all regain some composure?" 

Dash crossed her hooves, but gave a reluctant nod. Her mouth unzipped itself. 

"Ahh," Twilight sighed in relief, undoing her current spells. "Thank you, Pri--" her hooves flew to her mouth. Eyes widening in horror. "Just...just continue the story." Twilight slunk back to the edge of the tub. Rarity followed her. 

"Yes, well, that dose of humiliation courtesy of Rainbow aside...Know that whatever your problem is, the others and I will all be here for you." Rarity gestured back at the group, who were currently cooing at Celestia's description of the first time she and Twilight had touched horns. 

Twilight chewed the inside of her cheek. "Thanks, but I...think we need to work this out on our own. Celestia and I need to figure out how to handle these sorts of things in private." She turned to face Rarity with a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

"I suppose that does make sense." Rarity touched a hoof to Twilight's shoulder. "Just remember that we'll be here if you need us." They looked over at Celestia, who was currently laughing at a trademark Pinkie Pie line about the mental magic applications of tofu and skin cream. "For both of you."

"That means a lot." Twilight nodded. "That you'd be there for her, I mean. I guess that's why I'm not really talking about it." She rubbed her hoof with a shoulder. "She's just starting to explore all this. I mean, look at how happy she is!" Celestia gave Twilight a questioning look. Twilight simply waved a hoof, shooting her a big smile. When Celestia turned back to Pinkie, Twilight continued with a whisper. "I don't want to take that away from her." 

"So long as you're happy too. Whatever you do, don't allow your emotions to build up. It will only make the inevitable outburst worse." 

Twilight sighed. "I know. But I have to find the right time to say it. Otherwise..." Celestia was now regaling the other ponies with a story of how she had once prevented a batch of poisoned wine from reaching a diplomat's table by dumping tofu in the barrel, and the stink the griffons had raised at the lack of wine. "We could lose this. Do you really want that?" 

"Of course not! I merely think it's best we address the issue sooner, rather than later." 

"I just need a good time to get her alone." 

"If you say so." Rarity poked her side, then turned towards the group. "I'm rooting for you, dear." Rarity waded back over to Celestia, injecting herself into the conversation with a comment about how a proper dinner party would never have collapsed in on itself simply because of a lack of alcohol. Celestia began to describe the full decay of the evening and how it was cemented by a griffon ambassador spiking the fruit punch offered in place of new wine with copious amounts of hard whisky. Everypony laughed at the mention of one of the Saddle Marabian ambassadors blurting out with horror that the other guests were naked. 

Twilight shared the laugh, but soon her thoughts went back to the conundrum. It was easy to ignore early into their relationship. Was it ungrateful of her to even be upset about it? Celestia endured so many of her flaws with such grace. Her awkwardness, her rigidness, her...episodes...no. Don't go down that path. You know where that path leads and you're better than it. She sucked in a breath, composing her thoughts with the rush of fresh air. The point was, Celestia already accepted so many of her flaws. Maybe she could just learn to live with this one? 

She could hope things started getting better again. Maybe Celestia would notice on her own? No, past evidence said that was unlikely. Twilight let out the breath, and her doubts with it. Celestia hadn't even suspected from the hints Twilight had tried to drop. She'd noticed Twilight hated the new castle but hadn't noticed why. She'd noticed Twilight didn't want to talk about pets but didn't think it might be because her own had flown for parts unknown after his near-death at Tirek's claws. And it was, if she was honest with herself, getting worse. Celestia was leaning on more and more ponies these days, deferring more and more work to Twilight and her aides without a second thought or a moment to consider their ability to handle it. 

But she was so happy! Who was Twilight to take that away from her? And she'd already given Twilight so much. Her education, a chance to meet and make her friends, her home. The library she was so worked up about losing had been arranged for her by Celestia, for pony's sake! Her higher thinking told her to leave this be. Let this go. But she'd learned to be more than just a calculator in Ponyville. Whether it was learning about potions from Zecora or new types of earth pony magic from her interactions with Pinkie Pie, she'd learned to open her mind to new ways of thinking. Please Celestia. Ignore your own feelings. That's what her old self would have done. 

But she was a bigger pony now. All those surface doubts and insecurities fell away in the face of what her instincts told her was the truth. And her instincts told her that the truth was that this wasn't healthy. Twilight was only a year old as a Princess. Celestia's court wasn't built for running the country in her absence. But more and more that was what Celestia was using them for. She'd never up and cancelled court for such a petty reason before. She was delegating more and more to Equestria's newest Princess, and Twilight had been enabling that against her better judgement. Celestia was leaning harder and harder with each passing day. 

That kind of dependency wasn't sustainable. Even if Twilight had had the experience to take over Celestia's job, or her court had the ability to handle Equestria like Celestia herself did, that would still leave Celestia borderline abdicating. And Twilight knew Celestia didn't want that, even if right now she was being pulled in that direction by the allure of her new friendships. A lot of things were hidden behind Celestia's mask. But one of those was that she genuinely did love helping Equestria, and all the ponies in it. 

Somepony needed to remind her of that. Somepony needed to show her that she could balance her friends with her work. She flapped her wings. Who better than the Princess of Friendship to remind Celestia of the importance of making sure you had a healthy balance between work and friends? Yes, she could do this. Better still, she could do it in a way that was right for Celestia and for her. Her resolve was undercut by a startled yelp from Rainbow Dash. She turned around to see water dripping from every point of her friend's mane. Looking at the shocked expressions of the other ponies, she'd splashed Dash with that flap of her wings. Whoops. 

"Why you little--" Rainbow tackled her into the water, and then began to volley water at her when she resurfaced. Twilight couldn't help but giggle, returning fire with flaps of her own wings and hooves. One of Twilight's shots went wide, making a course straight for a suddenly terrified Fluttershy. Celestia extended a wing to protect the cowering pony, then flicked a barrage of water back at Twilight. Applejack surprised Dash with a tail flick that knocked her off her hooves and sent her spluttering back into the tub. It was then that Pinkie sucked in a great breath of water and spat it back out at Rarity in a torrential spout. Rarity shrieked, threw up a wall of water with her magic that managed to uppercut Celestia, and soon the entire tub had devolved into a splash fight.  

Eventually, Twilight ended the fight with a flourish of her horn, pulling Rainbow up in a bubble of magic and pummeling her with gusts of water until she at last managed a hasty 'I give!' One stern telling off from Aloe and Lotus and a sheepish apology from the assembled ponies later, they were beginning to towel themselves off. Celestia was asking about mane cuts, holding up the frayed and butchered ends of her mane where Starlight had so clumsily chopped them. Twilight had made sure to ask for the same, though she didn't really need one. She'd been wanting to try a new manestyle for a while now.  Something a little more daring. Just to test it out. 

"Surprise me," she told the spa ponies. "I want something a little more...exciting." She ran a hoof through her mane, emphasizing the careful, measured nature of her bangs with a thoughtful frown. While the stylists set to work bringing out the flair in her hair, she watched Celestia relax. Again that doubt was there. Did she really need to do this? 

"I hope you don't find the new manecut too upsetting, Twilight," Celestia's eyes were wide and dazzling, holding promises of mischief. But her primaries were still at her side. Half of a joke, then. "I know the loss of my old style was quite traumatic for you." 

Twilight resisted the urge to apply a hoof to her forehead. "It wasn't about the mane, Princess. You said you'd be okay, and then you went and did that--" 

"And it turned out fine in the end, did it not?" 

"I guess, but--you were right with what you said. Who'd raise the sun if Starlight had run off with your Cutie Mark? What you did put a lot of ponies in danger, and you didn't tell me you were doing it until it had already started to happen." 

"And what if you'd been carted away by her and never seen again? I needed something to draw her attention away from you and your friends. I worry about you, too, you know." Celestia's brow furrowed. "Am I not allowed to do that? I saw you captured and drained of your magic and your purpose in life. From my perspective I reacted exactly the same way you would have if the same had been done to me, and with very similar results." 

"Yeah...I guess that makes sense. But the kingdom can run without me! What about you?" 

"I know a certain alicorn who has a great deal of experience in saving me. I thought it high time I attempt to return the favour. And I succeeded!" Celestia sighed. "I just hoped you'd be happy for me. Heaven knows nopony else in the family would be." Celestia looked down. 

"I am happy for you. Just...not over this. Not the way you did it. I didn't feel like I was being saved." 

"You don't think so?" 

"I know so. You didn't ask what I wanted at all. You just came in and swept all the problems I was dealing with away without even talking to me about how I wanted to solve them or if I even wanted your help. Whether I did or not, you didn't even bother asking. I just--I feel like--ugh!" Twilight grit her teeth, turning away from Celestia.  

"Twilight?"

"I just...I don't..." Twilight sighed again. "That whole time I felt like I was being used. Just a part in your plan. I hate that feeling." 

"You hate when I include you in my plans?" 

"I hate that you don't talk to me about them! I hate that you don't ask for my input!" Everypony stared at her. She gave her best shot at a reassuring smile at the assembled ponies. She lowered her voice. "It makes me feel like what I think doesn't matter to you. Like I'm a chess piece, not a friend or an ally. That hurts." 

"Twilight, sometimes my plans require trust and cooperation in order for them to work. You were going to depend on Fluttershy behaving as you wished for your own plan. She was a moving part that had a role you needed her to play. I needed the same of another pony. I needed them to perform my plan perfectly and without question. There are only a hooffull of ponies I can say I am willing to put my freedom in the hooves of. It is because of how much I value and appreciate your outlook, the pony I trusted was you."

"No." Twilight's wings fidgeted. "It's because you value my loyalty. Which is still here. And always will be. But you didn't ask me if I was okay with your plan. I asked Fluttershy if she was okay with what I wanted her to do. I told her exactly what it was before I asked her, and I told her why I needed her to do it. That goes a long way. And you didn't." 

"But I did ask you, Twilight. I asked you before anything else." 

"But I didn't--look, if I'd known what the plan was--which I always tell my friends whenever possible--I wouldn't have just up and said yes. We didn't need to let her take your Cutie Mark. What if she'd had a way to apply it to herself? What if she'd had a way to destroy it forever? It was a big risk. And we could have talked it out and found another way. One which--" 

"I thought you'd said all you needed to say. If I had known..." 

"I didn't want to have this conversation then!" Twilight hissed the words. "We had a town to save. Or you did, I guess." 

Celestia sighed. "So what am I expected to do in the future, then?" 

"Princess...This isn't a royal order." Twilight looked directly at Celestia. "You've been hurting ponies. I just...needed to tell you. And not just me, or the ponies your plan could have hurt. You've been doing this to the court, too." 

Celestia blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"You just sort of up and dumped your morning work on them for a spa day. And that's not counting all the extra work you've given them--and me--without consulting on how we should do it. I don't want to make this about work--for me it's about us--but it's started to trickle into your work, too. And it hurts them, just like me. And not just us, either!" Twilight shook her head. "Fluttershy, the ponies at the Gala, my brother...I just...it wasn't so bad before, but since we've been together it's gotten more common." 

Celestia's veins ran cold. She blinked. "How long has this been building, Twilight?" 

"Well--technically, I--I mean, I just didn't want to hurt you, so I didn't--but...About half a year." Twilight sighed. "I started noticing around the Wedding. But it was worst with Tirek. That was when I decided I needed to say something." 

"And I'm only hearing about it now?"

"I didn't want to hurt you, okay! You're getting all defensive and closing up into yourself, exactly like I didn't want. So I tried to just...let it be, you know? You do enough of that for me." Twilight drooped her head. "I'm sorry for making you feel this way." 

Twilight heard a long, deep breath enter Celestia's chest. Watched in disbelief as she hauled herself together with a gust of air, the same way Twilight herself would. She let it out, and then looked at Twilight with remorse. 
"You are saying I'm not communicating enough. Not taking the feelings of others into account. Yes?" 

"Yes! That's...that's exactly what I'm saying." Twilight's wings settled back into place. 

"I am sorry. For not seeing the signs you laid out. For making you feel you could not say anything directly. For shutting down what you were saying. I will endeavor to do better." Celestia glanced at the ponies working around her. They were, mercifully, not paying much attention to the conversation so much as trying to focus on a manecut they treated with the gravity of a waiting execution. 

"Thank you." Twilight let herself stretch out on the spa chair more. Celestia looked over at her friends. They all seemed to be concerned. But not angry. None of them were glaring. All of them were worried. Not angry. Worried. Worried for them. Not angry at her.  

"But I also need to stress: I was completely unaware this was how you felt." 

"Well it is." Twilight reached a hoof over, ignoring the mane stylist's protests, and rested it on Celestia's shoulder. "I'm not mad, alright? I just need you to listen to me, okay? Don't treat me like I'm just another subject. And notice when you're hurting me." 

"I will endeavor to do so. But Twilight, I may not--I...feel I should explain my reasoning more. More privately." She looked at the salon staff, who continued to work away at her mane without glancing back, bullets of sweat cascading down their brows. 

Twilight smiled. "I'd be happy to hear anything you feel the need to share." 

Celestia sighed, but cracked a wry grin. "You're going to make this into a friendship lesson at this rate." 

"I learned from the best." Twilight said smugly. They sat in silence while the stylists worked, the peace that they had reached sinking into the air around them. That old electricity that tingled in her whenever she looked at Celestia was back, the twist of hurt from before at last starting to unravel.

"When was the last time you got a manecut?" Twilight broke the silence. The stylists began to add gel, something she hadn't expected. Then again, 'exciting' hadn't exactly been specific by way of instructions. 

"I haven't properly needed one in forty years." Celestia smiled back at her. "I usually just get a quick trim around the edges before speeches and diplomatic meetings. But manestyles change. When I was younger I liked to put it in curls. It made me feel more proper." 

"I've seen the illustrations. You looked good in those." Twilight's thoughts went to the fateful Tale of the Two Sisters book she'd read a lifetime ago. "What made you change your mane?" 

"I liked it better with the highlights." Celestia rested the side of her head against the spa table, enjoying a long gaze into Twilight's eyes. "The classic Hayllenic-era curls projected authority and matched the beauty standards a more insecure mare wanted to reach, but as society grew more liberal and many different types of looks began to gain more attention, I decided a more colourful look was in order. I let my mane grow to its full length, discovered I enjoyed the look. It seemed to have more personality to it." She tilted her head, annoying the stylist. "Which do you prefer?"  

Twilight giggled. "I mean, I grew up with the longer one. I really like all the colours. I used to try to think what time of the day each one referenced when you were doing review sometimes."

"Twilight Sparkle, daydreaming in class?" Celestia gave a gasp. "You think you know a pony." 

"Hush. I'd already memorized the lessons twice. We both know those reviews classes weren't made for me and that's fine. But I had to do something to keep myself from going stir-crazy. Practicing my sketches, mapping stars, casual math." Celestia had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at that last one. "I think I actually invented a new spell that way when I was fourteen. The moustache one?" 

"Moustache one?" Celestia raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe I'm privy to this particular spell." 

"Oh, yeah. I saw a hair growth charm, but it only targeted manes and tails. It didn't have the precision for facial hair trims. So I modified it to target hair roots individually instead of collectively." Celestia's eyes widened. 

"Is that why that bully in the guard school had that hideous little pencil affair for all of Ninth Year?" 

Twilight giggled. "He wouldn't stop teasing Shiny about how short his coat was. Called him baldy-pony. You saw how I reacted to Chrysalis. I had to do something."

"Twilight Sparkle, closet bully hunter." Celestia chuckled. "And how did all this slip past me, I wonder?" 

"A mare is allowed to have her secrets! It's not like you were watching my every move. I had adventures while you were away at court, you know. Bookworm adventures, but they were adventures still. Some time I'll have to tell you about the time I got locked in the Restricted section on a rainy Sunday at the Royal Library." Twilight's remiscing was interrupted by the spa ponies stepping away from Celestia. They cleared their throats awkwardly, and it was only now that Twilight noticed their quiet, professionalized terror. The way they would share tremoring looks at one another, as if volleying blame between one another. She rolled her eyes and looked over at Celestia's mane. Tilted her head. Studied it.  

Celestia looked into the mirror. The pony staring back at her looked completely different from before. Her mane was about three times the length of her coat hair, and no longer covered her ear or her eye on the side it was combed over on. It ran down to the base of her skull, no further, and curled slightly at the tips. The end result was something more girlish than she was used to. More approachable, too. She looked about 600 years younger. Perhaps I went too far...

"W-what do you think, Your Majesty?" The two of them waited for the drop of Celestia's guillotine with dignity, eyes shut but heads held high. Twilight noticed Rarity watching from her own perch, worrying away at her lip. Was it really so bad? It was certainly...different. But it wasn't the end of the world, was it? 

"I think it's wonderful." Celestia smiled, the ponies below her relaxing. "You both should be very proud." Twilight rolled her eyes. They'd actually fallen for it. Then Celestia looked over. "Oh my..." Twilight blinked. Something in her--oh right. She'd asked for something, too. She glanced into the mirror. And her eyes widened, her face growing into a smile. 

"Wow! This looks so--so different! Hey Dash! Check this out!" Rainbow, who had been enjoying a nice nap while she dried off, snapped awake at the mention. She bolted off her couch to fly over. "Doesn't it look cool?" She tossed her locks, which were now windswept and gelled into a cascade of pink and purple that swept back from her head and curled over one side.

"Twilight?! Is that you? Hey, did somepony lose an egghead?! Maybe I should ask this radical Princess. Have you seen a bookworm around here anywhere?" She elbowed Twilight, who giggled in turn. 

"Thanks. Both of you. This is exactly what I wanted." The two ponies seemed relieved before, but now they were positively glowing. 

"How much will all this come to?" Celestia chimed in. 

"Oh, we couldn't possibly--" 

"For everypony." Celestia interrupted, a light blue glint reflecting in her eyes. "It's my treat." 

"W-well, for a full treatment...that comes to three hundred and twenty four bits." They both gave nervous smiles. "But for you--" 

"I expect the same treatment as any other customer." She said this firmly, but gently, giving them both a gentle smile. "It helps me to relax." 

"Y-yes, your Majesty." They both bowed. Celestia, for her part, levitated over three large golden bars and then a collection of smaller coins. Their treatments done, they trotted to the waiting room and sat down together. "Thank you for indulging me, Twilight." She glanced around. It was still extremely early. Most ponies were at work. The receptionist was reading a magazine. So she lowered her voice and began. "I suppose I have some explaining to do now." 

"Only if you want to." Twilight stressed. "I just need you to listen to me. Respect my feelings. Okay?" 

Celestia nodded. "And by that same token, I too need to say this, and need you to listen." 

Twilight rubbed the back of her head. "Right, uh, sorry. Go on." 

"The first unicorn rebellion my sister and I dealt with did not go so favourably as the one we dealt with today. We were much younger. More naive. And he was far more ruthless than Starlight Glimmer." Celestia gave a sympathetic laugh. "The poor dear was scared more than anything. Lashing out at me and at Equestria for goodness only knows what private hurt. Sombra," Twilight perked up at the name, and the sigh that came with it, "Sombra was different. He enslaved the minds of his subjects. He created dark magic that tormented his citizens for his own amusement and to secure his power. Luna and I rushed in, then, thinking to quash the rebellion quickly with our superior magic. Without a plan, without analyzing the situation, we failed. Sombra took the Empire with him. And the Crystal Empire lost a thousand years of its history for my mistake.

"This was also the reason I was initially so furious when I arrived in Ponyville one fateful day to see that you had brainwashed the town. I was not thinking clearly--no-one was after Discord's return--and assumed the worst." 

"What?" Twilight's eyes widened, her question coming out in a whisper. "You really thought that I would...that I'd...?"  

"Yes, Twilight. Just the same as you earnestly believed that I would send you back to the place where you endured the worst experiences of your life, I too believed that you would turn on me in the aftermath of Discord's rampage. And why not? The last time I faced Discord alongside the pony closest to me..." Celestia shook her head. "In that moment I thought I had lost you. I was terrified, and furious--I had trusted you, and again I had been wrong to. Imagine my disbelief when I realized that your grievances had been targeted at my opinion of you."

"Really?" Twilight whispered, edging closer. "I...never knew you'd thought that. I just assumed you were angry because I was abusing my magic." 

"I was, Twilight. But abusing your magic in a misguided attempt to preserve your friendship is very different from abusing your magic as a way to control peons to fight me with. You surprised me immensely that day. I didn't know--no, that is not true. I did not truly appreciate how you felt about me, and about your studies and your friends in Ponyville. I expected a bitter tirade about how I had used you all your life. The same conversation that we just had, but punctuated by dark magic and not with concern for my feelings. You must understand that the last time Equestria faced struggles like the ones it has undergone in the last few years, they were not so peaceful. Times were more desperate. Resources more scarce, technologies more limited. Darkness was everywhere, and ponies were crueler and more violent as a result. In my emotional state, I did not account for these factors."

Celestia wrapped a wing around Twilight. "The second time I doubted you, to my great discredit, was a similar affair. Cadence was my niece. You were practically family, about to become..." Celestia shut her eyes, forcing out the word. "...sisters. And there you were, the younger, consumed by envy and by a feeling of neglect and I--oh, Twilight. I saw another pony in you. Another time and place. And it was wrong of me. These times are so different from the ones that shaped the pony I have been for the past thousand years. I didn't see the context until it was far too late. For the second time in a row. And I did not even apologize. How could I? What could I say to undo what I did? No, all I could do was praise you for doing what I could not." 

Celestia shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. "Perhaps I should rectify that." She felt a gentle wing wrap around her own side, primaries running along her back lightly. She smiled down at Twilight, opening her eyes to stare into Twilight's own. "I...have difficulty apologizing for my mistakes. I regret them. Oh, how I regret them. But..." Celestia gave a bittersweet smile. "I couldn't even muster up the courage to say I regretted banishing my own sister to you until a year after you learned about it. So I hope you will appreciate it when I say now that I am truly sorry, Twilight, for not trusting you. For assuming far worse of you than you deserve." Twilight's wing tightening against her side in a gentle squeeze was all she needed to know her apology was accepted. Twilight put her head under her chin, the two of them staying silent for a moment. 

"But I did learn." Celestia brightened a bit, intertwining the primaries of her left wing with Twilight's own. "I trusted you to save the Crystal Empire. Not to destroy Sombra. To save the people he had enslaved. And I was vindicated. I trusted you to perfect Starswirl's spell, and to help turn Discord from his peculiar brand of darkness. And again I was vindicated. My mistake then became assuming that your ability to surpass all my expectations would extend to everyone who had surprised me. I had been impressed by Discord's turn, and had assumed better of him than I should have. So today I fell back into not trusting, into suspecting that the worst would come about from another unicorn rebellion.

"All of this is to say that I am trying to navigate a time in my life very different from my formative years as a ruler and an adult. It is hard for a pony as ancient as I am to learn new lessons as quickly as you do, and the nuances of the situation are sometimes lost on me. But that all being said. Never hesitate to tell me if I am being unfair to you. I am not experienced in showing or feeling my emotions. In the past being seen as emotional was a sign of weakness, and weakness was seen as an opportunity. Allowing myself to feel, forgiving my enemies...these are things I am still learning to do. I will hurt ponies--likely you chief among them--as I try to learn these lessons, and allow myself to open up to others once more. But I will never enjoy it. I will need you to tell me clearly what I am doing wrong, when I am doing it wrong." Celestia concluded. "Rather like you did today." 

Relief washed over Twilight. Any remaining tension floated away in a gentle breeze. "I, hehe, I guess we both need to work on that. I expected you to take it worse." 

"That I would disapprove?" Celestia tilted her head. 

"No, I guess...I thought you'd think I was getting fed up with you. Or turning on you. Or something."

"Once upon a time I may have. You've shown that whatever the circumstances, you will always make an effort for me, even at my worst." Celestia gave a knowing smirk. "I've said as much last Summer Sun Celebration. Whatever mistakes I make, I will always try to rectify them for you. Just as I trust you to do for me." She closed her eyes and drank in the Ponyville breeze. "With that in mind. I think I have panicked my advisors enough already. You are right that I should take their feelings more into consideration. And yours. What all have you been planning for me lately?" 

Twilight put a hoof to her chin, looking up at the clouds. "Well, next week we have the Gala, and after that we have the Royal Summit. I've been planning both, and I've been meaning to talk with the yaks before the diplomatic meeting..."

"I would be happy to--" Celestia chuckled, shaking her head lightly. "That is to say: would you mind if I joined you in planning them? I think the affair would go faster if we worked together, and there are some pointers on yak diplomacy that I could share that may be very pertinent." 

"I would love to." Twilight tapped her horn to Celestia's, the two of them sharing currents of magic both specific to unicorns and universal to all creatures that knew the concept of 'love'. Two minds became one, sharing ideas, dreams, sensations. Visions of the future and memories of the past. At last the two broke apart, and then, with a light of her horn, Celestia was gone. Twilight smiled a happy, distant smile, hugging her wings to her side. Rarity and Fluttershy exited the spa, their own treatments having just concluded, and Twilight soon was lost in discussion with her friends. 


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


Starlight Glimmer was lost in a discussion with her enemies. Every word she tried to get in edgewise was shut down by their sneering faces. Rebuked her with petty laughter for thinking she could hope to change Equestria, or their minds. 

Giant visages of the two Princesses floated above her, the only objects in sight in an inky black void that threatened to swallow her up. A spotlight had been shone upon her, as if she was on some sort of sick trial, but the faces of Celestia and Luna betrayed the kangaroo nature of this particular court. Starlight again tried to speak. "I just wanted--" 

"Oh, I knew what you wanted, my little pony." Celestia leered down at her, a twisted smile on her face. "You wanted revenge, petty and simple to see. To take my ponies out from under my hoof. So easy to unravel, to predict. It's why you'll never succeed. Too much anger to feign compassion. You have a thousand years to go if you want to beat me at that." 

"No, I didn't want that. I don't want revenge!" She turned to Luna, pleading now. "I just wanted--" 

"A friend? The friend who threw you away so long ago? Hah!" Luna gave a toxic smirk. She lowered herself to stare at Starlight with a pupil the size of Starlight's own body. "You already had a friend. But you took that friendship and drove it into the dust. And for what? A pathetic dream, chasing a pony who left you to rot. You trod on all I stand for and insulted me to my face. You do not deserve a friend." 

"I--I'm sorry! I didn't know! I just wanted to see you fit in, and I was scared, and--I-I didn't know what to do! I...I'm sorry." 

"You should be." The two faces spoke in unison, vanquished with a blast of blue magic. 

"What?" Starlight glanced around, searching the inky darkness of the mindscape for the source of the beams of blue light. It was only when she thought to look up that she saw a familiar pony staring back at her, a thoughtful frown upon her lips. Flying above her was none other than Princess Luna. 

"Starlight Glimmer." Luna's face held no scorn or anger. Only a strange, sad and distant emotion. One Starlight couldn't identify. "We need to talk."
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight could identify Celestia's knock anywhere. Always three even raps, loud enough that all present could hear but not so loud as to be jarring. Graceful as everything else about her. "Open!" Twilight called, shifting gears to find the Gala plans among the garden of scrolls and books that she called a study desk. Celestia slipped inside with practiced silence, keeping the two objects on her back as much a surprise as she could. 

"It's almost time for the Gala, Twilight. Is everything ready? Have you found a plus-one?" Twilight pulled a specially marked scroll from its hiding spot, carefully closing the gap it left between the scrolls for Hearts and Hooves Day and the Royal Summit. 

"Well, as it so happens I had a plus-one in mind already." She shot Celestia a sly look, taking in a quick glance at the amazing dress she was currently wearing. It had looked good in Rarity's shop. On Celestia it looked phenomenal...though the academic in her admitted a few biases may have been involved in that judgement. Only, there was something square and brown on Celestia's back. Odd. 

"Who?" 

Twilight giggled. "You, silly."

"Who?" 

"No, really. You. I want us to go as plus-ones. I had the whole thing--" 

"Who?" 

"Come on, Princess, stop pulling my--" Twilight turned around fully to see Celestia standing with two birds perched proudly upon her back. One was a phoenix that was currently holding its beak in the air as if it was the most important creature in the entire world. The other was an owl that was staring at her in curiosity. The papers Twilight had been carrying fell out of her grasp.

"Owl...Owlowiscious!" Twilight rushed forward, craning up to Celestia's back as much as her limited height would allow. She looked at Celestia in disbelief. "Where did you find him?! I searched the Everfree twice!" 

"Missie reminded me that there is more than one forest on the outskirts of Ponyville. Whitetail Woods was where he was hiding, out in one of the old trees. Philomena here helped me flush him out." Celestia patted the phoenix with a wing, and Philomena in turn crowed proudly at the attention. "He seems to still remember ponies fondly enough." Celestia lowered herself slightly, allowing the owl to hop from her back to Twilight's. Twilight winced at the sensation of his talons pricking her, but giggled when he began running his beak through her mane. She nuzzled him in turn, and he gave a gentle 'whooo' in appreciation. 

"Well, as it so happens," Twilight wiped away some forming tears with a shaky laugh, "I happen to have gotten you something, too!" She triumphantly levitated over the scrolls she'd been holding. 

Celestia only raised an eyebrow at this, slipping the star-sigiled ribbon off the roll of paper. "A...new spell?" Celestia hazarded a guess, unfurling the scroll. 

"A plan." Twilight said firmly. Her eyes dazzled with a look of determination. Her brow set firmly, her eyes wide and taking in everything around her. It was that same game face Celestia had seen conquer Discord, Tirek and Sombra. "I figured out a way for us to go public without causing a big stir. Y'know, public about, well, us. It's a little bit...political, but it isn't exactly dishonest, and I have a good itinerary that intertwines it nicely with the Gala." 

Celestia gave a bittersweet smile. "That sounds wonderful, Twilight. However..." She bit her lip. "I am...afraid that this plan may have to wait, unfortunately. Not until next Gala--no, I think the Royal Summit might be appropriate for it, in fact. But this Gala, I may have--well, I invited Discord. Knowing he would...cause a ruckus?" 

Twilight blinked, her eyes lowering to the floor. "You did? Oh...I wanted it to go over well, a-and I tried to make it easier on you so you wouldn't get bored and every--" 

"I know, Twilight." Celestia raised her chin with a wing. "I was thinking of it as just another tedious Gala to meddle with when I sent the invite. I had not considered it would be the first you would be hosting and what that might mean to you until well after it was too late to undo the damage I am sure will be done. I may not be able to prevent Discord from showing up--nor, I believe, should I, given we are doing our best to accept him as a friend--but I will try to minimize what damage he might cause. Unfortunately, that also means that whatever plans you may have had for...us, will have to be put on hold." Celestia sighed, running a wing along Twilight's mane. "I'm sorry." 

Twilight cuddled closer to her and Owlowiscious, leaning into the touch of feathers against her fur. "Apology accepted." She giggled at the owl's soft touch. "I think I can plan around it. What do you need me to do?" 

"What would you like to do?" Celestia's gaze softened. "What sort of plan were you thinking of?" 

"Well, we have to meet-and-greet the guests, right? But we want Discord to feel special and important, so...How about we ask him to come fashionably late?! Oh, he'd love that! Great way to show up everypony, and then we go and talk to him and...yeah, that could work." Twilight nodded. "But what were you thinking?" 

Celestia smiled. "I had not considered that option. My idea was to distract him from the Gala while you tried to run it as smoothly as possible. But I hadn't thought of how the nobles might react to being snubbed. I think we could marry these two plans together quite well."

"You haven't even taken them out to dinner yet." Twilight gave a teasing smile. Celestia rolled her eyes, but shared in the smile herself. 

"I will greet as many nobles with you as I can and then be interrupted by Discord, allowing you to mingle all night and make good impressions."

"Right. Good impressions. Big party. Me." Twilight gave the most awkward of laughs at this. "But, um, that shouldn't be a concern. I only invited half the nobles we usually do." 

Celestia blinked. "You did? How in Equestria did you manage that?" 

"I swapped rooms. There aren't as many seats in the hall I picked out. So I made the whole thing more exclusive, then let the nobles compete for tickets. We, uh, raised a lot of money for charities that way, but I think I may have made a couple enemies, so I might need to make a separate event for the ones who didn't get invited or something." Twilight swiveled a hoof across the floor. 

"I'm sure that with a few invites to a casual garden party we can smooth over any tensions the move might have made. While there we might even explain your reasoning. You wouldn't wish to be overwhelmed during your first Gala as a Princess of Equestria, especially since you took on hosting." 

"Um, actually, I was okay with that part. I just...um...just wanted time for us to have fun." Twilight gave a quiet smile. "I know you hate the meet-and-greet part, so I saved some time for us to dance and have cake and talk with friends." 

Celestia wrapped a wing around Twilight at this information, pulling her closer. The two practically melted against one another. "Have I ever told you that I love you?" 

"You could stand to do it more often." Twilight giggled. "But I guess most of the Gala will have to be distracting Discord, huh?" 

"Oh, I don't know about that..." Celestia gave Twilight a knowing smile. "Sometimes you just have to trust in the people you care about to pull through for you." 


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


Discord arrived in a suit, a bow tie and a top hat. He arrived with a flourish of magic and his typical bombastic introduction, as if expecting the world to bow down in awe of his very existence. He arrived with a quick joke and a wink, already strutting forward confidently. He arrived with a twenty foot tall slime monster at his side. The couple were upon him in mere moments, crossing the Gala floor with impressive speed. 

"Discord! So glad you could make it. " Celestia greeted.

"We were worried you didn't get the invite." Twilight added. "Seemed like you didn't reply till the last minute." 

"Well, yes, I simply had to get the right arrangements going. I had to pull a few strings, get in touch with some old friends. I got a last minute cancellation from another old pal of mine, William. He said he had his own party to plan. Something about a snowglobe and a portal." Discord rolled his eyes. "But one of my old buddies from Miskatonic University pulled through for me!" Discord wrapped an arm around the ooze pile, snuggling close to him. "This is the Smooze! Say hello, Smoozey." 

The monster waved a blobby tendril, a hole appearing in its center in the shape of an enthusiastic smile. Twilight's smile strained, which in turn made Discord's grow even wider. "See, isn't he a charmer?" Discord tossed his cane aside with a flick of his wrist. Twilight heard a cat yowl. 

"He's certainly very...enthusiastic?" Twilight shot the Smooze a brittle smile, which was returned by a very friendly and open one. "Well, regardless, we should get you both to your seats." 

Twilight was careful to keep the Smooze off the carpeting as much as possible, leading the odd set of pairs to a table with a view of the Canterlot skyline that still managed to be in sight of the table where she and her friends would be enjoying the evening. The four of them sat down. 

Celestia conjured up a set of tea, handing off cups to each of her guests with delicate care. Discord rolled his eyes at this.

"So who exactly were your plus-ones this evening? You're both such exciting and magnetic mares, after all." Discord's fingers detached from his hands in order to form a set of air quotes. "Did you find some frumpy librarian and a deliciously boring politician to dance away the night with?" Discord gave them both a sneer. 

"As a matter of fact, we did." Celestia replied. The two wrapped their wings around one another and leaned closer together. Discord raised an eyebrow, but the Smooze gave a gurgling 'awwww'. It clicked. 

Discord's eyes went wide with horror at this. "N-no, please! That much concentrated anti-fun is fatal to my species! Have mercy on me! I have a wife and three draconequuelettes!" He conjured up photos of his own face cruedly superimposed on those of a family of five ponies. Celestia giggled at this, while Twilight only have a flat look. 

"Why didn't you invite them, then? The invites had room for them." 

Discord jabbed a thumb at Twilight, turning to face the Smooze with wild and desperate eyes. "You see! She's a walking danger to fun everywhere! This is a pony who grew up playing with toys for pretending to do her homework!" The Smooze shuddered at the thought. Twilight gave a 'humph'. Celestia and the Smooze both gave a good laugh, though. Discord preened, pushing out his chest and closing his eyes in triumph, then shot a sneer over at Fluttershy and Tree Hugger. Celestia noticed this, and the way the Smooze stopped laughing when it in turn began to notice. 

"Well, Twilight, I think we should spare our guest any more distress over our inability to have, ehem, fun. Perhaps we might swap for a bit. You take the Smooze and I take Discord? If only for Discord's own protection." Twilight nodded, then turned to the Smooze with an unsteady smile. 

"Come r-right this way, Mr., uhm, Smooze." She gestured towards one of the unoccupied corners of the party with a strained smile. 

It looked between her and Celestia, tilting its head. Celestia leaned over to whisper 'more fun than she looks'. The Smooze continued to give her an uncertain look, but extended its pseudopods over to where Twilight was leading it.   

The draconequus, for his part, continued to ignore the current proceedings. Tree Hugger had just told a joke about woodpeckers, and so Discord was leering past Celestia, Twilight and the Smooze. Over at Fluttershy. Where she was having fun. Without him. Ignoring him. 

"You know, Discord, you won't attract a mare's attention by being angry." 

Discord blinked. "I beg your pardon? I believe you may be insinuating something." Celestia's tongue--now suddenly forked--became hard to use for language. So she shook her head, returning it to normal, and began anew. 

"Insinuating? I merely see the way your attention appears to be wandering. If you're looking to impress a mare, you could start by at least attempting to look like you're not trying to make her jealous." Celestia gave a giggle. "And we'd both have more fun that way, too." 

"Fun?" Discord spat the word. "You? You wouldn't know a joke if--" A large billboard with arms and legs reading 'joke' kicked Celestia's flank at that, causing her to jolt in her seat and give a yelp. "That happened." Discord hid an unbearably smug smile behind his teacup while she inspected her rump for bruising. 

"Oh yes? I can be known to have fun from time to time." Celestia glanced back with a dainty smile. 

"Right. Nothing more fun than grading Twilight's magic assignments and sorting through tax proposals." Discord rolled his eyes, taking another sip of tea. 

"Perhaps. I enjoy the reactions my attention brings to the ponies they matter to, however. Just as I enjoy the reaction you're going to have when you hear what I put in your tea." Discord raised an eyebrow. 

"Your highness, I assure you nothing you could do to my tea would surprise me." He waved a claw, then frowned. "Where's my tiny violin? Excuse me, I may need a moment to--" He waved the claw again. Still nothing. 

"Process the magic-nullifying properties of plundervine root extract? I should hope so. Oh, I have been saving this one up for a rainy day." Discord immediately spat the liquid all over her face, his eyes bugging out at her words. 

"You did what to me?!" 

"That is correct." Celestia dabbed at her face with a napkin, her gentle smile ever present. "For the next four hours--if my estimates are correct--you will have no access to any of your chaos magic. It will soak into the plundervine root currently going through your stomach." 

"You poisoned me!" Discord grasped his throat, eyes boring a hole through Celestia with nothing but contempt.

Celestia's face fell. "Oh, how saddening. I thought the spirit of chaos would enjoy being thrown for a loop. I would be happy to cure you--the antidote is in my own tea at the moment." Discord immediately reached for it, but Celestia put a hoof over the cup. "Unless, of course, you're interested in impressing me. But silly me. It seems your attention belongs to only one mare tonight. A pity. These Galas are terribly dull. I was hoping someone might be able to lighten the event up. That is why I invited you, after all." 

Discord raised an eyebrow. "You were the one who invited me?" 

"A personal request. I find your antics quite amusing. But sometimes they lack in...hmm, subtlety, shall we say?" She glanced over at Fluttershy with a knowing smile. "If you really want to make a mare jealous, show her how much fun you're having without her. That will get her attention in all the right ways. Unless you'd like to go back to moping. Twilight and I would like to enjoy a dance tonight, after all." 

Discord seethed, his teeth grit and his eyes narrowed. Celestia waved at where Twilight was currently putting a hoof on a despondent-looking Smooze, giving the mare a wide smile and a special wink. Twilight raised a hoof to her mouth and then waved in turn, repeating the wink. Discord rolled his eyes, then put his hands on his chin and blew out a raspberry. At once his eyes widened. "Well I'll be. It really does work..." 

"Now you're learning." Celestia flicked his top hat off with a bat of her wing. "You have a sense of humor, don't you? Show me. The Discord I invited wouldn't spend the evening wallowing in self-pity. Let's laugh the whole stuffy drag off together, shall we?"

"Well...I suppose just a little fun won't hurt. But Hydia will have my horns if I don't bring the Smooze back by curfew!" 

Celestia chuckled. "Yes, yes, curfew. I know how you have such an abiding respect for rules and regulations. Speaking of...Did you dress to fit the occasion? Your outfit looks the part of somepony trying to make a mockery of the Gala. Tell me, was it hard gathering all that lint from under Fluttershy's bed?" Celestia sipped her tea quietly. 

Discord's eyes widened. Then narrowed into a sneer. "At least it wasn't that hideous abomination you wore to Twilight's coronation. I doubt even you will live long enough for 'leftovers from a carpet factory' to come into vogue."

"I'll have you know my own royal tailor spent hours making that dress fancier than Twilight's own in a bid to further his career. How dare you crush his ego like that." Celestia gave him a mock-glare. 

Discord actually laughed at that, surprising both of them with the modest chuckle. "Let me get this straight. You find all the endless bowing ponies throw at you as tedious as anypony with half of a brain would? I would've thought it all went straight to your head the way the royal bakery goes straight to your flank."

Celestia smirked. "I suppose mounting frustration does tend to form in the head, so you aren't entirely incorrect. I sometimes I have to invoke laws against torture to get them to stop, though." 

"I think I have an idea." Discord smirked. "And it doesn't involve any magic at all." He snapped his fingers, rising from his chair. Then looked at them in confusion, before giving a snicker. "Sorry, force of habit." 

Celestia also rose. "I have only one condition. You may harass me however you wish, but you may bring no harm upon my subjects. I do not find that amusing, frustrating as their enthusiasm can be." 

"Oh, I won't do anything of the sort." Discord crossed his heart with a smirk. "Nyarlathotep Scout's honour. I just need to get some punch. Would you join me?" 

Celestia rose, trying to hide her curiosity and excitement. Perhaps Discord truly had something clever up his sleeve after all. 

The ponies by the punch bowl were speaking about the state of their bit holdings with an eye for ego-boosting, explaining how much or how little they paid their servants, how large their estates were, what famous artists they'd managed to poach paintings from. Discord looked at them all with thinly-veiled contempt, then opened his mouth with a devilish grin. "Excuse me, everypony. Might I have your attention? It's time we begun the evening's main event!" 

He shot a knowing glance over at Celestia, who gave a gentle nod. The nobles, who had been doing their best to politely ignore Discord before, snapped to attention at this. "The crown proudly announces a competition befitting the evening: the Gala Kitchen Appreciation Drive! Whoever can show the most appreciation for the foodstuff produced by the royal kitchens will earn their favour, and a special medal awarded by the judge, Princess Celestia herself. Can you confirm, your Majesty?" Celestia raised an eyebrow, but gave another nod. 

"I...can confirm." The nobles shared glances, wondering what exactly was being asked of them. Discord was all-too happy to answer. 

"The foodstuff of choice--your medium for showing your appreciation of Princess Celestia's personal staff--is cheese." Celestia raised an eyebrow at this, a smile already forming. The nobles looked at him in confusion. Discord continued. "An arbitrary yardstick, true, but an important one nonetheless. The palace staff voted on which food they believe the royal kitchens prepare most exquisitely, and cheese was selected as its finest product, followed of course by wine." At the mention of wine and cheese, the nobles began to nod along. As those were the two greatest foodstuffs known to equine kind, it only made sense the kitchen would pride itself on making them. Discord continued.

"Endorse the cheese and you endorse the kitchens themselves. Ergo, whoever can demonstrate the most fanatical endorsement of the kitchen's cheese supply before the evening is over will win the favour of the royal kitchens and their medal of merit. The contest will be graded on enthusiasm, originality and scope. Thank you. That will be all." Discord clapped twice, then floated his way back over to Celestia. "And now we wait." Already the nobility had broken into an excited buzz, confusion on how exactly to utilize cheese in their bid to impress Celestia spreading like a plague amongst them. 

"Your Majesty!" A particularly well-to-do noble broke off from the crowd. "I pledge to donate fifty percent of my current kitchen cheese production for the evening! I will have my servants bring it at once!" There was a gasp from the nobles assembled. 

Discord frowned, but Celestia beat him to the answer. "A generous offer, my little pony, but the contest is regarding appreciation for the kitchen staff's own food, not yours. Donations will not suffice in this case. We expect a spirited show of cheese enthusiasm." Discord and Celestia shared a gleeful look, Celestia holding back her giggling and Discord not even bothering. 

The noble harrumphed, turning away with a flourish of her magnificent dress. The other nobles in turn began discussing again. While the elder nobles began to discuss dry plans of arranging special cheese plates, the younger ones began to descend towards the depths of insanity Discord had hoped for. The more desperate for recognition, the more lunatic the scheme to impress the crown. The younger nobles broke apart, while the elders began to arrange the cheese present into all manner of increasingly elaborate displays. At first they were simple cheese platters, but once one of the nobles began to stack the cheese into a tower, the works began to take a turn for the abstract and, as competition soon mounted, a turn for the whimsical. 

"You're a genius." Celestia whispered. 

"I'm only surprised you didn't find a way to exploit their parasitic ladder-climbing sooner." Discord fired back, watching with glee as one of the nobles began to melt a vast collection of cheeses together with clumsily-managed fire magic.   

"Oh, I have, but never on a scope like this." She marveled at the bizarre constructs her little ponies were beginning to assemble. The Statue of Equity, the Colosstallion of Pones, the Pona Lisa and more were being assembled from cheese, and orders went out to the kitchens with increasing desperation to find more. Two nobles were making Eiffur Towers out of cheese wedges, one doing a hurried job and the other a slower and more dedicated recreation. When the faster one finished, she summoned a servant to her side, who blew a low, droning note on the bugle that toppled over the other noble's half-finished Eiffur Tower. While her rival fumed, a particularly confident noble approached Celestia with a strange monstrosity of fused cheeses on a silver platter. 

"For Her Majesty's own taste buds alone, I present a cheese masterpiece. This phenomenal creation contains every flavour and type of cheese found in the royal kitchens, all melted and then expertly cooled into one harmonious whole." He gave a low bow, offering up the entire plate to Celestia. She looked at the abomination with caution. Despite the stallion's assurances, the cheeses looked more like they had been forced together by some unholy ritual than harmoniously blended. The colours of each intertwined in strange ways, wart-like bubbles forming at the borders, and marks where the 'boiled' cheese had been burnt by clumsily applied fire magic littered the peculiar assault upon the senses.

Discord saved her from the horror, however. "I believe it would be more devoted were you to eat the entire thing, myself. What do you think, Your Majesty?" 

Celestia gave a grateful nod. "That only makes sense. After all, it isn't my appreciation of cheese that is being called into question." She said this with all the severity of the grave, causing Discord to burst into fresh giggles. The noble glanced at his Frankenstein's creation with trepidation, but began to eat it as best he could. He gave unconvincing moans at the quality of his own cheese, and then one of the elder matrons was leading them on a tour of the other cheesy creations. Artists the nobles were not, and even the best sculptors could not have asked for a more outlandish medium, so the statues and paintings recreated in front of them looked more like surrealist expressions of existential terror than the height of equinity they were going for.

"Do you see how my Pona Lisa captures the enigmatic mystique of the pony condition, Majesty?" Said one of the nobles. She swept a hoof over a construct, basking in pride when Celestia soaked in the soulless nature of its empty black eye sockets.  

"It will remain in my memories." Celestia said diplomatically, trying not to look it directly in the eye.

"My creation was based on Griffolangelo's David, majesty. I believe it expresses the power and dignity of its blue cheese heritage quite nicely." One of the arms fell off at this. "I-I mean my fusion model of the Venus de Mylittle and David! See how it combines the best traits of both?" 

"With crystal clarity." Celestia deadpanned, Discord laughing behind her. The noble's brow began to bead with sweat, and when another one of his creation's limbs began to sag into nonexistence, he gave a hasty bow and beat a retreat. Just as she was about to be wowed with yet another crime against equinity sculpted in cheese form, one of the younger nobles burst forth from the kitchens. These were the up-and-coming aristocrats, and their desperation made their pledges shine above all the others. 

The noble, coated from top hat to dress shoes in cottage cheese, pulled out a cane. To the horror of all assembled, he began to dance and sing. "Royal cheese! Royal cheese! Give me some of that oh please! Royal cheese! Royal cheese! Of that I must have more than bees!" Discord and Celestia shared a look at that particular rhyme. "So royal cheese, set me free! Tell me that my bid succeeds!" He took off his top hat and cane, flinging them both into the air. Then he slid down the floor on his knees, coming to a stop beneath Discord and Celestia. The discarded objects landed with a splat behind him. 

"I believe we have a winner." Discord and Celestia shared a look, the two of them not even bothering to hide their laughter at this point. Celestia put a hoof to her chin when the noble began to bask in their approval, however. 

"Well...originality and enthusiasm were most certainly there, but I believe you may have missed the point of the contest, my little pony." The stallion looked crushed, his eyes starting to water. Celestia pouted, and Discord placed a claw upon her shoulder. 

"Can you really say no to a face like that?" Just as they began to discuss, a mare rode out on a pair of cheese wheels, juggling a set of cheddar triangles with an overwide smile and balancing upon the rolling sets of Camembert like a lumberjack upon a log. She did a twirl, barely keeping balanced, and then wobbled her way over to the pair of pranksters. At last she kicked the cheese wheels away, landing in a painful-looking splits with a wince. Her outstretched hooves missed catching the cheddar wedges, which instead landed on her head one after the other. The pair of spectators winced at each drop. Another noble's entourage saved her from their judgement. 

"His Majesty Prince Blueblood announces: Fashion A La Fondue! A show in five flavours!" A parade of posing ponies came from the kitchen door carrying the stallion in question in a gigantic tub. His dinner jacket was on the hoof of one of the many servants, as was his dress shirt. Completely straight-faced, the servants carried Blueblood and a mixing pot of the kitchen's finest melted cheese towards Celestia and Discord. The two of them nearly lost it at the sight, barely holding in the guffaws that demanded to be let out. Giggles began to escape when Blueblood struck a flirtatious pose, a servant pouring the molten cheese along his chest and neck in what were certainly meant to be slow, sensuous trails. Celestia raised a hoof. 

"That's quite enough, everypony. You've given us both--snrrk--quite a performance. We'll need to think on how to decide on who is...most fit for...this most gracious award." 

"What?!" Blueblood spluttered. "But what are we supposed to do with all this cheese?!" He gestured around at the towers, displays, props and platters that had accumulated throughout the main dining hall, then at himself and the cottage cheese pony. At this, a gigantic, abnormally long tongue wrapped itself around the cottage cheese pony and stripped him of his delectable coating in one swift motion. 

Pinkie Pie began carving trails in the leftover cheese like the world's largest and most aggressively coloured caterpillar, her hooves spining in a strange cartwheel motion that laughed at limitations like anatomy and gravity. The nobles watched this display in utter bafflement, the sculptures they had worked so hard upon disappearing into the voracious void that was crawling its way across the various tables. The Pink menace stopped only when she had consumed all but the cheese that was currently running its way down Prince Blueblood. She took one look at him, grimaced, and then gave a shrug. "You're on your own, pal." 

Blueblood gave a 'hmmph' and turned proudly towards Celestia, his nose raised triumphantly in the air. "I believe that leaves me as the last noble standing. I win!" 

"Truly, Prince Blueblood, your originality and enthusiasm were very winning." Celestia said this with a wing covering her lips, holding back the giggle fit as best as she could. "But I'm afraid that none of you quite understood the point of the competition. Because of that, the award must go to your cleanup crew." 

The assembled nobles balked. "All that for nothing?!" The now cottage-cheeseless pony barked. 

"I'm afraid so, my little ponies. While many of you had a great passion and originality in the way you expressed your art, not one of you actually deigned to eat the food in front of you. The kitchen staff regrets to inform you that they feel slighted by the way you trivialized their delicacies in your bids to impress me. By contrast, Pinkamena Diane Pie, you have showed great enthusiasm for the staff's cuisine, devouring it in ways wholy original and immense in scope. I proudly award you the prize for your efforts." 

At Celestia's words, Discord conjured up a medal in the shape of a wheel of brie with a piece cut out, pinning it upon Pinkie's dress with a delicate paw. "To the rest of you, as a consolation prize for your participation I would be happy to grant you a pick of tonight's surplus from the kitchens to take home with you. Thank you one and all for your dedication, although in future you may wish to consider focusing on the importance of the contest, and not simply upon impressing me. I am very flattered by the attention, of course, but do consider the opinions of others in your bid to win my favour. Nothing earns my gratitude quite like a bit of consideration for my staff." Celestia gave a wink. The crowd began to disperse, grumbling and staring at the floor at this latest twist. Some ponies tried to hide their growing embarrassment. Others went back to talking like the whole affair had never happened. 

At last Celestia could hold it in no longer. The two disappeared in a flash of chaos magic, finding a secluded spot near the edge of the party to release their pent-up laughter. They laughed long and hard, the wonders and horrors of the nobility's desperation for approval fresh in their minds. Celestia attempted to regain her composure, but a brief, fleeting memory of the cottage cheese pony's bee rhyme caught her in the snare of the giggles once more. She laughed so hard that she did not notice the tiny gem materializing upon her peytral with a delicate pink glow. 

Once they had calmed themselves down a bit, Discord gave a little clap. "You were quite right, Your Majesty! That was more fun than I've had in ages. I didn't even bother using my freshly-regained chaos magic!"

"Freshly regained?" Celestial blinked.

"It came back after about half an hour. But you were quite right. Letting those noble ponies dig themselves into their own holes was much more fun!"

Celestial laughed once more. "I'm very glad to hear you're in much higher spirits. I had some ideas for where we could go from here."

Discord offered her a claw at this. "You know, Princess. We could ditch this whole gloomy old party entirely. Find ourselves a spot to really have fun. Forget Fluttershy. Forget the Gala. This isn't half of what I'm capable of. Let's aleope for the night." 

Celestia only raised an eyebrow at this. "I beg your pardon?" 

"What I'm saying is...Princess Celestia...will you be my plus-one tonight?" Discord got down on one talon, extending his claw out to her with a look of genuine affection. Celestia gave a bittersweet smile at this. 

"I'm afraid I have to decline, Discord." She said the words as gently as possible. 

Discord drew back, his muzzle wrinkling at the rejection. "Why not?!" 

"I already have a plus-one, and am quite happy with them, thank you." Celestia smiled again. "But we can still enjoy this evening on its own terms, can we not? Can we not simply be two friends enjoying some time away from plus-ones and Galas and special someponies for a change?" Celestia glanced over at Fluttershy's table, where she, Twilight and the other girls were talking amicably. 

"Please!" Discord swiveled his wrist in irritation. "What could that eggheaded nag do for you that I don't? She just adds to the tedium. Seeking your approval just like every other pony in here. I can give you an escape. A release. Infinite cosmic power at the snap of my claws, and it could all be yours." 

"And yet," Celestia said, "this is the second time tonight such an offer has been turned down. What, then, are you missing?" Celestia smiled gently, then turned to where Twilight was comforting a sagging Smooze and raised her voice. "Twi-light? Would you mind if Discord and I talked on the balcony?"

"Oh, um, sure! Just make sure not to break anything while you're out there! I didn't rent that part out for the night!" Twilight gave a nervous smile, then turned back to the Smooze. It began to gesture something to her, and then the two disappeared with a burst of pink light.

"That's why. Because when I go against Twilight's wishes, she respects my choice. Because when I told her to leave Canterlot, instead of throwing a tantrum about how horrible I was and locking herself in her tower, she went out into the wider world and learned more about herself. Because the only reason we are able to have this conversation right now is that Twilight forgave you against all of her better judgement, out of respect for my wishes. She does not simply 'seek my approval'. She respects and cares about me, and she respects and cares about my entire life, not merely the parts of which she approves. Why would I want to escape from that? That is something more valuable than the best-crafted joke and more important than anything infinite magic could ever conjure up." 

Discord wilted. "Blegh." He crossed his arms. "You had to ruin the mood, didn't you? Going all sappy. Fine. I'll just go find Smoozey and--" 

"Oh, I was the one getting sappy, was I? Somepony just propositioned me mid-prank war. And there wasn't even a punchline." Celestia pouted. "Or were you only interested in telling jokes with me if it meant I'd be your precious plus-one?" 

Discord looked actively offended at this, his mouth hanging open for a second. Then he narrowed his gaze, fresh hurt welling up in his eyes. "Is that what you wanted to hear? Fine! Yes, all I care about is spiting that stupid hippy nitwit! Same old Discord, up to no good. What do his feelings matter to anypony! He couldn't possibly really care, could he? He doesn't have feelings to get hurt! Happy now?" Discord sagged, his bitterness caving in on itself. He continued to walk away, his feet dragging. 

Celestia slunk up behind him,  placing a hoof against his dangling paw. "It's alright to tell her your feelings are hurt, you know." 

"Not like anypony would listen." He left his hand in her hoof, continuing to walk towards the Gala exit with his paw now missing. "I'm always the last one picked on the hoofball team. I'm the one everypony shoots funny looks at. And look at you. You're first in everypony's heart."

"Not my own sister's." Celestia stressed, conjuring a magic line of golden thread  and beginning to sew his paw back together. "She never tells me when she's hurting. It eats away at her. And then she lashes out, and the two of us both suffer for it. She never lets me mend what we have." 

"I thought what we had mattered to you." Discord spat out the last word, pulling his claw away from her and flapping his wrist. With a wave of his paw, the sewing turned into cobwebs that hung around his horns gloomily. "But I just up and get left in the dust like it's nothing. First her, now you. Not like you'd understand what that's like."  

"You're right. I don't understand what you're feeling. And she doesn't either. What I do understand is that you do matter, more than I think you know. You should tell her you aren't feeling that way. Not angrily, or hidden behind your chaos magic. Just...tell her. You'd be surprised at the response you get." 

"Yes, I should just up and tell her I was going to ruin her entire evening. That will go well!" Discord turned away from her, crossing his arms and placing a set of chains with a heavy padlock over his heart. "What if she hates me for it? Had you considered that? You have hundreds of friends, miss Princess-of-Friendship-Land. I only have the one." 

Celestia wrapped her hoof around Discord's talon and squeezed. "Well now you have the two." 

Discord's eyes widened, his jaw hanging open slightly. He turned around to stare at Celestia. The look she was shooting him wasn't one of mirth. It was of a pony that cared about him. Not merely the parts she approved of. Even the petty, grinchy old Discord. He blinked at the sight of a pink light shining against her peytral, a small gemstone growing in size proudly. But that was not his concern now. He squeezed her hoof back, then gave a nod. "Right." With that, he snapped his fingers, appearing between Fluttershy and Tree Hugger with a flash. 

Celestia followed suit, appearing beside Discord with a flash of light. He looked at her in confusion, but she gave a quick nod and a look asking for a moment's trust. Discord gave a shaky nod back. "Good evening, my little ponies. Have you all been enjoying the Gala thus far?" 

"Oh yes." Fluttershy spoke up. Discord's face soured behind her. "Tree Hugger and I have been catching up on efforts to work with the Breezies on hummingbird conservation. She also mentioned to me that Granny Smith is currently putting out a call to make Whitetail Woods a national park, which I think is a lovely idea. I was thinking we could stop by Sweet Apple Acres and try to pitch in at some point." 

"I, uh," Twilight blushed. "I may have made a new couple." She gave a sheepish grin, ducking her head at the stares her statement earned. "The Smooze turned out to be a pretty nice guy, and he said he felt a little out of place and that he wasn't getting as much out of the evening as he liked. So I started to tell him about how Ponyville could get really weird and that I could show him sometime and then I remembered the pony who loves giant jars of jelly and...and then suddenly I was introducing them and then...well, they uh, they decided to skip the after-party." Twilight tapped her hooves together sheepishly. Discord only raised an eyebrow at this, and an awkward silence soon began to form. Celestia turned back to Fluttershy. 

"I'm very glad to hear you've all had a good evening. Would you mind if I borrowed Twilight for a moment? I believe I promised her a dance earlier this evening." The assembled group of ponies paled in near-unison, each of them sharing quick, darting glances between their now-shrunken pupils. Twilight, for her part, looked around at the strange tableau with a raised eyebrow and pursed lips.

"Ya wanna dance with Twilight?" Applejack at last broke the silence, sweat beading upon her brow. Twilight looked her over, trying to parse where this odd nervousness came from.

"Maybe something a little...slow?" Pinkie ventured nervously. "Like, you two could do a waltz! And Celestia could lead! Like, just do...everything?" 

"I don't understand. Pinkie Pie, you told me my dancing was the most memorable part of my last birthday party. And Applejack, you said that everypony should see me dance at least once in their lifetime. Have I gotten worse?" The other ponies made noncommital grunting noises, sweat now running freely down most of their faces. Celestia decided to save all present company from the inevitable confession. It was true that Twilight's general understanding of the concept of dancing was to fling her hooves about as if she was trying to detach them from her body via whiplash. But a pony who knew Twilight as well as she did also knew that there was an exception to this immutable law of the universe. 

"I appreciate the concern. Truly, I do. But I can assure you Twilight and I have some experience with the particular genre that I have in mind. A little something Cadence taught Twilight and I when she first came to the palace. A coastline specialty from a province near her native Istallia." Celestia gave them a wink. "Would you put on some Flamenco music, Discord?" 

"Oh, Princess--with everyone watching? I mean, I guess I could..." Twilight looked around at the assembled ponies, a blush spreading across her face. They were all staring at her in confusion. "B-but it'd have to be the right song. I didn't put anything like that on the record I picked out...And...and I'm not exactly in the right dress..." 

"Something with a good percussion, if you would." Celestia smiled at Discord knowingly, then flicked her gaze over to Rarity. "Rarity, would you mind helping us find something appropriate for a more energetic dance? Applejack, Tree Hugger? Would you mind assisting? We can change while Discord finds an upbeat song." Celestia initially made to begin walking, but a little tug from Twilight reminded her that she should wait for the others' assent before launching into her plan. 

"I would be flattered, your Majesty. What will we be needing?" Rarity hopped out of her seat. The other two ponies looked first at Discord and then at Fluttershy. 

"Come on, ponies! Where's your sense of adventure?!" Discord cut in, now dressed entirely in black and wielding an acoustic guitar. 

"Well...s'long as you keep on your best behaviour. But don't you go doin' nothin' crazy." 

"Nothing I'm not already planning on," Discord gestured to another version of himself that was manifesting, this one also dressed in black and giving a few claps to emphasize his point. 

Applejack shot Discord a warning glance, while Tree Hugger simply gave him a vacant nod and went gladly on her way. Celestia led the procession away from the table, and soon it was just Discord, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. 

"Did you have fun this evening?" Fluttershy looked over at Discord with a gentle smile. "I didn't know you'd want to come to something as stuffy as the Gala. I hope we didn't bore you too much."  

"Truth be told I had a lot of fun." Discord gave his trademark twisted smile. "I think I may have made a new friend, even. But I did want to talk to you about something. I...may have come here with not exactly the best intentions in mind." 

Fluttershy tilted her head. "What do you mean? I didn't notice anything different." 

"Right, yes, well. The truth was...Fluttershy, I was jealous of you and Tree Hugger." He spat out the words, bowing his head. "I was going to try to show you both up with the Smooze and I, and make a mess out of your perfect evening. I was a poor friend to you and yours." He pulled off his ears and held them to his chest like a hat. "I hope you can forgive me." 

Fluttershy's face darkened. "Oh, Discord. Why would you do a thing like that?" 

"I may have...ehem, over reacted a little. I thought that...since you brought Tree Hugger along to the biggest night of the year...that you'd stopped caring about me. But I see now that you can have different friends you do different things with, and not care any less about your old friends because of the new ones. I think I just made a friend like that, in fact. And I'm sorry for the trouble I wanted to cause, even if the evening turned out better than I'd dreamed it would." He gave a lopsided smile and offered his paw. "Friends?" 

"Friends." Fluttershy gladly shook the hoof. "But I'm not the only one you should apologize to. Tree Hugger means a lot to me, and you hurting her would have hurt me, too."

"I would be glad to apologize...provided we still have our Teatime Tuesday lined up?" Discord gave a nervous chuckle. 

"Oh, silly." Fluttershy poked his nose, earning a wrinkle of distaste from the chaos god. "I wouldn't let a little jealousy come between us like that. So long as you're sorry and you know what to do next time, that's what really counts." The two shared a tender smile.

"Well, ehe. Here goes nothing." Twilight arrived at the top of the stairs in a tight red dress with a backless cut. "Well, uh, how do we look?" Twilight pulled the hem of her dress, testing the fabric's flexibility. Stretchy enough not to tear. Good. Her friends continued to stare at her with the odd mix of worry and confusion. It was honestly baffling. They'd seen her dance before and it'd left them all with their jaws on the ground. Why the sudden looks of mortal terror? 

She looked over at Celestia. Her own dress was so tight against her barrel that Twilight could see her pectoral muscles through the fabric, the backless cut accentuating the powerful shoulderblades that led to that magnificent wingspan. She fought back a blush. Everypony was staring. She'd kinda hoped this would be a bit more quiet. Just between the two of them. But then the music came on. A trio of Discords with hideous pencil moustaches and jet black wardrobes began strumming acoustic guitars, two more tapping their talons to the beat. Twilight began to sway, one hoof already tapping to the rhythm. 

Upbeat, spicy, and with a beat she could hear easily above the rest of the soundtrack. Her hooves started moving almost of their own accord. The Discords started clapping, and Twilight began to twirl in place, pivoting as if she were a ballerina. Of course, she couldn't actually lift her legs that high, but the effect was still there. She grabbed Celestia by the hoof, and the two of them descended the stairs, her leading Celestia this time. She crossed her back hooves one after another, making sure her careful steps matched the precision of the beat. 

She did a pivot, snapping her hooves against one another in quick claps and then tugging Celestia along by a ribbon afixed to her dress with a pull of one sinuous hoof. The two of them reached the center of the dance floor, and Twilight truly let her hooves carry her then. The music reached a crescendo of rapid-fire staccato, and Twilight's hooves flew along with it, leaving her friends' eyes bulging out of their sockets. This was the same pony who almost gave Applejack a concussion? 

But this was a different music and a different dance. With just the rhythm of the drums to guide her and her hooves moving in tight and measured motions, Twilight was in her element. Just for show, she did a quick duck under Celestia's barrel, throwing her dress to one side with a flourish. Then the music reached a second peak, this one louder and faster, and Twilight recognized the song ending. With one last beat of her tiring hooves, she slowly moved her front legs above her head, emphasizing the way her dress hugged her barrel. She sidled up to Celestia, who was bowing low to emphasize Twilight's standing tall, and at last the final beat of the song came to its scattering halt. Twilight struck the final pose, then shot a nervous glance around the room. 

Her friends exploded into cheers. Applejack tossed her stetson. Several Discords applauded heartily, one of them picking his jaw off the floor. Her eyes followed the smiling faces of her friends until they caught the shine in Celestia's own pupils. She looked down to see a bright pink gemstone affixed to Celestia's peytral, positioned proudly beside the Element of Generosity. She saw the band of Discords winking, and she realized in that moment that Celestia was right. Maybe she just needed a little more faith in people she'd once called her enemies after all.
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna and Starlight stared at one another, the blank void that was Starlight's dreamscape silent and empty save for the two mares. "It seems thine dream has become a nightmare, Starlight Glimmer." Luna sniffed, then landed forcefully a few feet away from her. "It is fortunate, then, that banishing nightmares is my own greatest talent." Starlight looked away. "What have you to say on what has transpired this morrow?"

"I was...okay, I was wrong. I couldn't do what I wanted to in the world we have now. I can't make a perfect society without perfect obedience, and ponies as they are will never have that. I can't have a utopia in the world we have now. It just isn't possible." Starlight shook her head. "But it doesn't matter! What we have now is broken! I'll fix it, no matter what. It's just a matter of..."

"Of what? Thine plan is to make a land of automatons to rule upon? A clockwork landscape? You promised acceptance in your society, but the society I saw had to be perfect to your specifications and none other. That is hardly a land of acceptance."

"And how would you do better?!" A vein popped out of the side of Starlight's neck. "At least I'm trying to make a difference! What are you trying to do with your wings and your horn?!"

Luna scoffed. "You would not understand. My duty is to look upon dreams and keep the minds of Equestria at peace as they slumber. It is not a duty that is respected in this land, and you are no exception in lacking that respect."

"Yeah, making dreams better. Great job with that so far." Starlight scuffed a hoof, rolling her eyes. "Do you run out of every dream that offends you, or am I just special that way?"

Luna grew tense. "We did not return to be insulted. We--"

"Then why are you here, huh?! Yeah, it failed! I failed! Rub it in, why don't you?! Not like everypony else did enough of that! What more do you want to take from me?" Starlight gave a pained laugh. "What else do you think I have left?"

"I am trying to help!" Luna spread out her wings. "Why can you not see that? I returned to fix my mistake! Must I be in your own image in order to do that? Can nopony be different from you and still be your friend?"

Starlight took a step back, her anger turning to confusion. "I'...m...sorry? What do you mean, 'friend'?"

"You are angry. And scared. And alone. You push away anypony wishing to reach out to you. It is infuriating! You see yourself as utterly alone and yet scorn any who try and pull you away from that loneliness!" Luna ignored the strange pressure in her head that her words brought to her. "And for what? What has your contempt for those who do not follow brought you?"

Starlight stared at the ground, pupils scanning for something that might help her understand that development. "But you left. You turned and ran and--and nopony's ever come back before! I thought you hated me, I--" Starlight cut herself off, looking at Luna for some sort of answer.

Luna deflated a bit at this. "We were...angry. You insulted everything that we are, tried to crush it beneath promises of a better world run by you. Just the same as now. In truth we almost did not come back. But we...suspected you did not mean all that you said. That it came from a place of sorrow, not a place of hatred. And that is a thing we know well enough." Again that odd expression Starlight could not place. An emotion with which she'd had no experience. "So we returned."

"So you just..what, pity me? Is that it?"Starlight rolled her eyes, stomping away. "I don't need this."

Luna's own muzzle scrunched up at this, her eyes narrowing. "What you need is to stop yourself and think. Where will you go without me? What will you do?"

"No, what I need is a plan. True, Equestria as it stands can't be the place it needs to. But when has something like that ever stopped me before? If I can't find a way forward, I'll make a way." Again that vein bulged from her neck. Starlight scoffed at Luna's attempts to follow. A wall of blue magic stopped her. Luna laid a hoof against her withers. 

"Peace. There are things in life besides utopias and doctrines. Can you not try to see that?" 

"But if I can't find a way to make everypony stay then I'll never get back my Sun--" She stopped herself. "I need to find a way! It's the only way forward." 

"I have never found the Sun to be the way forward." Luna shook her head. "Come, I am sure in time you will find the Moon suits you better." 

Starlight slapped the hoof away. "I don't want what suits me! I want my own terms and my own way forward! You just want to hold me back until I like stars and dreams and little--nothings! Why won't you just leave me alone?"

Luna's expression darkened. "You wish for a society where nopony will change? Fine." Blue magic sealed the two together, perfectly alone in a shimmering box in space. "We will play your game. You and I will sit here. Forever. I will not leave, nor will you. We will stay in static harmony together." Luna gave a nod at the walls.

"What? But what about your duties?"

"I had thought they weren't important." Luna gave a twisted smile. "Little nothings. So we will do what is important to you instead. We will sit inside a box of perfect stability for all eternity." At this, Luna lit her horn and transformed herself into an identical copy of Starlight. "Nothing will ever be different. Nopony will think or behave differently. We will be together in perfect unison forever."

Starlight's eyes widened, her open mouth closing to form a scowl. "You can't keep me! I won't let you!" Starlight immediately began to look for weaknesses in the spell, her horn lighting and scanning. But the box was crafted of dream magic by the pony who invented the field, and no spell a unicorn of the day like Starlight could conjure would ever break Luna's barrier. She fired off a beam, only for it to dissipate into non existence. Then another. Then another.

Luna put a hoof on Starlight's horn, ignoring the way the other mare glared at her. "To what end? Is this not what you wanted? A friend who would never change, never leave?"

"You aren't my friend!" Starlight stepped backward. "My friend would understand! She'd try to help, not keep me cooped up in some stupid test!" 

Luna's grin fell away, and she turned back towards the walls of the box. "I want somepony who will understand also. But to you that is not enough. So here we shall remain, until you see the error of your ways."

"You don't get to force that on me!" Starlight lowered into a crouch, her horn lighting. Blue magic snuffed out the combat spell instantly.

"And you do?" Luna sat. "Forcing this life of order upon others is fair if it serves your utopia? You know better for others, while I do not know better for you?"

Starlight glared. Another mindgame from another righteous princess. She was trapped. Unable to reason her way out of her new 'friend's' clutches and unable to use magic to escape the toxic 'friendship' lesson. Her mind raced to find a way out. A way to wrest control back from her current princessly oppressor. Then it came to her. She would play the princess at her own game. She turned back to Luna, a wide smile across her face. 


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


"Come on, it came from in here!" Cadance practically charged through the ivory hallways. Canterlot Castle had been her home for many years, and while the redecorating that had been done to accommodate the Grand Equestrian Pony Summit had thrown her off somewhat, she and her husband still knew the halls well enough to move through them with haste. Shining was not far behind, but bless him, his legs were not quite as long and his body not quite as light as the alicorn's own. Cadance tugged at him with her pleading gaze, her hopeful look lending extra strength to Shining's hooves.

He skidded to a halt not far from Cadance's own location. Most unicorns would have been winded, but the Royal Guard had hardened Shining Armor to the point he was practically part earth pony. "So...what's going on this time?"

Cadance rolled her eyes. "A relationship, obviously--"

"No, I know that. You only ever gallop like that when you sense a new one. But, like, how many weeks in? Are they fighting? How physical is it?" Shining shook his head. "And, uh, what are you going to do about it?"

Cadance's grin stretched across her face. In her rush she'd forgotten how thoughtful Shining could be. Already asking what needed to be done, already wondering how to help. "I love you." She swiped his nose with a wing, causing him to give an indignant 'hey!' "There's a lot of anxiety. Nothing too physical, and if I'm not mistaken they've had to hide for a while. They're scared that it's fragile." Cadance slowed down, her head lowered and her gaze narrowed in a pose that looked for all the world like a prowling big cat.

"Is it?" Shining followed behind at an even pace, casting his eyes around at the surroundings in case of paparazzi or nobles that might distract her from her search.

"Not exactly. They just need a reminder, I think. There's a lot of loyalty there. They clearly knew each other before all of this." She wrinkled her nose and furrowed her brow, probing the love magic further. "Ooooh, and there's a lot of passion, too! But it's buried behind nerves." She giggled. "I think it might be some taboo block in place. Maybe cross-species, or there's an age gap or a class difference."

"Do you think it'll last?"

Cadance bit her lip. "I don't know. But I know there's a lot of depth to it, whatever the obstacles."

"So...do we just remind them, then? Or do you wanna do the whole couples therapy thing too?" Shining glanced at the position of the sun. "Princess Celestia is going to want to find us and get us settled in."

Cadance at last settled on the hallway she could sense the love coming from. "Depends on how busy they are and what we figure out once we find them. Could you cover for me if I need it?"

"When don't I?" Shining gave a cheesy smile, sweeping back his mane with macho gusto.

"That's my dork." Cadance giggled again, lightly tapping her horn to his and sending him a vision of her teenage self watching a younger Shining doing laps around the barracks, her eyes on his withers and a blush on her cheeks.

His gaze softened at the feelings of admiration, and he sent her back a quick image of her stroking his mane after an exhausting day of obstacle courses. They broke off and returned to the search. Three doors down, they stopped.

"I'll be outside if you need a colt's perspective." He chuckled. "Or if you need an alibi when Princess Celestia comes to fetch us."

Cadance raised a regal hoof to the door and gave a dainty knock, not unlike what Auntie Celestia had taught her to do. She expected a total stranger, or perhaps a distant aquiantance from her palace days. Her eyes flew wide open when she saw her little sister open the door. "Princess! There you are, I was wanting to--Cadance?!" Her eyes lit up, and the inevitable dance began.

Once the sun had been invoked, the ladybugs awoken, hooves clapped and a little shake managed, Shining cleared his throat. Cadance gave him a warning look. "Shining Armor, you will not interrogate Twilight into revealing the identity of the colt you're no doubt feeling an urge to traumatize."

"I didn't say anything!" Shining protested.

She gave him an unimpressed look. "Twilight needs our support now, honey. She has mine, and she's going to need yours."

He relented. "Fine, just--if he hurts her..."

Twilight fell into a sitting position, sweat on her brow. She immediately began to connect the dots, her eyes shrinking smaller and smaller with every passing thought. "Uhhhhhh. Well, uhm, this has been a great meeting. But I need to go, ehe, prepare trade unions with the staff!" She tried to reorganize her excuses. "Debrief the press on the entrees!" Her siblings stared at her, clearly unmoved by her attempt at an alibi. "Uhhh--gottagobye!" She launched backwards with a flap of her wings and slammed the doors with a blast of telekinesis.

"Well, that's where the anxiety was coming from." Shining deadpanned.

"Right." Cadance pressed a hoof to her forehead, a knowing smile forming. "Going to need you to stall for me after all, hon."

"On it." Shining shot her an exaggerated salute and cantered off.

"Twilight?" The door did not open. "Ladybug...? I'm not here to hurt you. You know helping couples is my thing. I just want to talk about it."

To her surprise, Twilight neither stalled for more time to panic nor ignored her outright. Instead the door swung open, Twilight breathing out lightly. Were it not for the telltale cowlicks and the suspiciously orderly writing desk, Cadance would have sworn Twilight hadn't reacted at all. Twilight, for her part, let out a breath with a sweep of her hoof, flashing Cadance a proud smile. "Right, sorry about that. I do need to talk. There's just a lot of tension right now. A-actually, I could use your help, probably. It's just..." The confidence wilted away. "Promise you won't be mad?"

Cadance laughed at this. "I could never be mad about love from a pony like you, Twilight. Maybe a little sad if it wasn't healthy or the other pony wasn't truthful to you, but never angry."

"Well, let's start with the easy stuff. It's a mare, not a stallion, and I think that makes me bisexual but I'm sure you'd know better than I do. I know that doesn't matter to you, but I need to get it out of the way. We've been together for about a month now and we've been breaking the news slowly. Most of our friends know by now. We just--Sorry we didn't tell you! It's...well, you know Shiny..."

Cadance gave a groan at that. "Don't worry about him, honey. I'll sort him out if he puts up a stink."

"You don't even know who it is yet." Twilight's brow furrowed. "What if you think it's unhealthy? You shouldn't approve just because it's me."

Cadance giggled. "I can feel it, remember? What you have needs a little more communication, I think. But you're working on that. I can feel the bubble of tension, and I can feel the spot where you two have started to talk and the tension's starting to come undone. Shiny can't feel any of that. I'll be sure to tell him."

"Good, good. Right, you can feel that. So, uh, why did you track me down, exactly?" Cadance ruffled a hoof through Twilight's hair. Not like it could get much messier.

"I was gonna give a nervous couple a pep-talk about their being more loving. I can also feel some sort of barrier between you. Like...a species thing. Or a gender thing." Cadance giggled. "Imagine my surprise."

Twilight rubbed a hoof with the back of her head. "Yeah, surprise...most ponies react like that. That I'm into mares now, who it is and how I met her. Thanks for being supportive first." She stretched her pained expression into a smile. "I think I kind of needed that."

"So what's been the big divide? Have you been dating somepony you're working with? Is it a griffon I'd know?" Twilight didn't answer, but the lack of nervous laughter let her know she hadn't hit the mark yet. "Well, it's not like you've got a boss you've been dating or something." Cadance giggled at this. Twilight's own laughter came out far too high and far too fast. Cadance raised an eyebrow. "Wait...no...are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Twilight took a step back, nodding. She shut her eyes and lowered her head, waiting for the inevitable backlash.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Twilight's brain had barely registered the joyful squeal when she suddenly found herself being vaulted into the air by her old foalsitter. "Ohmygoodness Twilight that's great! Oh, I should have noticed earlier! You've always been so fussed about how you feel about each other and Auntie gets so lonely and now--you two must be over the moon! You have to tell me everything!" With every sentence she tossed Twilight again, catching her with open arms and a wide smile each time. On the last catch, Twilight hugged her close and the two of them spun together, laughing.

"Yeah! Yeah! It has been great!" Cadance let Twilight catch her footing, and she rubbed a hoof against the back of her head. "It's been great for both of us. She's been teaching me how to do court stuff and I've been helping her make some new friends, and we've been doing all kinds of crazy math and magic and drawing and gardening and...Yeah." Twilight settled into a cozy smile. "It's been the best. But..it's weird, isn't it? Like, she used to teach me. And she's like a thousand times my age. That's weird, right? You aren't going to say that's weird?"

"Well, okay. Okay." Cadance brought herself back down to earth with a breath of her own. "Twilight, look at it this way--if Princess Celestia told you to do something you didn't want to do, would you do it or not?" She stared the other pony in the eyes.

Twilight looked away. "Wellllll...we talked about that. She was kind of using me a bit early on--I realize that sounds bad, it was more like, err...delegating?" She looked back at Cadance, her resolve hardening once more. "So I had to put my hoof down on that. We talked it out--and I think we're in a good place now? But I still worry sometimes that it bothers her and I mean I do that for everypony so it's not that different, but y'know, I guess that isn't exactly conventionally healthy. And sometimes she isn't as considerate as she wants to be and I kinda let her get away with that sometimes because it's hard on her and she needs room to breathe and--" Twilight squeaked out a little 'pleasedon'tbemad' and gave a sheepish smile.

"Okay." Cadance placed a hoof on Twilight's chest, allowing her to breathe. Twilight wrapped a hoof around Cadance's, and then let out a breath. "Let me phrase it a different way. Have you ever told her off for something?"

"A couple of times, yeah." Twilight flashed a guilty smile, then paused. Cadance was giving her a proud smile. For yelling at somepony. She froze up. "I...mean I'm not proud of it, but...yes, sometimes she makes mistakes and sometimes they hurt other ponies. Including me. That isn't right. But it's not like I like it."

"Right. So that's taking her feelings into consideration, and that's a healthy thing to do. But the crucial part is that you don't let her get away with everything. That'd be a deal-breaker right there. If you couldn't tell her 'no', I would be upset with her. She'd be taking advantage of you, and that would be wrong. If she said something mean to a pony you loved, you'd tell her off, right?"

"Well...not directly. You remember how she freezes up if you put her on the spot? I try not to let that happen. Is that bad?"

"No. That's you taking her feelings into consideration. You still say it, right?"

"I try to find time to pull her aside, yeah. We've, uh, we've been talking that out, too. She's better about it now. So I've been trying to get better at saying it more." Cadance nodded at this.

"Good." Cadance gave a sly look. "Y'know, the power imbalance thing is actually better than I thought it would be."

"Really?" Twilight blinked. "Why?"

Cadance pulled out one of Twilight's wings with a gentle hoof. "Because of these puppies. You're a ruler too, remember? If you were dating, say, Applejack, you'd have to be sure you weren't pulling rank on her whenever things got dicey between the two of you."

"Wait...ponies would think I was abusing my title?" Twilight balked, swallowing on air.

Cadance laughed. "You would be the one pony in Equestria not to think of herself as a big deal even after getting their own kingdom." She poked Twilight on the snout, causing her little sister to whine at the jab. Cadance smirked. "I don't know. It would depend how the relationship developed. But the risk would be there, same as this one. Auntie has experience with handling power imbalances. You're doing well on your end from the sound of it. You're getting better and you know what you need to do. That's what's important. As for the public..." Cadance smirked. "The power imbalance is what ponies worry about, Twilight. Being her student would add conflict of interest, but since you graduated, the fear is you doing things to please her and never taking your own feelings into account. You need to show them you can stand up to her, see her as a pony and not a source of confidence."

"Okay...and how would a mare like me with the social skills of a lethargic ground sloth go about doing that?" Twilight flashed a quick smile, her eyes widening to match the overlarge grin.

Cadance giggled at this. "You're selling yourself short, Twilight. Use your head a little. You've got a pretty good one on those shoulders." Twilight blushed, her smile growing a little more natural. "Besides, this isn't quite as scary as you think it is."

"You think? It's only my discrediting a ruler in front of her entire nation if I screw it up. No pressure or anything." Twilight gave a small shudder, the curtains on the bed behind her wrapping themselves in a reddish aura and rearranging themselves into an equilateral triangle.

"Well, it worked once already." Cadance smiled. "I like your odds."

"Worked already? When was that?"

"Me, you goof! You think there's no power imbalances in a Princess dating a member of the palace staff? Conflicts of interest in dating a pony who took an oath to follow royal orders? At least you two are equals. We're still the most popular couple in Equestria four years running. We might have some competition down the line, though. I hear Fancy's planning on popping the question soon, so I have to figure out which date is right so Fleur can beat him to the punch.

"Oh, it'll be so worth it to see his nerves just evaporate into love and--" Cadance stopped short. Twilight was staring, one eyebrow raised and a smirk on her face. "Right, anyway. The point is that Equestria loves a good love story. Just make sure yours is one too, and our little ponies will do the rest."

Twilight put a hoof to her chin, giving a hum and looking skyward.

Cadance put a hoof to her withers. "But if you really need the help, try this one: take her down a peg when you're at a social sometime. Nothing too mean, just a little jab here and there. Catch her slipping up, trick her, make light of it with her."

Twilight tapped a hoof to her chin. "Hmm...I guess that could work. I'll have to see if I can fit it in?"

Cadance blinked. "Fit it in?"

The two were prevented from engaging in any further discussion by the sound of an approaching pony being confronted by a stammering Shining Armor.

"Your highness, Cadance really needs to talk with Twilight alone about her speech! I know it's a little bit late, but she needs to consult on the Crystal Empire and--" The doors flung open, Celestia striding in ahead of a very anxious Shining Armor. "Sorry, Cady, she wouldn't stop this time!" Just as Shining could not stop Celestia from entering the room, he likewise couldn't stop his wife from vaulting at Celestia like a javelin upon seeing her.

"Auntie! Auntie, Auntie, Auntie I'm so happy for you!" Celestia laughed at that, hugging Cadance closer to herself as well.

"I'm very glad to see you so enthused, Mi Amore." She pulled Cadance further into the hug, closing her eyes and humming at the touch. "I had hoped you would be supportive of the shift in our relationship."

"The what now?" Shining took a step between her and Twilight. Celestia opened her eyes and stared directly into Shining Armor's own, her expression deadly serious. 

Celestia gave Cadance a squeeze and then let her go, rising to her full height. "Prince Shining Armor, former captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard and chief consultant to Equestria's military. I must ask for your undivided attention. You know that my niece is very dear to me, family both by law and in my heart. Any who would harm her face my judgement, and you once swore to me that if you were ever among them, you would accept whatever punishment I deemed appropriate. Today I must swear the same." She lowered herself into a bow. "I am in love with your sister, and have courted her for one month's time now. Whatever your judgement, I will accept. If I hurt your sister now or ever, you may recall in turn as you wish."

Shining Armor stood stock still for a moment, chewing his cheek. His eyes were wide and his hooves clenched, but he flicked his gaze over to Twilight, who was looking at him with wide and pleading eyes from behind Cadance, and then he straightened. "Right. Well, Your Majesty...with that in mind. I spent every day telling my troops how to keep things from hurting you. I know how to do it better than anypony." The two shared a nod. "I accept your oath and your courtship." At this Cadance stepped forward, letting out a huff and flicking her mane.

"Listen, you two. If I ever find out one of you kicked the other's flank over something silly I'm hauling everypony off to counselling." The two of them paled at this. Cadance gave a little 'hmph' and trotted back to Twilight.

At this Twilight chimed in. "If anypony in this room hurts anypony else, they've hurt me. No excuses."

Celestia opened her mouth, turning away from Shining with a practiced smile. "Twilight, dear, we were just--"

"No excuses!" She held up a hoof, and Celestia bowed her head in a more sheepish grin. "We clear?" She turned to Shining, who cleared his throat and grumbled at this, but did not meet her eyes. Then she turned back to Celestia, who sighed and gave a little nod. Twilight nodded. "Good."

"The point is we reached an understanding." Shining knocked one hoof against the other. "She knows what you mean to me and I know what you mean to her. We're good, Twiley. Better than good. She's a good pony and a family friend."

"Wait, so you could have just done that any time and he would've been okay with it?" Twilight raised an eyebrow at Celestia. "Why didn't we just tell them first?"

"Somepony was very insistent that I refrain from telling them, on account of Captain Armor's feelings, if you'll recall." Twilight blushed at this. Celestia's smile widened. "Besides. I believe that your brother and his wife have established a family tradition in abruptly announcing relationships to their flesh and blood. Who was I to get in the way of such a fine and noble custom?"

Cadance and Shining both suddenly became incapable of meeting Celestia or Twilight's gaze, and soon Celestia was surrounded by flushed and sheepish ponies and enjoying the pink glow coming from her neck. Shining recovered first, his eyes going to Celestia's peytral at once. "Your Majesty, umm, can I ask what the new gems are? Anything I should know about?" At Cadance's raised eyebrow he flicked his mane. "Most of the kingdom's weaponry uses crystals."

Cadance looked away. "Right. I knew that..."

Celestia nodded at his admission. "Signs of your sister's talent in her domain. She has been assisting me in reawakening them. These are developing Elements of Harmony, Captain Armor. We have been cultivating them as a new means of national defense." Saying it with formality allowed her to say it evenly. Cadance trotted over to them, studying.

"Twilight's been making new friends?"

"No, Mi Amore. I have." She gave a short smile, her tone still formal and her eyes still on Shining. It was because of her focus on Shining Armor that Cadance's second hug almost knocked her off her hooves. Celestia laughed at this and closed her eyes, hugging Cadance back once more. "I would have told you both sooner if I'd known this would be our welcome."
Cadance stroked Celestia's mane, and Celestia in turn looked over at Twilight and smiled, her hooves holding Cadance close. "It sets my heart at ease seeing you so happy for us."

Twilight shot a glance over at Shining at this, who threw up his hooves in response. "I'm not a Princess of Love, okay? I want what's best for you, whatever that means for your relationship. If that means fighting Princess Celestia I'd do it. But if you're happy, I'm backing you to the hilt. I'm here for you, and if she's what makes you happy then I'm here for her, too. You know that, right?"

Twilight sighed. "Alright. Let's get ourselves a Princess of Love certification on us being happy, then. Can you maybe smile a bit if we do?"

"I'm not trying to be a jerk, alright. I'm just glad I know the pony. She's a fair boss and a good ruler." At Twilight's skeptical glance, he turned to Cadance for help. "But yeah, it'd be a load off my shoulders if Cady gave you both a once-over to see that everything's good between you."

Celestia got one last squeeze from Cadance, and then she pulled away to survey both of the ponies involved. "What kind of Princess of Love would I be if I didn't?" She drew herself up to her full height, trotting to the back corner of the room. Then she turned around and motioned for Twilight and Celestia to move together with her hooves. Once the ponies in question were together, she began. "I want both of you to describe how you're feeling. Specifically, I want you to talk about how you feel about the relationship, about each other and about yourselves. We're going to go one at a time, and then together. Got it?" The two ponies shared a glance, then nodded. "I got a bit from Twilight already, so we can start with Celestia and then see if Twilight has anything to add. I'm going to need you both to be honest with me."

Celestia settled down, her wing wrapping around Twilight. "That I can speak candidly about these things without hesitation says more than I ever could about how Twilight Sparkle has touched my heart. I could cite example after example of times Twilight has made the lives of my beloved subjects better through her dedication and her great compassion, and talk at length about the things she has done for the ponies closest to me again and again, but much more touching to me is her unwavering belief that I am a good pony trying to do the right thing. That faith empowers me in ways she scarcely understood. Each day I think we realize it more and more. More and more I feel like the pony she sees me to be, and that is a joy I can scarcely describe." Celestia rested her head against Twilight, her peytral glowing with orange light. Twilight gave Celestia a wry smile.

"I mean, if we're putting aside everything I did for Equestria we're going to have to ignore that the country is the beautiful place it is today because of you." Twilight poked Celestia's chest, and the mare gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes at this. "So ignoring a thousand years of making the world a better place, Princess Celestia understands me in ways not even my friends and family do. She always knows what to say to give me strength. She can defuse emotions that terrify the other ponies I care about, and she can find ways to make those same emotions shine. The same compulsions that turn me into a nervous wreck push me forward when Equestria's in danger or my friends are falling apart. The same obsessions that run my brain in circles give me that dedication she just described. Celestia's the only one who notices that. She values me, all of me, and that means the world to me." Twilight finished by nuzzling into Celestia's neck.

"Right." Cadance nodded, her tone even but her smile wide and glowing. "So that's a pretty clear and pretty strong 'I love you' from both of you. What about the relationship? What's that been like?"

"Comfortable." Celestia said. "We've progressed at a pace that feels natural. She is very considerate, and I try to be the same to her. We are mostly on the same page. When we are not, what conflicts we hold defuse with some quick communication. I think on this we are agreed."

"Comfortable." Twilight nodded. But she raised her hoof to add something else. "Uplifting, too. I never feel like it's too big for me, even though it's such a big step from what I'm used to. I mean, I have no idea what I'm doing. But I feel like whatever it is we're doing together, we're doing it right." She blushed and screwed up her eyes as she spoke, but a wide and earnest smile shined through all the same.

Celestia gave a small smile of her own. "That isn't to say things are perfect. Recently we came into conflict over my expression of feeling. It is something I've begun to wrestle with, given self-expression has been so rare for me until now." She looked over at Twilight, who hugged a little tighter in response. "I hurt her sometimes in my haste to feel things I once denied myself. It is to her credit she always forgives me."

"For me it's a matter of confidence." Twilight tapped her hooves together. "She's always patient about that, and it's been growing as time goes on. I guess for me the dilemma is getting too bold and stepping on her hooves. Do I say something and make it sound rude by mistake? Do I say nothing and let it build up until I get how...well, y'know how I get." She sagged a bit at this. Celestia lifted her chin up with a wing, nuzzling her. She brightened a bit.

"But we talk about this stuff. It isn't something we never knew about before we started dating. We handle it when it comes up." Celestia nodded at Twilight's words.

"Oh good. I don't need to give the communication speech." Cadance wiped her brow, smirking at Twilight and Celestia. "You wouldn't believe how many ponies think sparing feelings is better than talking about them. I see too many relationships fall apart to that." The mood got slightly somber at Cadance's scowl, so Celestia gave a sly smile and added in.

"My room might also have a mild flower problem now. You ask a mare for flowers once and she finds a new bouquet for every occasion." Celestia tickled Twilight with a wing. She gave a giggle and then pushed Celestia back with both hooves.

"And I have a lot more sketchbooks filled up now." Twilight added, her hooves settling back down. Then she realized her admission, and she shrank away from Shining and Cadance's confused looks. Celestia spoke up.

"Twilight is a closet artist. Sometimes I pose for her in private. I dare say she's improved since we started, and her sketches have since blossomed into works that are as varied as they are breathtaking." Shining and Cadance shared a look.

With a careful step forward, Shining opened his mouth. "Could we..." Twilight gave a tiny nod, and then filled the room with a cloud of papers with a flash of her horn. She stepped back again, blushing and staring at the floor.

"I tried to catch your good sides." She murmured.

Shining looked over the sketches, his gaze flickering between one of him in full guard armor with a little filly Twilight behind him and another one of Cadance taking flight in front of a shining Crystal Heart. "Wow, these are amazing!" He came to one of his parents stargazing with him and Twilight. The way Twilight captured the shine in their mother's eyes held his gaze. "I didn't know you could draw, Twiley!"

At this Twilight only flicked her gaze up at Celestia and smiled. "She did." She whispered.

Cadance pointed her hoof at Twilight's smile. "Now we just need to bring that," she spread her hooves out, "into the wider world. What's it been like in public?"

Celestia was quick to respond. "We have had a wide array of reactions to wrestle with. Yours has been the first unanimously positive one, and so we have been careful in the ways we express ourselves. I would say the word for it is discreet."

"Yeah," Twilight nodded, "everypony seems to have an opinion. At least so far everypony's had their heart in the right place about it." Celestia's teeth grit behind her smile at this, but Twilight was too busy staring at Shining's own reaction to notice.

Cadance spoke up. "Mmm. I think that's something to work on. Both of you are so focused on what goofs like this guy think," she jabbed a wing at Shining, earning her a 'hey!' in response, "that you suppress things you shouldn't around us other ponies. Try focusing on how good you feel, not how scary other ponies judging you feels. I know that a pair of busy body worryworts like you have trouble with that," both of them bowed their heads a little at the tease, "but I also know you two can get swept up in your feelings. Try getting swept up in your feelings for each other. I think it'll do you both some good." The two of them looked at one another and blinked. Slowly, hesitantly, Celestia extended a hoof to Twilight's chest. Twilight wrapped a hoof of her own around Celestia's back. Then their eyes lowered into hooded gazes. Celestia ran her hoof along Twilight's chest, and Twilight in turn raised hers up to rest behind Celestia's head. The two touched horns together, and then closed their eyes in bliss at the contact.

Shining opened his mouth to protest, but Cadance pulled him backwards with a tug of magic and put a hoof to his lips. "If it still bothers you this much," she whispered, "just focus on me. They've had to deal with us for years now. They've never said anything about it. Let's return the favour." Shining turned his eyes back to them.

"Twiley threw a fit when we got married." He grumbled.

"Shiny, that's not fair. She threw a fit at a brainwashed pony getting married to an evil bug, and when she saw us together and happy, she saved our wedding day by herself. She went down as the pony who protected us from Changelings and failed weddings both. Do you really want to go down as the pony who protected Twilight from being happy?" At this he ducked his head, wincing. He muttered a 'no', and then widened his eyes when Cadance touched her horn to his own. Soon the two became lost in a private world of their own.

Eventually Twilight pulled them all from their intertwining joys. "Now we just need to figure out how to get to a place where we can do that in a hallway without ponies shouting about the end times."

"Going public." Cadance nodded. "Let's hear the plan."

"I-I didn't say there was a plan." Twilight blushed.

"We all knew it was there, Twiley." Shining deadpanned.

"If I could submit a request, I would love to hear it in the lecture voice. The little parade of pacing you do is a joy." Celestia winked at Twilight, who at this point was refusing to meet the look of any of the assembled ponies.

"Traitor." She huffed.

"Never." Celestia stressed, running a hoof along her withers. "You may say it when and how you wish, but I like seeing you take charge. It is just a preference." At this, Twilight took in a deep breath, and the two of them shared a smile. Celestia released her hooves, and Twilight walked into the center of the room, standing her full height.

"Ponies like to feel like they're part of something," Twilight stressed. "I first figured that out at Winter Wrap Up. They work with you when you see their talents and find ways to incorporate them into whatever you're trying to do. I did it at your wedding, too. I asked around and found ponies who wanted to work on the wedding and hadn't gotten a chance. That's how I got it all set up in an afternoon. Incorporating based on other ponies' talents. The cleanup after Tirek's rampage, the setup for the Equestrian games, last week's Gala, the conference tomorrow--everything I organize. It comes down to noticing a pony's unique talents and letting them work to their strengths.

"That's also how I get everypony on board for things that might've been scary to them otherwise. My friends were really scared I wouldn't need them anymore after I became a Princess. I noticed that after saving me a few times from the plundervines they all were more comfortable with the change, so I started fixing up the old castle in the Everfree with them. It was something to do, and even though we never really got anywhere with it it reminded us that I need and treasure them just as much even with my station. Doing the same sort of thing when I'm in public has made ponies who were nervous about a fourth princess feel more at ease. This is another big change like that, and that's where the plan comes in.

"Our dating life has been very private, and if we want it to be accepted by the public, we need to let them know we still care about them as much as we do each other. I was thinking we let them introduce us. I don't need to pretend to be nervous, I just need to pretend like I haven't worked up the nerve to ask Celestia out. She can pretend to have wanted to do the same, maybe with a little more melancholy, and then we let the nobles do the rest. Sort of like what Discord did with that zany cheese scheme, but more genuine. We let them set us up and show appreciation for it, even if it's just another way for them to try to gain our favour. That gives them a feeling of inclusion, and any good behaviour we might reward will help them feel valued. This sets a precedent for our relationship being a positive thing for Equestria, a precedent we can reinforce when the wider public starts to process and embrace it, until all of Equestria is caught up in the idea that this is a good change." Twilight gave a tiny nod, her argument made, and trotted back to Celestia's side.

Cadance nodded along, but at the description of the plan's execution itself she frowned. "I like the idea behind this plan, but I'm less certain on the way you want to bring it together. Making everypony feel valued is a great idea, and something I wish I'd thought of earlier for some announcements of my own. But I don't like the dishonesty of the rest of the plan, and I don't know if rewarding nobles for catering to your personal life is the kind of precedent you want to set as a Princess."

Twilight's eyes widened. "I didn't mean like gifts or anything! Just showing appreciation, maybe some invites to events and things!"

"Handing out invites to royal events on the basis of appreciation for our relationship is a breach in our authority, Twilight." Celestia hugged her wing a little tighter, making sure to lower herself down to speak to the junior princess. "Events require bits to arrange, and thus are a type of gift all themselves. While we can indeed praise nobles for their consideration, any exchange that involves the expenditure of bits cannot be facilitated by the crown the way you're saying."

Twilight paled further at this, her pupils shrinking and sweat dotting her brow. "I-I didn't think of it like that. I'm not advocating corruption, I swear!" Celestia patted her wing against Twilight's side, and the little alicorn's pinprick pupils began to expand a bit more. She gave Celestia a grateful little smile, which was pause enough for Cadance to clear her throat.

Cadance held up a hoof. "I know you didn't mean it like that, Twiley. We all know you're a good pony, but not everypony is going to take what you're proposing that way. I asked to hear the plan so we can work on things like this together. Alright?"

Twilight swallowed in some air. "Right." She let it out. "I...got carried away. Tried to apply what I did as a unicorn to things I can't really do as a ruler. I'm sorry." She looked down. "I wasn't thinking."

"On the contrary." Celestia chimed in. "Your thought was a good one, and I think we both agree that with some modification the plan could work. But I agree with Cadance also. Some review by myself and Cadance would help you avoid the pitfalls of inexperience, one of which is knowing what kinds of positive reactions are seen as favouritism and what kinds are seen as courtesy and consideration. I would like to hear Mi Amore's alternatives." Twilight swallowed down her remaining stress, turning back to Cadance.

Cadance gave a nod at Celestia's words. "I say that you announce the truth at the Conference, with my backing. You talk with the nobles openly and candidly, and explain the relationship in a positive light with them. Try to explain it to them as individuals, the same as Twilight wanted, and throw in hints about things you might be interested in attending together or styles you might want to try together if you can. You both got manecuts recently, that's a starting point for stylists. Celestia's getting more flowers from you, maybe talk with the florists about that. Based on everything you've said thus far, I can say this relationship gives you both the confidence to grow and explore in ways you haven't before." At this she paused, and nodded to Shining Armor. "What I see is a healthy relationship starting to settle, something I've always wanted for both of you. I just never thought it would be with each other. Show them what you explained to me. Show them you're in a happy place together. Make an optimistic statement about what you do for each other and what that'll do for Equestria. That's how we can win the nobles over."

Celestia chimed in once Cadance had finished. "I suppose my only protest to this new plan is that I regrettably don't know the nobles well enough for such an endeavor. I know surface details; names, ambitions, and what flaws I pick up from their requests in court, but there are very few I know anything about beyond their public persona. I simply do not have the time to mingle with them personally, given the scale of the events I attend. I'd need to find and approach a noble who would feel comfortable sharing such details with me and would be able to keep a secret in order to bring this plan to bear."

Twilight put a hoof to her chin. "Rarity's not invited--I don't know if she even knows the guest list. We'd need somepony who knows all the ponies in attendance, somepony who has a tie to--what about Fleur?" Twilight turned to Cadance, who blinked.

"Fleur?"

"The pony you were telling me about earlier. The one who wants to propose."

Cadance blushed at this. "Well, erm," she coughed into her hoof, "she certainly wants to get married. Working up the courage is another story, and I might be pushing that just a little teeny--"

"Right, right." Twilight waved a hoof. "So she's nervous too. That works even better. Does she know anything about the other nobles?"

Cadance raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips. "Well, she's a socialite, so yes, she does. Where are you going with this?"

Twilight straightened her stance, puffing her chest out. "If she wants to propose but she's scared to do so, that means she's in a similar place to Celestia and I. It would also mean you two know each other at least well enough to share personal secrets, which means that your little sister having an announcement of her own could be a point of common interest."

"So you want to pump Fleur about information on the nobles?"

"I'd like to make friends with her." Twilight corrected. "If she's scared and nervous about taking a big step, I think it's better to be scared and nervous with somepony else than scared and nervous all by yourself. We'll see what happens from there."

"If I might, Twilight." At this Celestia stepped up. "Fleur is a Canterlot resident. She and Fancypants are both good ponies, and I have sometimes wished to know them better myself for some time now." Twilight put a hoof on Celestia's withers and smiled. The two of them shared a look that communicated more than Celestia's words ever could. They gave a brief nuzzle, then turned back to Cadance.

"Change of plans." Twilight announced. "Celestia wants to make friends with her. I'll focus on keeping the conference running smoothly."

"We can do that together." Shining chimed in. "Cady and I are used to these things by now. We can handle the politics side, you focus on hosting." The others all nodded at this. "We've got your back, Twiley. We'll take care of the little things so you can handle the big one."

"It's a plan." Twilight sighed in relief. "I just hope it works..."
> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Starlight's smile turned as wide as she could manage. She took in a few quick breaths. "What did you have in mind, then? I'd hate for such a friendly pony to be left waiting." She tried not to let the clench in her teeth be too noticeable, her lips twitching every now and again. 

At this Luna seemed to relent. "I had a vision whilst talking with you. You were not wrong, about my sister's society. It has failed too many ponies in the past." Her thoughts turned to Celestia's panicky paramour. "And propped up those who deserved it less. Those who do not fit with the mold of harmony are cast in shadow. I see it in their dreams. Haunted by their sour nature and how it turns them against the ponies they need help from the most. I saw it in a jealous and lonely showpony who turned dark magic against the town of Ponyville, in the heart of a griffon who bullied to hide the pain of her poverty. The turn of Discord proves even the most vile of enemies can have feelings...and that the scorn of Equestria is not always justified. We fear what we do not understand. The togetherness Celestia breeds is shunning to those who do not fit. It is a cruelty hidden in her mask of kindness, and one I wish to correct."

Starlight's eyes widened at this. Maybe this wasn't all a loss. Maybe she could make the lunar Princess a true friend yet. She just needed to preach it right this time. They both knew the lies of harmony. Maybe--

"But you also awakened a new idea in me. Your rejection of my world and hers proved disastrous, and I was quick to scorn your efforts. I see now that was not the only way. That there was much focus on tearing down, and not on building up. I had a thought--why not build anew? Start a new society and let Celestia have her own. She said as much to you, I could sense it in the dreams of those you claimed as followers. Not all of them were as cold as you have thought. Some wished to see your world thrive alongside hers. In that I saw that there is room to coexist." 

Luna began to fly, her wings pumping her up to the roof of her shimmering cube. "Never mind my sister. She can have what oppressive worlds she wants. What I want is a sanctuary. A place for beings like us to live and thrive. I want to help the ponies Celestia's rays do not reach, the ones her society shuns. I want to be a light in their darkness. Like the moon itself I will guide them, and I want you to help me with this." Luna's smile was wide, her eyes filled with stars. It was as if the dream was shimmering in her eyes. But all Starlight could see was void. 

She ignored the distraction. There was no way some place for troubled ponies would reach the Sunbursts of the world. They would walk out better ponies, but walk out all the same. No forevers in that plan, no way to reclaim what she lost. Still, she smiled along. There were some ideas in that speech. Discord, dark magic. Possible allies, possible leverage. That she could work with. So she smiled along.

"The showpony sounds like a good place to start. I mean, you want my help, right? I do magic, not chaos or griffon stuff. I don't know anything about that stuff, but I might be able to help with--what did you say their name was?" Starlight's smile was toxic, but Luna smiled back in earnest, pressing on. The ambitious unicorn had to keep herself from rolling her eyes. If she cared half as much as she claimed she'd have noticed the lie by now. Unfortunately for Luna, Starlight had already noticed her own. The sanctuary plan was a trap. Another pony using her as a pawn. She'd be discarded soon, the same as all the rest. 

"Her name is Trixie Lulamoon, a travelling magician. I have saved her from the shadow of Ursas and the cruel words of my sister's sycophant several times, but she has never heeded my call. Her dreams end sharply, and I cannot reach her. Perhaps together we could." Luna looked to Starlight. 

"But what about the dark magic?" Starlight stressed. "Did it corrupt her? She might be worried about that. We don't know for sure." Luna rubbed a hoof against her chin. Starlight pressed her advantage. "If she needs our help, we should protect her from that, too. She might be scared of a relapse. How did she access this dark magic anyway?" 

Luna drew out a breath. "Tis true. Her dreams are at times plagued by nightmares of a dark amulet. Perhaps it would set her at ease to see it vanquished. But it is not an artifact I know. I could not find it and could not undo it--not without research, or the involvement of a rival I can scarcely stand to humor." 

"Well I know magic, like I said! This is why we help her first." Starlight thrust a hoof in Luna's direction. "This amulet, describe it. Colour, shape, material. Tell me what it is. I'll show you how we'll find it..." At this she turned her back on Luna, her expression twisting into a vicious smile. "And what to do with it when we do." 



／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼



Celestia's arrival at the fundraiser provoked the standard reaction from the gathered Canterlot elite. Those who had not yet seated themselves at the circular tables that dotted the garden made low bows in her direction, while those who had set aside their silverware and champagne glasses in a hurry and lowered their heads in reverence. "Thank you one and all for the warm welcome, my little ponies." She gave them each a nod and a private smile, her long strides carrying her towards a vacant table in the middle of the garden. "But right now it is Griffonstone that needs our concern and attention. The desire to assist our neighbours in restoring their culture's knowledge and heritage to its former glory is a noble one. I for one will be listening carefully to what our presenter has to say." With a sly grin, she watched the assembled nobles and businessponies snap to attention at her words. 

She almost skipped a beat in the ancient routine when she noted the identity of the speaker. The mare trotting out onto the stage was not dissimilar from a younger version of herself. She was lithe, white as a cloud and highlighted by a silky pink mane and tail. Were it not for the distinct lack of wings and the iconic fleur de lys cutie mark she would have been a practical doppleganger. Serendipity had smiled upon her. While Fleur De Lys cleared her throat, and Celestia cleared her mind. Though her expression had not shifted, her focus needed to be on what the mare had to say if Griffonstone's restoration project was to receive the bits it desperately needed. She would muse on her good fortune later. 

"I would like to begin by thanking you all for attending." Fleur gave a quick search around the audience, making sure to meet the eyes of each pony she was speaking to. Her expression did not shift, however. She held an expression of determination that would not be out of place on Twilight. "My name is Fleur De Lys of Normanedy, and today I am here to tell you all a story about education." She again scanned the audience, finding that most were still watching her with some level of focus. With another breath she continued. "When I was little I had a very simple question with a very complex answer: 'Why do other ponies need our money, mommy?' It didn't seem to make sense to me. 

"Doesn't everypony have enough? I mean, even my friends who didn't live in mansions still had lots of bits to spare. They didn't have as many toys or go on fancy trips as often, and they didn't have ponies making their beds for them, but they had things I didn't, too. They had parents that would play with them and they could do team sports. They could have dogs instead of parrots since they had time to walk them." At this Fleur took on a faux-smug voice, reliving the words with a haughty sniff. "My mommy worked too hard for all that. That's why she had more bits. Harder work, better pay. In the end we all had the bits we deserved, right?: The assembled well-to-do seemed divided on this, some of them snickering with her and others scoffing and rolling their eyes at the satire. 

"But then one day I went to a library. Not the private one that we kept. One that anypony could access. I had a project for school and the teacher said we had to use a public source. I still don't know why they did that, but I'm glad they did. We had to study a disease and tell everypony what it did. I picked something called 'malaria' because it sounded like a parrot's name. My mistake, if you could call it that, had been looking for pictures. I wanted to do a poster. It changed me, seeing that world. Yellowed eyes looked at me from yellowed pages. I saw zebras so skinny they looked like they were skeletons. It didn't make sense in the world of 'deserves' I'd grown up with. How could anypony deserve that? I felt lied to. And I wanted to know more." She paced the stage at this point, her voice growing in urgency. 

"My parents laughed at first. It was a phase, of course. I'd run a bake sale, give my birthday presents to the griffons and forget all about things like wondering what diseases lived in your drinking water and not knowing where your children's food was going to come from. It started out that way. I started a raffle, made some really terrible brownies and ran as many laps as I could for charity. I think I raised a thousand bits total that way. That's a lot in Griffonstone, but it doesn't travel far. I didn't know that, of course. I kept on going, lost in another happy little world. But again a book told me better. I opened up a business magazine one day and saw how much of a difference a thousand bits actually made in the world of charity." She turned to look at the ponies still paying attention. Celestia recognized the cottage cheese pony among those nodding along. 

"I didn't like what I found. So I went back to the books. I researched how to start a company, started mapping out a balanced budget. Had it looked over by some family friends. My parents laughed it off again. I was still young and this was still a phase, if a bit more stubborn than they'd thought. They didn't take it well when I filed an Article of Incorporation and started looking for an advisory board. It took a lot to get my parents to sign on. It would look good on a resume, I said. Charities get you noticed by the right sorts of ponies, I said. They relented when I told them it would teach me how to save my bits. This was before they'd accepted my little brother was the one who still cared about managing the family gold mines." 

"Without the education I got I would have never explored the markets that I did. Charity is now tied to the family name as much as gold is. I only got where I did through learning, and I'll bet a lot of you did, too." This sparked some mutters from the crowd, particularly amongst those she still had the ear of. The ponies who'd taken her story with stone faces continued to look unmoved. "Budget, profit, loans and interest. Trade, investment, stock and resale. These are things that you have to learn, and you can't learn if you're trapped in your own little world. Whether that's a bubble shaped around a gold empire you never wanted or a shack with no running water. Learning is the key. It gives you the traction to pull yourself up over whatever little walls you've built around your worldview." She turned on the ponies who had been tuning her out ever since her jab at the notion of work translating to bits and life being fair.  

"So here's a sample of what I've learned since I hit those business books. Here's where you all start having a reason to care." She pointed out a hoof at the pony most slumped back in her seat, who widened her eyes and wrinkled her nose at the gesture. "Education means advancement. Advancement means organization. Primary resources come in, companies start to package them. Now you have goods to buy. Their resources go to you, you sell finished products. Secondary resources. You both start to profit, and now you have a new company you can buy stocks in. You know it's doing business, and you start making money from the stock exchange." The elder mare's nose ceased its crinkling, and she tilted her head to scrutinize the bleeding heart on stage with new eyes.  

"Griffon bits go to your products, which they trust now since they see that you've been putting bits into their economy. You open up new trade, new stocks and new resources. But that door only opens to ponies who do business with the griffons, and this investment is the way to start. This gets your hoof in the door in a way every businessgriffon in Griffonstone will remember." Fleur flicked her mane, tapping her head with a hoof. "Education can make businessmares out of anypony. Even me. With the right books I turned bake sales into business. With the right books, they'll turn mountains into mines and treetops into timber. Put your bits where it matters, and make a Griffonstone that profits everyone." Fleur paused to look at the assembled ponies, then gave a nod and a smile. "Thank you." She left the stage with a quiet bow, taking dainty steps towards a table stocked with pamphlets and business cards. 

The room soon buzzed with talk. What did a charity worker know of foreign trade? Did she turn a profit? Was this safe? Was it just? Celestia rose, drawing a range of stares. With the eyes of the uncertain ponies trailing, Celestia trotted up to Fleur's table, where the smaller mare was giving a bittersweet smile and looking over her papers. She raised her head at the sudden shadow, then lowered her head in deference. "Ah, your highness. Forgive me, I was just--" 

"Please, pardon my intrusion." Celestia settled down in front of her. "I would like to make a donation." She looked over the sheets, calmly selecting a set of forms and a quill with practiced ease. Then she turned an eye back to her subjects, most of whom were studying her motions. Fleur noted her coy smirk and smiled along. 

"I'm flattered that you chose to attend my drive. I know outreach to Griffonstone has been a popular topic for decades now, but I think the descriptions of the place that Princess Twilight gave following her court's visit really gave us a good opportunity to put our bits in the right places. If we'd known they had a public records and just how damaged it was..." She waved a hoof. "But I'm sure you'd know more about that than me." 

"More than would seem, at the very least." Celestia smiled. Centuries of practice filling out similar applications meant that she had already finished with the forms. She levitated them back over to Fleur discreetly. "Once upon a time Equestria had no public schools and a nobility that wished to keep education private. I confess your push made me nostalgic." 

"Really?" Fleur perked up at this, the mask of poised respect cracking to reveal curiosity. "How'd you manage to convince them?" 

"I'm afraid I don't have the time to explain. You have a drive to run, and I have subjects in need who I must return to shortly." Fleur's lips twitched, her brow pinching ever so slightly. Almost at the stage where she could control her emotions, but Celestia caught the tell nonetheless. "Of course, if you truly are curious, and you have the time to spare, my evenings have recently freed themselves up." Fleur blinked at this, her head shaking ever so slightly. At last she regained composure and settled into a smile. 

"I can see what I can do. I have a clear slot tomorrow, if that works with you." The two of them turned to see the cottage cheese pony arriving in line behind Celestia. He looked away from the princess with a blush, and Celestia spared him further by turning back to Fleur. 

"Tomorrow would be fine. I wish you all the best in your efforts until then." She bowed her head lightly, then favored the mortified earth pony behind her with a smile. "It is nice to see some of my subjects taking my advice to heart." She nodded at Fleur. "I appreciate your taking my words to heart, my little pony." His humiliation melted into relief, and Celestia left the drive with a lighter heart and a brighter smile. 



／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼



One correspondence later, Celestia was making her way towards what Cadance had described as a hidden gem next to Restaurant Row. The Kathiawarian restaurant was little more than a hole in the wall, but to Celestia a humble appearance often promised inner value. Her dress of the evening reflected this philosophy. A simple darker orange, appropriate for the evening, accentuated by a gold chain. No regalia for this meeting. She ducked under the sign labeling the restaurant as the 'Tasty Treat' and searched for the mare that so reminded her of an outlook she'd long forgotten. 

"Over here, Princess Celestia!" At this the waiter almost dropped her platter, and the head of the restaurant thrust his entire head through the window he was announcing orders from. Fleur's smile faded into a tight line along her mouth, her expression stopping just short of mortified. Celestia nodded to the starstruck staff and trotted over to the table. "Did you have any trouble finding the place?" Fleur focused her gaze away from the minor commotion her words had caused. 

Celestia smiled a sly smile at this. "I am older than the bricks this street was paved with. To say I am familiar is an understatement." She turned to the waitress, who still seemed to be staring as if the sky itself had decided to make a stop to her tiny restaurant. "But this is something I have never seen before." She spoke to the waitress in Kathiawarian. "I did not know Canterlot had developed a taste for your cuisine." Fleur tilted her head at this. The waitress settled into a smile at last, the status symbol growing a little more real in her eyes. 

"If only they were as understanding as you." She looked around at the near-empty locale. "Most ponies don't even give this place a second glance. No critics have ever tried our food. It is as if the ponies here have no sense of adventure!" She covered her mouth for a second. "Sorry, your highness. I don't mean to insult your subjects!"

Celestia turned to her companion at this, a bit of mirth twinkling in her eyes. "What do you think, Fleur-De-Lys? Are the ponies of Canterlot unadventurous?" 

"I would say that Canterlot is a charity case in itself on that front." Fleur looked to her new companion. "I'm sorry, I don't speak your language. Do you speak Equish?" 

"Aha! Yes, ma'am. But I like it when a pony makes me feel at home." 

"Je sais le sentiment." Fleur replied with a smile, making the other pony blink. 

"She says, 'I know the feeling'." Celestia offered. The three of them laughed. 

"What will your orders be, fillies?" She placed a pad on the table and pulled out a pencil. 

"I'll take a curry." Fleur set her menu aside. 

At the waitress' look, Celestia glanced the menu over and then looked back at her. "Make me your favourite. I'm sure you know it better than I." The waitress nodded to them both. 

"Thank you, fillies." She gave a bow to Celestia and a nod and smile to Fleur, then made her way back towards the kitchen. 

"I can't believe it." Fleur sighed. "How does she do it? I can't walk ten steps without some place or other offering me a 'genuine Fancy experience'. I swear, Cadance has a sixth sense for these places." 

"It comes from trying to find places Twilight would be willing to eat at." Celestia smirked. "You may have heard that the Princess of Friendship is somewhat rigid." 

"I've heard a lot about you and the Princess of Friendship, actually. Cadance likes to gush." Fleur giggled at this. "When she's not digging at me for details on my love life." 

"Mi Amore is a very enthusiastic mare. This is both a blessing and a curse, and I'm sure if she's been speaking to you about relationships I have no need to explain why." At this the waitress made her way back from the kitchen, a platter of water glasses in tow.  

"She's just so cheerful about it." Fleur flicked her mane with a hoof. "It's a little overwhelming. I mean, she means well, but it can be a little too much sometimes." Celestia nodded along at this, turning back to the incoming waitress in time to receive her water. Fleur took her own glass with a bow of her head. "From what Cadance tells me we're going to need these." 

"Their food is very intense, but that intensity can be quite fetching. Mi Amore's cheer is much the same, I find. It can be a great boon when the relationship is working, and a great weight when the relationship is not."

Fleur looked around at this, making sure the waitress had retreated to the kitchen. "Alright...has she told you yet?" 

"She told Twilight, which is, in effect, the same thing. Yes, I have heard the gossip." Celestia smiled. "I wish you both the best. A loving relationship is a wonderful thing." 

"Well, yes, but...You know how sometimes she hauls you into something before you're ready?" Fleur swallowed on the air, tossing her mane about to clear her head. "She thinks Fancy is going to ask soon, and that I should be the one to beat him to it." She paused, but Celestia made no move to correct or interrupt her. She gave a little laugh, like the ringing of a bell, and looked out to the horizon. "It's not that I'm not ready. But it's a big jump and it brings out some...silly emotions." She shook her head, reaching for a glass of water to hide her nervous smile. 

"Silly emotions indeed. Even in the most stable of romances, a large shift can bring nerves about in anypony." With glimmers of both pink and orange shimmering in her eyes, Celestia spoke up once Fleur had started to take a sip.  "Mine is much the same." Celestia's gambit paid off. Fleur swallowed half a teaspoon of water down the wrong pipe at this, heaving and retching like a cat clawing its way out of a bathtub. When at last she had caught her breath, she looked at Celestia as if she'd just declared Daring Do to be a real pony. 

"Did you say you're in a relationship?" 

"Leaping over that reaction would be the next big step, yes." Celestia nodded. "It is a secret as of yet, and we both find ourselves growing nervous." 

"You don't think that everypony would support you?" Fleur tilted her head. "I thought that'd be self-evident."

Celestia turned the question on its head. "Have they always supported you?" 

"I'm not a ruler." Fleur stressed.

"But you hold a great deal of sway nonetheless. Tell me, has nopony below your station ever spoken ill of you?" Celestia pulled her wings back, settling herself into a seated posture. 

"Well, I mean..." Fleur shrugged, then flipped her mane over one shoulder. "You're probably right. It's always the same line, too. 'What about the griffons in Griffonstone'? 'A griffon would cut off their right claw to live like you'. 'You're eating passionfruit when the griffons are eating hardtack.' I try my best, but..." 

"Not everypony will be pleased with the end result." Celestia nodded. "Nopony is immune to criticism."

"But some of it's true! Not everything I do is perfect. I donate on personal whims. I set up parrot conservation centers but not monkey sanctuaries. I work with Griffonstone all the time but I've never been to Zebrica. Some of the charities I've set up have turned out dishonest and gone wrong. The hard part is deciding when the criticism's valid or not." Fleur flipped her mane back. "Admit one fault and all the critics get bolder. Some of them want to see you at your best, some of them want to see you fall apart. All those little voices build up. They can hold you back, make you doubt what needs to be done."

"It sounds like they weigh upon you." Celestia gave a sympathetic smile. 

"I just try to do the best I can." Fleur sighed. "But sometimes it's hard to tell if that's good enough. I guess that's where the silly emotions come from. I already get 'trophy wife' enough without being the one to pop the question." 

Celestia opened her mouth to respond, but a commotion from the kitchen left the two of them quirking their ears and looking towards the source of the voices. The waitress and her cook seemed to be fighting. Celestia soaked in every word, her ears swiveling to absorb the entire conversation. Fleur listened in with sympathy, getting the emotions of what was being said, but not the context. 

"I hope everything is alright in there." She looked at the barebones table. "Working in these conditions can't be easy on them." 

"He wants to cook our food to Canterlot's specifications." Celestia noted, translating with only minor difficulties even through the muffling of the walls. "He says that we're used to being served by the best, so they should act like it. She's saying that they didn't come here to compromise their values, and that we should be served the food they know best." Celestia sighed. She could see Fleur's expression fall with every new bit of information. "I doubt the food will taste how either of them want it to. Perhaps when the waitress comes around next, we might--" At this Fleur raised her head, her eyes narrowed into a look of determination.

"I'll be right back." Fleur slid herself out of the booth, cantering towards the kitchen. Celestia looked at Fleur's departing form with a spike of guilt. When had she lost the ability to do that? As Fleur opened the doors to the kitchen, she thought back to her lessons with Missie. Lost or not, that ability was not gone forever. The opportunity was right there. She rose to follow her younger counterpart. 

"Is everything alright in here?" Fleur held the door open, looking at the frozen staff with sympathy. 

The elder stallion was the first to speak. "Of course, your grace! Just a bit of a disagreement on the preparations of the meal." 

"Sounds like it was more than a bit of disagreement. Celestia said you were arguing over trying to make the food more like Canterlot's." 

"Precisely! Exquisite guests should have exquisite food! Right, Saffron?" 

"But father! They came in to eat our food! They could have gone to any place in Canterlot, but they picked us instead! They had to do that for a reason." 

"Still, they deserve the best we have to offer. If we were more like the other restaurants--" 

"Then I never would have visited." Fleur stressed. "I come to eat at places like yours because you do right what they do wrong. I would never want to see you lowered to their level."

The two of them blinked at this. The chubby stallion spoke up. "But they have the best ratings in the town! How can you say they're making their food wrong?! Everypony eats it!" 

"I may live in Canterlot, but I'm not from here, either. I moved here just like you." She pointed to her Cutie Mark at their shocked expressions. "Canterlot cuisine is based on Fancy couture. But I come from Prance. In Prance food is an art form, and the plate is for experimenting. In Canterlot food is a status symbol, and the dishes are for showing off. They don't know what went into it or why. They copy the precision without knowing why we're precise. They focus on the minimalism without knowing why we minimize." She looked over at the two of them. "In Prance we cook and eat food as a form of expression. Every bite is savoured, because every meal is cooked with care. That's the thing I look for. Genuine cooking, made like it's made back home."

The chefs shared a look at this, uncertainty once again upon their faces. Celestia watched the proceedings with interest. The stallion seized upon her presence like a life preserver for his argument. "Well, what about the Princess?! She is used to the best in all of Canterlot! We can't just serve her whatever we like!"

Celestia gave a small smile at that. "All I ask is that my wishes be respected. I want your favourite dish that either of you have ever cooked. Nothing more or less." 

"See, father? She wants our signature!" Saffron stressed, looking over at him with pleading eyes. 

"Is that your favourite of your specials?" Celestia looked over to the father, who had wrapped himself up in skepticism at this point. 

He sighed at this. "It is a home specialty. Something I used to make when she was little. But it is not a meal for a royal!"

"I understand." Celestia nodded. "Not even a Princess can ever compare to one's daughter. I will take whatever is your next most treasured dish." 

The stallion spluttered at this. "B-but of course not! I would never slight a royal!"

"Wonderful." Celestia smiled. "I am flattered to be worthy of your best. I will await the special eagerly." 

Saffron leaped at her chance. "Please, father? I know they'll like it if we let them try!" 

"Well," the stallion huffed. "I suppose if the Princess wishes for it, we can make it for her. But I tell you, it will not be like the meals they serve you at the palace!"

"I would rather have a meal like the ones a father served his daughter any day." Celestia met his gaze with soft and gentle eyes. "Thank you both for being understanding of our intrusion." Celestia exited the kitchen, Fleur following after shortly.

Celestia stepped aside to allow Fleur back into the booth, settling on the floor herself. "That was hardly a trophy wife I saw back in that kitchen." Celestia settled down on the floor herself, lowering her body to stare at Fleur on an even level. "The pony I see is quite the opposite. It reminds me of some of my own experiences, truth be told." 

"Right. What I wanted to ask you about." Fleur flicked her mane over one eye, suddenly becoming very interested in her water. Celestia could see the burning curiosity in the younger mare's eyes. She fought down the rush of nostalgia, her own gaze settling into her neutral smile. 

"I can see that want written all over your face. That, I think, would be my largest piece of advice, both about critics and about charity work. This critic sees a passionate mare doing her best for everypony. And passion is a great boon that speaks well to your sincerity. It can strengthen your cause to skeptics and help you achieve things you would not normally. But passion can also be a curse. It can come across as too forceful, or sweep ponies up in a cause you do not support. Patience is just as important a tool in working with others. Harder to master, yes, but no less important for it." 

Fleur sighed. "I know. But it's not like you can just switch patience and passion on and off based on the situations. I can't just sit by and see someone get pushed aside or put down like that poor waitress was. Especially not when it's over something everyone should have, like bits, or a right to express yourself." 

Celestia chuckled at this. "Seems like you have little patience for patience. Of course, not even I have struck a perfect balance before. Marching up to the staff to let them know what we wanted was likely a good course of action, although I believe your intent may have been muddled by your haste. I know that feeling of yearning to help every creature at every turn all too well. But it is not something that needs to be done all at once." She looked at Fleur's furrowed brow and smiled. "Think of it in terms of Mi Amore's push to marry you." Fleur's eyes widened at that. "Does her enthusiasm make you want to rush in all at once?" Fleur looked down at this. "Would you maybe be more comfortable with planning out a time to propose, working up to it in steps?"

At this Fleur paused. "...I guess that's true. But how do you do it, then? Just knowing that there's so much more you could be doing! You're just sitting there and meanwhile those griffons in Griffonstone are still starving and they still need clean water and a place to learn." 

"By realizing that not every victory needs to be sweeping." Celestia stressed. "Focus on the progress you make. Remember that you are doing what others are not. Victories that seem small can build into something far larger. I know the specter of a callous critic can weigh upon anypony, but the little victories you've already made are proof positive that they are wrong about you. Take those victories and savour them. It will help soothe the urge within you to plow through progress without thinking of the consequences. They will also help you sort friend from foe. A genuine critic will appreciate such achievements, while an ill-intentioned one will brush past them." 

"But you can't get too set in those little victories. If I did that I'd be just like my parents, thinking I deserve the world for managing to not run my great-grandmother's hard work into the ground." Fleur blew out some air against her mane, putting her hooves against her chin. 

"That is true only if you do not build upon those triumphs." Celestia answered. Before she could go further, Saffron arrived with their food. Celestia gratefully accepted a bowl of flat noddle soup. 

Fleur, meanwhile, received a set of turnips drizzled with zig-zagging sauces and garnished with a  with a mixture of confusion and concern. "Is this something you'd normally cook?" She raised an eyebrow at the dish, her lips pursed. 

Saffron beamed. "Well, Mrs. Fleur, when you mentioned you never got to eat proper Fancy food like back home it struck a chord with us. My father had the idea to try making a Fancy-styled dish from one of our cookbooks, so we worked hard to make something that might remind you of home!" 

"That's very sweet of you." She smiled back at the waitress, her gaze not meeting the dish itself. She looked like she was about to say something else, but Celestia cut her off. 

"Thank you very much for the soup. This looks wonderful." Celestia took in the scent of the soup as well. "My regards to the chefs." She winked at this, and Saffron blushed at her knowing look.  

"We're very flattered by your patronage, your highness." Saffron gave a quick bow. "I hope you both enjoy the food." 

"I'm sure the new experience will be invigorating for us both." Celestia again cut Fleur off. The younger pony shot her a look. "Something about your food not to your specifications?" 

"I told them not to try to imitate Fancy food." She sighed. "It's sweet of them to try, really. But I wanted something they made themselves." 

"What I believe they heard was a fellow foreigner lamenting her inability to find authentic food tied to her culture. I believe you emphasized your country's food a little too keenly in trying to find commonality with them. As I say, passion can sweep ponies in unexpected directions." Celestia ignored Fleur's little sigh of exasperation, pressing on with a smile. "Still, I would not dismiss this as an undesired direction without at least trying it first. This dish is an expression of their earnest desire to connect with you. In the end, is that not what the spirit of Fancy food is? An expression of the self?" She concluded this by blowing upon her soup, waiting for it to cool. 

"Well..." Fleur sighed, ignoring her food. "Let's hear more about how you managed to get public schools set up everywhere." 

"Getting my hoof in the door was a very important aspect. Something you've done quite admirably. You already have a drive to repair the library, and ponies donating bits to do so. The rest was a matter of simply practicing what I have been preaching to you." Celestia levitated her soup spoon up to her lips.

"Was that how you got all the libraries set up?" Fleur tilted her head. "Patience?" 

"Absolutely." Celestia smiled back, taking another dainty sip of her soup. "But it was not as simple as knowing how to through instinctive wisdom. Every technique I have offered was something I discovered on the way to the mare I am today. A mare who started off filled with passion and a drive to prove she deserved her crown, even amongst a sea of controversy. Three hundred years back, my pushes were fraught with setbacks. In my eager bid for education I created an inflated economy for law degrees, and many ponies lost work. I became known for my bias towards learning, and ponies were quick to take grievances against the school system to my underlings. This in turn led to education systems growing too powerful, and I had to undo my mistake. It was a slow process, and I was blamed for the situation at many turns. So I took solace in the laws I managed to pass and the progress I managed to make, learning that taking slow steps towards a single common goal was often more effective than one gigantic leap. Eventually, I managed my dream of a public school in every town and a library for every community. But it was not an easy journey, and the reward was in each step of the way there.

"Still, in my learning of patience I feel I may have lost something in the process. Soon my marefriend and I will be announcing our relationship. It is an immense leap for the both of us. For years the nobility and I have coexisted impersonally. It has been a great boon for a gradual pony such as myself. But this announcement is nothing but personal, and I do not have the knowledge to appeal to the nobility personally. I do not have your passion, and I am reminded now that at times I need it." Celestia gave a small smile, continuing to work at her soup. "Just as you were hoping to learn from me, I am hoping I might learn from you." 

Fleur paused, tilting her head. Then, gradually and uncertainly, she carved up one of the turnips, placing it in her mouth. She chewed it slowly, considering. Saffron trotted back over at this. "How is everything?" Although she looked at Celestia with interest, it was clear her eyes were all for Fleur and her 'Fancy' dish. 

"I'm very flattered by the care you put into what you served me." Fleur said to Saffron earnestly. "It's clear that you both know how to cook for a Fancy lady, and the flavours are wonderful." She nodded over to Celestia's meal. "But I was wondering if maybe next time you might show me some of the things you like to eat. I know Princess Celestia enjoyed her meal greatly, and while it can be nice to be reminded of my own culture sometimes, what I came to Canterlot for was the chance to experience those of others."

Celestia chimed in at this. "What an experience it was. I'll be sure to pass your location along to any nobles I meet who have a taste for such things." She looked back to Fleur. "Once I get a chance to properly know some, of course." 

"A thousand thanks to the both of you." She gave a quick bow to the both of them. "I will leave you to it, then." She backed herself towards the kitchen, the double doors parting to let her slip through. Once they had closed, the words "Father! Father! They liked the food! I told you!" echoed back to them. The two mares chuckled, and then Celestia looked back at Fleur with interest.

"Did you mean what you said about their cooking for a Fancy lady?"

Fleur gave a sly smile at this. "It's more Fancy than anything their neighbours are cooking, that much is for sure. Every bite is certainly a good one, but maybe not exactly what they were trying to imitate. I'll call it a 'little victory' for the spirit of Fancy cooking. Maybe with some practice, they might just find the right taste, too." She swallowed down another bite of turnip. "What about you? Do you really not know any nobles well enough to know what kinds of food they like?"  

Celestia gave a small smile at this. "I've decided to take a leap towards getting to know them better. I am hopeful my drive to learn pays off."

"Alright, well," Fleur flicked her mane again, "I can tell you a bit about them. But first I need you to give Cadance a message for me: I'm proposing to Fancy on my own time. If he goes first, he goes first. I want to get it right, and that means taking the time I need to set it up." 

"Gladly." Celestia gave a wry smile. "And if she resists, I will say I gave you the idea, and she can sulk about it with me and not you.  

"Well, how can I help but repay a sacrifice as noble as that?" Celestia smiled at this. Below the table, a gem began to form upon her peytral with a soft yellow glow. Fleur launched into an explanation in between bites of her food, her eyes wide and expressive. Celestia sat back and listened, enjoying her soup all the while. "Well, for example I know that Price Tag--that's the one with the gold mane and the brown coat--has a deep respect for..." 



／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼



"...family, first in the form of my returned sister and my beloved niece, and now in the form of our latest Princess. I would gladly call her family in any context, but with the change in her position has come a change in our relation. This past year has been a great shift in the status quo for many of us," she held the gaze of an architect named Tightly Wound, "and with this shift comes a fear of instability. But I assure all of you that this era will be one of even greater order and harmony. Like pillars to a foundation, my fellow Princesses have helped support our country and our citizens. Communication has been key to keeping us together, and our sense of union has been key to that communication. Of late, my connection to Twilight Sparkle has grown even closer. 

"I love her, and the two of us have romanced in private for a month now. Today that changes. I can only hope that she and I hold as close as her brother and my niece, who are taken with each other for many of the same reasons. She shares many of the traits that Captain Armor brought to Equestria." She stopped to speak next to a pair of pegasus nobles with a daughter in the royal guard. "Her bravery and dedication to Equestria have been key to the defense of its citizens. In the face of the attacks by Tirek, King Sombra and Queen Chrysalis, she has never wavered, and in each case her actions were crucial to protecting all of our subjects. Her attentiveness has resulted in changes to our policy that have made Equestria more stable and harmonious, and her inspirational outlook has motivated others to grow into wonderful ponies in their own right on personal and federal levels." Here she stopped before an empty blue throne that should have held a fellow Princess.

"But Twilight Sparkle has supported me as more than a mere Princess." She walked past Luna's empty seat, looking instead at a noble named Fervent Dream. Dismissed by rivals as a trophy husband marrying into old blood, he did not meet her gaze. "She has supported me as a pony, a talent that cannot be overstated in its value." At this he looked up, and she gave a soft smile before turning back to her crowd. "In turn I have supported her, and the joy of this connection has let us see our wonderful home of Equestria," this said with a nod to famous patriot Cloister Belle, "with newfound optimism and delight." 

She cast her gaze back to her mane, and then to Twilight's own new style. "In this bold new era we have felt more confident to express ourselves. Whether that be through exploring Equestria's growing fashion industry or reawakening passions for art and gardening, we have since become more receptive to a wide array of talents that many of you hold dear. Perhaps most importantly, in this new era I have gained the chance to branch out to my subjects on a personal level not known since the building of Canterlot Castle. With Twilight Sparkle by my side, I hope to know all of you better and treat all of you with more care and compassion than I ever could have done alone. I know you all deserve it, and I hope today to share the kindness she has evoked in me with all the rest of you. Thank you for your time." 

The crowd did not cheer. The crowd did not coo. Instead, the ponies of Canterlot began to explode into a sea of questions, each of which Twilight was quick to answer as best she could. Ponies swarmed up around them, and the two found themselves closed in on either side. Celestia, for her part, sat back and corrected Twilight periodically, her smile thinning to become the one reserved for strenuous days at court. It was only then that Princess Cadance chimed in with a rush of Royal Canterlot Voice. "If I could have everypony's attention!" The crowd was loathe to be silent, but at the look Cadance was giving they fell back into order and allowed her to speak. "I also have an announcement in regards to the spread of the magic of love amongst the royal family. Shining Armor and I have made an addition of our own, and the Crystal Empire will soon have an heir. Citizens of Equestria, Captain Shining Armor and I are having a baby." The crowd had been boiling before, but this next announcement left it raging like a set of rapids. Questions were drowned out in the uproar, and the sea of noise became overwhelming.  

But it was not a sound that shocked Celestia out of her trance, but a touch. Twilight wrapped her forelegs around Celestia, losing herself in Celestia's eyes the way she had in front of Cadance and Shining. Celestia gave a nervous glance at the assembled crowd, but with a nuzzle from Twilight, the pair lowered their horns together to share in the moment of comfort. A moment became a lasting pause, and the nobles soon were faced with the two alicorns expressing their love before them. The crowd started to whisper at the sight, the myriad questions dying on their lips as it became increasingly clear the pair would not be answering. The couple's eyes snapped open, staring out at the crowd with trepidation. Most ponies were still too busy talking to notice. But it was alright, because the ones who had were smiling, and that was a step in the right direction. Fear turned to peace, and they closed their eyes together, shutting out the wider world and letting in each other. Surrounded by their subjects and relatives both, they let their horns stay locked in bliss, soaking in their little victory.
> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The fallout of their announcement had gone better than hoped. A variety of groups had, naturally, screamed and hollered about the deviance of Equestria's rulers, accusations and investigations had been made by a few of the less flattering tabloids, and a few scathing opinion columns had come her way. Still, these groups and opinions had been minorities, and the rest of Equestria had been much more accepting. Twilight was right that they liked feeling part of it. Interview columns had asked candid and friendly questions, the dogged paparazzi angled to snap particular tender moments rather than trying to embarrass her further, and newspaper columns in the majority had reported on the proceedings as if they were the greatest thing since the last royal wedding.

Discord had cut off any drama in the courts about their public release with a wicked scheme of his own. He had made it so that fifty percent of the nobility perceived her as her normal gold and white colour scheme, while another fifty percent with poorer eyesight saw her as being black and blue instead. Any nobles with a penchant for dramatics and bickering had been sucked into the debate about whether she was blue and black or white and gold, leaving her new relationship mercifully unaddressed.

All of this had only exacerbated her current concern, that being the current condition of her fellow ruler and sister, Princess Luna Everfree. While in court, she had little time for worrying about the state of her sister, but flopped across her master bed, she was finding it hard to do anything else. Some of her attention was upon the work in front of her--a series of letters outlining projects that were eagerly awaiting her approval in order to get started. But there was a pattern to these things, and she could easily correct poor decisions in the morning if she missed a specific detail. So it was that the remainder of her attention went to Princess Luna and her current object of envy, Twilight Sparkle. The alicorn in question had draped her head against Celestia's belly, where she was currently highlighting phrasing on tax law proposals that could be exploited by greedy businessponies.

Conversation had started cheerful and casual. But the shadow of her sister's absence loomed over the conversation. Here and there, Twilight had paused. Bit her lip or looked thoughtful. Still wrestling with how to break her own opinions to her, even after so many weeks. Then, all at once, it had happened. Discussions on a birdwatching journey Fluttershy and Missie had taken part in, Pinkie Pie's attempts to teach Discord how to bake and the reaction Griffonstone had had to their special announcement faded into a lull in the conversation. Then, with a glance into Celestia's eyes, Twilight had opened her mouth.

"Speaking of people who couldn't make it, I'm really curious about where Luna was when we were at the Grand Summit. She didn't even have an announcement saying she was too busy to attend! I sent her a letter asking if she was okay, but--" Twilight sighed. "She never wrote back." Twilight flipped a page of the tax sheets, frowning at them. "I'm really worried about her--but I know that if anypony knows what happened, it'd be you. There's no way you wouldn't at least have investigated it, and there's no way you wouldn't be every bit as worried as I am if you didn't know why she was missing."

Celestia stiffened, her breaths slowing to even, measured inhalations. Flopped on her back and focusing on the laws of her kingdom was not where she was hoping to have this conversation. Just as she began to prepare a platitude, however, Twilight looked over at her with a tender, bittersweet smile. "I also know that you almost certainly didn't tell me for a reason. And after the spa date, I've figured that the reason is a good one. You said to trust you on that, so I am. So," Twilight looked over at Celestia, her eyes shining but her lips pursed, "I wanted to tell you that I'm curious, and worried for you, but that I'm deciding to respect your privacy." She exhaled, as if shrugging off an invisible burden. "I won't poke at it, and I'll be there for you, whether you're comfortable sharing or not. But I need to communicate," she emphasized this with a quick, wry little grin, "that I want to know. I want to help, however much you'll let me."

The tension that had been building fled with Twilight's words, leaving Celestia soft and silent for a while. When she at last spoke up again, she did so quietly, but with a firmness fueled by conversations with Missie. "That is...very welcome, Twilight. You are right that I am loathe to talk about it." She paused, chewing the tip of her ink feather. One of her hooves stroked Twilight's side, and the smaller alicorn leaned into the touch. "But also right that I should." She pursed her lips. "Do you believe that there is a limit to forgiveness?" Twilight swiveled her head back towards her paper, her brow furrowed and her quill circling a bit of ambiguous syntax.

"I'd like to forgive everypony, honestly. I try to give anypony who wants one a second chance. But...sometimes you just can't, even when you want to." She refocused her gaze, looking back to Celestia. "But, err, that was rhetorical, right?"

Celestia gave only a tiny shake of her head in reponse. "Truth be told, I'm genuinely uncertain. I want to forgive, to believe that this time the change will be for good and I will see the better pony she promises me she will become. But each time..." At this she lowered her gaze, sighing. "Each time she takes a step forward, I allow myself to hope. But the story is always the same. One moment she is making friends with you, the next she is doubting your competence and trying to insert herself into a mission to save an Empire she and I already failed to save in hopes of upstaging you. One moment she is helping Scootaloo find a cure to her nightmares, the next she is inflicting them upon Sweetie Belle."

"To be fair," Twilight circled a piece of faulty reasoning, "in that last instance she was trying to help Sweetie Belle let go of her jealousy, and how unfair she was being to Rarity. And it worked out just fine."

"I shudder to think what she might have subjected the filly to if it hadn't." Celestia sighed, amending a proposal on troubled foals' outreach. "Her projecting herself onto a pony that young...regardless, you are right that her intentions are never wholly malicious, nor the grievances that colour her actions unfounded. But these actions nonetheless are hurtful, often to myself and those closest to me. This time she crossed a line. I too have my limits."

At this Twilight straightened, flipping herself over to stare directly at Celestia. "Princess," Twilight said, the two of them sharing a quick grin at the nickname, "the most important thing I've learned about forgiveness is that you have to be in the right mind to give it, first. I've tried to force forgiving somebody in the past, and it worked out badly for everyone involved. I mean, heck, I lied to you about it! That's how out of sorts it got me. Me, lying to you about a friendship lesson."

"Really." Celestia swiveled her head to study Twilight, who only nodded in response.

"Really." Twilight stressed. "When you asked me to redeem Discord, I wanted to believe I could fake it until I could make it. I really did. But I just couldn't do it, no matter how hard I tried to. Not even you could make me just forgive him, not after what he did to my friends. He tortured us. Broke us down and made us fight each other. For hours. For fun. I couldn't just ignore that--and--" Twilight swallowed, "and it was wrong of you to ask me to. I shouldn't have said yes. I should have told you I couldn't just pretend to be okay with what he did to us. I should have known my boundaries.

"And boundaries are the most important part. I still have trouble with mine sometimes. As insulting to you and me as it was, Applejack and Shiny's first thoughts were to worry about you walking all over me for a reason. They were worried I wouldn't look after my own needs--even Cady talked that out with me. Looking over my own boundaries, I think it's important to establish yours. If she crossed a line with you, I think you should focus on healing that, too. You should try forgiving her only when you're in the right place to do so. When you don't, it comes across as insincere, and that can push the two of you even farther apart."

"Lessons from a box in a friendship castle." Celestia chuckled. The two of them fell into a comfortable silence, returning to a moment to their Princessly paperwork. Just as she was about to come to a decision on a restoration project, Celestia paused. "What about the honesty in the apology?" Celestia pursed her lips. "Even if--saying that Discord had had none of his powers when he had been returned from stone, and that he would only be allowed to visit Ponyville under your direct consent. Would you still forgive him?"

"No...you're right, I guess that also played a part. When we first let him out, he seemed proud of what he'd done to us all. It was only after Tirek did pretty much the same thing to him--broke apart his friendships through a series of lies, mocked him for being in pain, then left him to rot after making it clear it was all his fault--that he really seemed to regret everything he'd done to us. I guess that's also part of why I was able to accept it. It seemed like it was genuine."

"What if he'd used your forgiveness as leverage in the past? Found a way to use your forgiveness against you?" Celestia looked distant at this.

"Then..." Twilight sighed, at last finishing with her tax proposal forms. She made her final recommendations. "I wouldn't forgive him at all. Not unless he gave me some signs that he was a different creature, leading a different life. Princess--it sounds like right now you and Luna shouldn't try to forgive each other. It sounds like she's really hurting you, and it also sounds like forgiving her in the past hasn't worked out for either of you."

"But we have a shared duty to our kingdom." Celestia stressed. "We must put our differences aside, for..." She thought on her words for a moment. "For the good...of our...ah." Celestia lowered her gaze from her forms. "I think I see the problem. Not a sincere motive, is it? To forgive her for the good of our people?" She shook her head. "I've been foalish to not see it before."

"Maybe you didn't want to. I know I didn't want to see myself as the kind of pony who couldn't forgive Discord. I wanted to be as good at friendship as Fluttershy." Twilight cracked a wry smile at this. "Wanting Luna to be part of the government isn't half as bad a reason as that."

"Perhaps." Twilight would see a genuine goodness to her reasoning. But it was not the truth, in the end. If it had been a matter of government, why disrupt the system that had worked for a thousand years? Why give Luna any power at all? "But perhaps I need to investigate my feelings on Luna further. I...think I need to explore them, if I am going to establish my boundaries. A first step in this self-care you've so endorsed."

"Just make sure you don't do anything drastic." Twilight smirked.


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


Starlight raised her horn in the waking world, her eyes narrowed in focus. She reached out with her magic, searching for the aura she had sensed in the dream. An amulet of dark power. She honed in on a thin trail of magic --it was going to be quite a trek. But the end result would be worth it. If it was powerful enough that she could sense a thin trail of its magic even this far north...She would never have to worry about a friend running away ever again. She searched around for her current ally.

"Luna?" She called out, making sure to wear a wide and friendly smile once more. "Princess Luna?" No voice returned. She chided herself almost immediately. Of course the Princess wouldn't help her in the waking world. It wouldn't do to be seen with such a dangerous pony, after all. She'd push Starlight in all the right directions, and then, when she'd found the dark artifacts and destroyed them, she'd swoop in and take the credit. Starlight would be pushed aside and left behind, same as ever. Associating with a rebellious unicorn would be bad publicity for Luna's little 'sanctuary', after all. Starlight huffed in resignation, trotting one hoof out in front of the other. It was alright. She was used to doing all the hard work, and used to doing it alone, too. Just a few weeks of playing along, and she'd never have to be alone again.


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


"Don't you think this is a little drastic?" Twilight cut through Celestia's thoughts with clenched teeth and a sweaty brow. "This, uh...we don't have to do this right now, y'know..."

"I agree, Twilight." Celestia took another step forward. "Our timing is poor." Twilight relaxed a little. "This meeting is long overdue." And suddenly the alicorn straightened again.

"B-but what if she still hates you? What if you lose your balance and hurt yourself, and we need to take you to one of their hospitals? What if there's some kind of trap waiting for us?" Twilight tapped her front hooves together. But, despite all her protests, she made to follow Celestia regardless.

"I think we both know this needs to happen. Whether or not she forgives me, she deserves the closure." Celestia spread out her wings. "And so do I. I have done the searching that I needed to do. It brought up memories of a pony I hurt, badly, in my attempts to bring Luna back to me. If I am to gain the piece of mind I need in order to forgive my sister...first I must learn to apologize for my own misdeeds, and try to master the emotions she has evoked in me in the past. I need to do this, and I need you to respect my need to do it."

Twilight took several breaths at this, trying to force herself into a calm. Although Celestia could still feel her trembling against her side, Twilight's voice came out strong and even. "Okay. Okay. I believe in you. And in her. Let's do this." Celestia's wing wrapped around her withers at this.

"Let's." Celestia replied. With that, the two of them stepped through the portal, stumbling out on the other side. Celestia noticed the lack of balance almost immediately. Her legs were twice their normal size, and they had peculiar lumps on their tips where normally there would be hooves. Her wings no longer existed, and instead she found one of her arms intertwined with Twilight's own by a set of small, spidery appendages. They were on each arm, and she gave a small shudder at their bizarre, insectile nature. Was she even a mammal anymore?

Other details did little to comfort her further. Her muzzle was replaced with a flattened face more at home on an owl than on a...whatever she was. She had no coat to keep her warm, but whatever this form looked like without a coat of hair, she did not know, for a flowing dress had materialized to preserve her from the exposure her new hairless body would suffer. Her barrel also felt heavy, weighed down by peculiar rolls of fat that rivaled those on her flank in size. In short, her new form was rather hideous. She looked over at Twilight, who gave a few shaky steps forward. She glared at her bipedal legs, her nose wrinkling.

"Heh, I'd forgotten how wobbly these things were." She pointed to the elongated legs with one of the strange spider-digits. The strange things at the end of their arms were like Spike's claws, but longer and more coiled. Celestia fought back a shudder. "Watch your step."

Celestia moved about slowly, clinging to Twilight for support. The portal shimmered behind them, tempting her to turn back and forget this strange world. But she could not. Would not. Not while there was so clearly a wrong she needed to right here. So she took another shaky step forward, doing her best not to capsize under the weight of her new chest-lumps. The urge to fall to all fours and crawl was very strong. But she managed, slowly letting go of Twilight bit by bit. Limping awkwardly at first, then ambling in wide, wobbling arcs. At first leaning on Twilight, then walking all by herself. She made her clumsy way from the portal out of Canterlot, walking towards the wider world.

"Is there any particular reason why you are so young in this world?" Celestia asked, glancing around at the other students with confusion. "Why are you a teenager here?" Twilight shrugged.

"This place is weird. You're like, what, twenty-five here? Same with Luna. A lot younger than in our world. Oh, also, watch out for hormones. These bodies are full of them. The first time I came here I fell for this random boy out of nowhere. And us getting touchy-feely when..."

"Yes, I appreciate the issues the current age gap might cause." Celestia sighed, wrapping her strange new arms around herself. "Do you know where we can find Sunset?"

"I...think so. I can ask around a little. Would you like to stay here while I find her?"

"I think I would prefer to speak in someplace more casual than a high school. Alone, if we can. Perhaps a restaurant, or an apartment..." Celestia began scanning her surroundings for such an establishment.

"There's a public park out back. Just walk around the school lot. I can go point Sunset in the right direction. Do you...uh, want me to be there?"

"Only if things start to decay. She may need you if this encounter goes poorly."

"What about you?"

"I am made of sterner stuff, Twilight." At the skeptical glance she gave a gentle smile. "I have survived this once, and can do so again."

"Right." Twilight bit her lip. Celestia gave her hand a squeeze, and Twilight nodded. She took a few steps away from Celestia, giving her a quick smile. "Stay safe, okay?" And then Twilight was on her way, and Celestia was alone on the bench.


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Luna returned to where Starlight was currently camping, carrying food for her new friend. It was not long now. While two weeks of marching towards Ponyville had been harder on poor Starlight, Luna had had to keep from teleporting directly. She was certain her plan was not something her sister or Celestia's replacement for her would approve of, and so discretion had been a necessary evil. Starlight had seemed to accept this well enough, although a part of her still sensed distrust in the little unicorn.

It was a necessary evil. Who else was she able to turn to? Her sister, who had made it clear to her she was no longer welcome in the company of? Her rival, who had spoiled everything between her and her only family? The foals she had helped, who had as much true power over the Equestrian government as she herself? No, this troubled unicorn at least listened, fraught though their friendship had been. And it seemed that, with every passing week, the two of them drew closer together. While Celestia and Twilight had been dealing petty politics with the elites of Canterlot at Galas and Summits, she had been spending time with a friend, building true friendships. Sneaking her food from the royal kitchens. Telling her stories around a roaring campfire of her adventures with Celestia in happier times. Listening to her tales of life in her little village. Now, flying to the outskirts of Ponyville, she was wearing one of the rare genuine smiles she had managed since after her banishment.

She was making a friend her sister had neglected. Being a good pony in ways that Celestia could not. Now, at last, they were ready to draw another into their fold, and truly begin to be her own pony with her own worth. No trailing on Celestia's wake, nopony holding her back or eclipsing her own achievements. It brought a rare proud grin to her face. She settled in front of Starlight's latest camp, folding her open wingspan to address her fellow outcast. Palace staff had informed her that Celestia and Twilight both would be away on business in the Mirror World. With no contact with the magic of Equestria, Luna and Starlight could dig up and destroy the amulet without unwanted supervision.

Starlight raised her head at Luna's arrival. "Princess!" She said, standing up all at once. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it."

"Forgive us, Starlight," Luna shook her head. "Our sister and her grovelling companion have been reaching their hooves into every nook and cranny of the palace in the aftermath of their announcement, rooting out disapproval wherever it might lurk. But now they have journeyed outside of Equestria altogether. We are alone." Luna produced a pair of shovels, just as Starlight had instructed her. The two would have to dig for the amulet, for the aura was radiating from underground. "Nopony to stop this new beginning." She smiled.

Starlight smiled her own wide smile back. "Perfect!" She said, trotting over to stand at Luna's side. "Just perfect."


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"So where are we going, anyway? And can you maybe let go of my wrist, or at least maybe slow down to speeds us mortals can keep up with?" Sunset rolled her eyes, smirking. "You've been practically yanking it off since we reached the park."

Twilight instantly let go of her wrist, shooting her a wide smile that did not reach her eyes. Her teeth clenched a bit. "Okay, but you can't run away." Twilight continued to edge towards a set of benches. Sunset gave her a flat look.

"'But I can't run away'?" Sunset laughed at her, shooting her a silly smile, "What, am I being ponynapped? It's not like I'm just gonna up and..." She caught sight of what Twilight was leading her towards, eyes widening. "...Leave."

"Hello Sunset." Celestia gave a fragile smile. "It has been some time."

"I'm not going back." Sunset took a step backward, her entire body clenching at the sight of the intruder. "I'm not leaving them. You can't make me!" She balled her hands into fists, lowering herself into a crouch. Celestia only sighed.

"That is not why I am here. I have no interest in taking you from your home or your friends. I have no wish to change the course you set for yourself. I think to do so would be to do you and this world a disservice."

Sunset stopped short. "What are you saying...?" Her shoulders still hunched, but at least her hands were no longer readied for lashing out against Celestia. "Did you set this up?" Sunset turned to Twilight, who held up her hands at the accusation.

"No, Sunset. I asked her to bring me. I will leave if you feel I should." Celestia said this evenly, her hands still folded across her lap. She did not meet Sunset's eye.

"I, uh, I actually thought it was a little soon, but.." Twilight kneaded the folds of her dress. "We talked it over. She wants to make things up to you. I know, she can be scary, but...Believe me. She's a lot nicer than everyone makes her out to be." Sunset still held a hunted look in her eyes, and at Twilight's gaze falling upon a picnic table further from the two of them, she nearly grabbed Twilight's wrist to yank her back. Twilight turned to stare into her eyes, gathering up her hands. "Please. I wouldn't have become the pony I am if it wasn't for her. All the good things you see in me are there in her. Just...give her a chance." Sunset looked away. "For me?"

At this Sunset laughed, a bit of her carefree smile returning. "Alright, but you owe me for this one. We're going to watch Cabinet in the Woodwork and The Hillbillies have Eyes next time you're over. Ghost Waif XII if we have time." 

"Fine, fine." Twilight waved a hand. "We can finally do scary movie night, alright? Just nothing with Mexican food and we're fine." Sunset raised an eyebrow. Twilight swallowed. "Long story. Look, anyway, it won't be so bad. Just...let me know if you need an out, okay?"

"Right, right." Sunset nodded. "It's just my old teach. I got this." She sighed.

Twilight looked back and forth between the two of them, her eyes at last falling upon Celestia. "If you need me, I'll be over here." She pointed to a picnic table, shuffling away as discretely as she could in her weedy human body. The pair watched Twilight go, dread rising within them with every awkward step she took away from them. 

"So I guess this is it, huh?" Sunset's gaze followed Twilight. "So...why? Why come back? Why now?"

"Please, sit." Celestia gestured to the spot on the bench next to her. Sunset did not sit. Sunset did not even deign to look at Celestia's gesture. Sunset did not move an inch. That old mask of sea ice returned, and Celestia found herself unable to say anything more.

"Why?" Sunset continued to clench herself up, prodding Celestia to give another answer.

"I find it more comfortable than standing." Celestia gave a fragile grin, then rose. "But we can do it this way if you prefer."

"Why?" Sunset hugged herself, looking away from Celestia.

"I am trying to be accommodating, for whatever that's--"

"Why are you doing this?!" Sunset threw out her arms, rounding on Celestia at last. "Why aren't you furious with me?! Why aren't you telling me how terrible I was to you?! I abandoned you! I turned an army on you! You never held back before! Go on! Tell me! We both know I deserve it! Tell me what you want to say!"

Celestia looked up at her, staring directly at that look of pain. That look of scorn. Just say it. Two words. Come on. "I missed you, Sunset Shimmer." Coward. She gave a sad little smile, "Would my hurting you make you more at ease?" The hurricane of anger broke against the waves of Celestia's calm. Sunset's pupils darted around, looking anywhere but at Celestia.

"I don't know." Sunset scowled, scuffing one foot against the concrete pathway of the park. "I don't know what I want."

"That is a mature thing to realize." Celestia bit her lip, trying to force her gaze to meet Sunset's. Trying to keep her hands at her sides, when they wanted desperately to wrap around themselves. Strange new body language to go with a strange new body. It was a continual struggle.

Sunset blew out some air, a bit of that tension in her arms releasing. It was as if she were deflating herself with the gesture. "I think I want answers. I want to know why you came back for me. I want to know why you didn't come back sooner."

Celestia stared down at her strangely human hands, studying them. "You deserve that much. But I'm afraid it's a long story, and one I do not enjoy telling." She looked up at Sunset. "I need you to listen." When Sunset did not react, Celestia continued. "You know, I wish I had met you and Twilight in the opposite order." Sunset said nothing at this, her brow wrinkling. "I made so many mistakes before meeting her." And suddenly Sunset's hackles raised again.

"You didn't have to come all the way to my dimension just to call me a mistake. Could've just said it in that stupid book of yours." Sunset rolled her eyes, pivoting towards Twilight in a single crisp motion.

Celestia gave a sad little shake of her head. "My mistake wasn't you, Sunset. My mistake was failing you." Sunset's eyes widened, her mouth falling open slightly. She looked over her shoulder to stare at the strange person in front of her. Nothing stern or angry about her. There was something brittle about the icy distance she knew so well from her world's Celestia. Something that had shifted.

Celestia's smile grew genuinely pained, a bit of the frigid mask chipping away at last. "You're wondering where this came from." She laughed an empty laugh. "When the truth is that the pony you knew was the stranger. That Celestia...the things she did." Celestia internally winced at the words as they left her mouth, but pressed on. "The things I did. They came from a place I am not proud of. Can I...explain that, at least? I think I owe you that much."

Sunset turned back to her, at last giving a weak chuckle. Unlike Celestia's, there was some genuine mirth to it. "Alright, alright. But let's actually use the benches if we're gonna crowd them."

Celestia smiled back at this. Parts of the smile even reached her eyes. "Yes, well, you always were keen to come to the things I was trying to teach you on your own terms. More the pity I could never see that."

Sunset sat down, then looked up at her. "Actually...I think you were right. To hold me back, I mean. Some of the things I wanted...It's better for Equestria I never got them. I think this place was better for me that way. I can't just magic away all my problems. I'm just another person here." Sunset smiled. "So I started acting like one."

"I am very happy for you, Sunset. I hope you believe that." Sunset gave a skeptical stare at this, so Celestia continued once more. "The Celestia you knew in this world. When you first found her, did you find her...More compassionate? More reasonable? Less demanding?"

"Actually...yeah." Sunset threw up her hands. "No offense. But you're right. I was worse when I first showed up. Felt even more like I deserved what you weren't giving me. But she found me a place to live once she heard I needed one, tried to get me to see a guidance counselor. Defended me at parent conferences. I never got it." She looked over at Celestia again. "Why is that?"

"You have a Vice Principal, yes?" Celestia looked over at Twilight. This time, she did not resist entirely. Her firsts tightened against her dress, her gaze falling to one side. "Vice Principal Luna?"

"I...yeah. In this world she's your sister."

"In mine also. And tell me, the subjects--students. The student-body. Do they like Vice Principal Luna?"

"Yeah, she's pretty popular. She's pretty funny, actually. Oh! And she knows magic, but we only ever see it at the talent shows. Fake magic. Not real magic." She tried to parse something from her company, but with every word she'd said Celestia had lowered her gaze further and further, her expression falling with it. Sunset blinked, the frown on her old teacher's face seeming out of place on her perfect features. "I don't get it. What does this have to do with us?"

"Everything." Celestia at last hauled her eyes over to meet Sunset's own. She let her arms fold around her body. Let herself bow her head. Let herself feel the old wound again. "Our world has its own Luna. Not a Vice-Princess. My equal. But of course, you're wondering where she went. What happened to her."

Sunset said nothing. Again, these emotions were alien to the being she knew as 'Princess Celestia'. Gentle patience. Scorn and disappointment. Motherly affection. That was the scope of feeling her Princess Celestia ever gave out. Twilight's Princess Celestia was another being altogether.

"The Luna in your world is popular. Fun, approachable, and dedicated. Mine was all those things and more, once upon a time. When we were still sisters. But we don't rule a high school." Celestia's arms came together at this. She forced the words out. "We had domains. Hers was dangerous, mysterious, and often ignored. Slept through rather than enjoyed. Feared and hated rather than adored. Every night ponies would utter prayers to me that her time grow shorter and mine grow longer.

"Eventually, hatred for her domain and hatred for her became tied together. I...watched this happen. I did nothing of substance. I would not force my subjects to love somepony. So," Celestia gave a chuckle that became something more strangled, her face beginning to flush, "so I let them poison my own sister. Like a responsible ruler." Another crack in the mask formed.

"I tried to comfort her. Tried to make her see their barbs did not matter, that there were some ponies who loved what she did and still loved her. But it was too little for her. I was too little for her. She grew haughty, proud and bitter. She decided to resolve her problems on her own. Her solution was what made the pony you knew. Unapproachable, incontestable, unforgiving."

"What did she do?" Sunset's heart sank with Celestia's expression. Her smile grew once more, but this time her eyes shone like glass.

"S-she tried to...murder me." Celestia shut her eyes, her arms wrapping around her torso once more. "I had to fight back. My ponies were in danger. I had to. If Luna won, she'd have starved Equestria until they feared her enough to meet her need. I had to do it. Ponies would die, and Luna might not have known when to stop. I had to do it.

"So I banished her. I sealed her away for a thousand years. Let her dream of power and hate upon the moon while I ruled. Unchallenged, unquestioned. Alone." Celestia gave a sniff, surprising herself. Hormones, Twilight had said. She sucked in a breath and set her posture straight. No more tears for Luna. She'd cried quite enough of those. "That was the mare that found you. But it might have still turned out for the better, had you had the good fortune to be born in another time. But your luck was poor. You were born in a time of great need. Luna was soon to escape her prison, and again she would attempt to kill me. I needed to protect my subjects. I needed a champion, powerful enough to stop her and face her magic with the Elements of Harmony."

"So I hurt you, even as I tried to help my subjects. The most powerful mage I had seen in four generations, a burst of hope in an era where my hope was gone. I tried...oh, Equestria, I tried. I prayed you would be equal to Nightmare Moon, the monster that my sister had become. I fed your thirst for power and for magic. You grew wonderfully...and at last I began to hope." Celestia bowed her head again, this time not looking Sunset in the eyes. "But with that hope came fear. You were proud, and haughty, and resented your fellow pony for their failure to see your potential. You were jealous of me and what luxuries my magic gave me. I saw the shadow of another pony in you, and I panicked."

"I tried to force you away from her. Away from her mistakes. But with every restriction you grew more resentful. Every new barrier ate away at your respect for me. My authority became a prison. Your magic an escape. I know this happened. I saw it happen. I learned nothing from losing my own sister. So I reaped the same result." Celestia began to twitch, her arms clenching against herself. She sucked in a gasp of air. "I didn't come back t-to punish you. I didn't come back to test you or recruit you." Now or never. Celestia let out her words in a rush of hushed oxygen. "I came back to say how sorry I am for what I did to you." Her words came out as much a hushed sob as an apology. Celestia raised her head, and this time she couldn't block the tear that ran from her fragile alien form. So instead she forced herself to look at Sunset, eyes wide and pleading. "And how...how happy I am you've found a place despite it all.

"I'm sorry, Sunset. More than you will ever know. I am so, so sorry for what I did to you. For how I treated you. I hope one day you can forgive that. Equestria knows Luna never did." She shut her eyes and sucked in another shuddering breath. "I should also say I...came back because of how...how proud I am of how you changed. Of what you've done for this world and its people. It is clear you are trying to better yourself. It is clear from Twilight's stories you are succeeding." Celestia gave a fragile smile again. "I want to be a better pony to you. I know that may be hard to believe, but it is the truth of the matter. I missed you, Sunset Shimmer, and I hope someday you can understand why our bond failed in the way it did." Celestia rubbed at her eye.

Sunset said nothing at first, looking across the park towards where Twilight was watching them. Twilight's hands were at her mouth, her teeth working at her nails and her eyes locked on Celestia's face. Eventually, she spoke up. "Why now? You could have come back any time, y'know. Put a stop to my little spree of tyranny. It wouldn't have been hard for you. Impersonate Principal Celestia long enough to get me expelled, haul me back home and put me under guards. But you didn't. You just left me here. Why?"

Celestia sighed, composing herself. "A great many reasons. The first was how busy I was. Luna's return was ever-pressing, and the searches I did send after you came up empty-hoofed. Eventually, I was forced to focus on my next apprentice and her own magical education, as well as my arrangements for when Luna inevitably attempted to do battle with me once more. The second was that I did not think finding you would be productive.

"If I were to, as you say, haul you back to our world, I doubted you would cooperate or show me great levels of gratitude. I suspected that if you wished to be found, you would make your presence known. So I let you be. The last reason was perhaps my most mature, and I came to it after some thought on the matter. Once Luna's return had been defused and I had the luxury to focus upon you, I concluded that you were right to try to forge your own path forward. You had a right to choose how you progressed, one free of quick pathways to power and overbearing teachers."

"But I didn't choose my own way forward." Sunset's head sank. "I just bullied a bunch of high schoolers until I found an artifact to fight you with. I didn't change and I didn't get better."

"Not until somepony believed in you." Celestia stressed. Sunset looked up at this. "Sunset Shimmer, you were sixteen years old when you left. Holding your failings as a student against you would reflect poorly on me, the teacher, even more than the actions themselves. Your behaviour lacked responsibility or regard for your fellow beings, but with a little patience and a little faith you grew out of that.

"If I had known where to look, I would have sent somepony I am sure. Oh, and I would have been clever about it, too. Somepony kind and caring with a lot of patience. I would have funded an expedition to explore the new dimension. Found some good ponies to suggest for it, mapped out the school myself a bit. For research reasons, of course. No direct connection to me. No pressures to find you or bring you home." She gave a shaky laugh. "I can be very witty when my sister's impending second murder attempt is not looming over my shoulders."

Sunset giggled at this, and, to her surprise, settled herself into a comfortable grin. She liked Twilight's Celestia. Twilight's Celestia was...more real. "So what happened with Princess Luna, then? I know that must not be, like, the greatest of topics for you, but..."

"Somepony saved her from her own prison, just as they saved you. Somepony who reached out a hoof and pulled her out of a crater of her own failures. The same as she did for another wayward Princess, and another wayward student."

"She does that, yeah." Sunset gave a sheepish smile.

"Do you know she used to stare up at me every Sun Celebration? Always with the most ridiculous grin on her face, like the sun coming up was the most miraculous, amazing thing the world had ever seen. The faith she has in me...in the ponies she loves...it moves mountains. It saved us both, I think. It's why I'm here today." Celestia shot a glance over at Twilight, who had a shaky grin on her face. Sunset followed Celestia's look. Twilight's grin grew stretched, and she gave a little thumbs up, ducking her head at the way the pair were staring at her. Celestia chuckled. "I only wish she could see it in herself more, try though I do."

"Yeah, actually." Sunset nodded. "That was weird. I never thought the Princess of Friendship would be so insecure. It's about the weirdest things, too. She gets all worked up about cutlery and pen placement and the number of stairs she has to go down on each foot to make an even number for each. It's a bit crazy." Sunset giggled.

"She looks up to you about that, actually. That you're so confident and smooth." Celestia smiled, turning her eyes back to Sunset. "It's been good for her. Another thing I should be thanking you for."

"Well...while we're thanking each other...thanks for coming back. It takes a lot of guts to fess up about your screw-ups. Not everyone takes it well, and...you could've just left it all to Twilight. Thanks, Princess."

Celestia gave a decidedly unprincessly snort at this title, causing Sunset to raise an eyebrow. "Something funny?"

"No, no." Celestia waved away her hand. "I just can't take the title seriously now that...long story. Ask Twilight some time." A crooked smile flashed across her gentle visage. "Her version is bound to be much more entertaining."

"Oh, this is gonna make her turn red, isn't it?" Sunset raised an eyebrow, sharing in Celestia's diabolical smile. "I'm game."

"I think on that note, I should return to my royal duties. You will forgive me that I cannot delegate everything to Twilight, I hope. The mare works herself into a rut enough as is." Celestia made to stand. Sunset stood with her.

"Actually, um...Princess Celestia. I was wondering if you might...well, come back sometimes? I missed you...too." Sunset was blushing, her hands thrust firmly into her pockets. Celestia placed a hand upon her shoulder and gave a tender smile.

"It would be my honour and privilege to do so. I always relish the chance to keep pace with my students, whether or not I was actually able to teach them." Celestia gave a wink at this, and the two of them relaxed. She made her way over to Twilight, Sunset not far behind.


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


The two stared down at the darkened amulet, both of them beaming with pride at their work. Starlight wrapped the amulet in her magic, holding it up for the two of them to admire.

Luna lifted a hoof in triumph. "Wonderous! Now we may begin to build a new society, where all ponies might--"

"Oh, we're building a new society alright." Starlight's smile darkened. "I was such a foal before. I was stupid to think the problem was destiny or Cutie Marks or free will. No, no. The problem...is you!" At this she whipped her head around, firing a spell directly at Luna. The dark amulet latched onto her chest, fueling her magic, and soon the dark red beam washed over Luna. Her eyes went wide, her jaw falling open. Black magic enveloped and began to leech at her. She could feel her magic draining, her connection to the moon wavering and fading.

"Starlight! What is the meaning of this?!"

"Oh," Starlight cooed, "did you really think I was going to build some stupid little sanctuary for you? How stupid do you think I am? The minute you had a circle of ponies that were easier to handle than me, you'd throw me away, and we both know it." Luna worked her jaw helplessly, trying to grasp at words that might repair her partner's troubled mind.

At last she seized upon the words she needed. "'Tis a lie! T'was you we wished to help most of all! Starlight, please! Let us go! We can still repair this wound together!" She struggled in Starlight's magical grip, but her fading power failed her.

Starlight pulled Luna forward, glaring directly into her horrified face. "You Princesses are all the same. Wrapping everypony else around your hoof, ignoring the hurt it causes. You threw away your own sister. Why would I think you wouldn't do the same to me?" She snickered, shaking her head. "I'm not your puppet and I'm certainly not your friend." At this she ripped Luna's cutie mark from her flank, sucking it into the alicorn amulet. Blades of magical energy formed upon Starlight's back in the shape of shimmering blood red wings. She snickered.

"But we were trying to help you!" Luna bowed her head, tears beginning to form. Starlight threw her to the ground. Black crystals erupted into a pyramid-shaped cage around Luna's hooves, forcing her away from Starlight and into a bowing posture.

Starlight only laughed at this. "Yeah right. Your sister already played the 'just trying to help' card. But it's okay, I was manipulating you anyway. I never needed you. What I needed is your magic. I've never needed friends. All I need is the right magic. And now I have it." She leered at Luna through the bars, lowering her head to spit her words directly in Luna's face. "How does it feel to be the one who gets abandoned this time, huh? You were gearing up to stab me in the back, but this time I struck first!" She spread her crimson wings, rearing up on her back legs and spreading her hooves. "But don't worry. You're going to have plenty of company. I'm going to add your sister and her teacher's pet to your little traitor's pen! Maybe they'll be your 'friends'."

Luna let the tears run freely now, her mouth and eyes wide with pleading horror. "Think of what you do! There will be no turning back from this! Think of my sister's reprisal! I cannot defend you if you travel the path of treason!"

"I don't want to turn back, Princess Luna. I'm making the rules now! I don't need your pity and I don't need your stupid laws! By the time this is over, there's only going to be one Princess in Equestria. And that's gonna be me!" Starlight vanished in a flourish of crackling red magic, a wicked smile on her face.
> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna lowered her head between the bars, her hooves no longer gripping them with the vice she had held them in before. "Foalish! Foalish!" She spat the words, glancing at the space where Starlight had been with melancholy. 

"Irresponsible!"

"Naive." Luna said.

"Villainous!"

"Redundant." Luna added.

"Traitorous!" 

"Yes, all those and--" Luna looked up. "What?" She noticed the haphazard, asymmetrical outline of the shadowed creature leaning against a nearby tree. "Oh. Tis thee." 

"Yes," said Discord, "tis we." At this he gave himself a set of pantaloons and a cravat and dress shirt, lowering himself in a flourishing bow. "How fairs the fine lady?" 

"Come to gloat, have thee?" Luna turned away as best she could within the cramped prison's confines. 

"Nonsense." Discord said, reaching a skinny claw through the bars and waving it for emphasis. At once he snapped the talon, and Luna's form became two dimensional. Careful not to tear her, Discord reached out and pulled her through the bars of the cage. He gave her a wave to iron out any wrinkles, then set the now-three dimensional alicorn down. "I'm one of the good guys, now, remember?" He gave Luna a winning smile emphasized by a set of shining doe eyes, deepening her frown. "Now, perhaps you can shed some light on what exactly it is that just happened?" 

"Tis not thine business." Luna raised her snout and turned her head. "Tis a matter between us, our sister, and our subjects. Such things are no concern of a chaos spirit."

"Mmm. Beg to differ, Your Highness." He jabbed a claw at a quaint, humble cottage a few cobblestones down. "The ponies involved might not be my subjects, but they are my friends. And one thing you ponies taught me is that friends help friends. So, when I detect a well of dark magic big enough to make Tirek drool on my best friend's doorstep," at this his smile vanished, and for the first time in her life Luna saw a look upon Discord's face that seemed more at place on Twilight's, "it becomes my business. And I want to help." 

"To what use?" Luna lowered her head, tears threatening to form again. "Mine sister will handle it. She will forgive me once more," Luna tensed at this, beginning to tremble, "for things not deserving of forgiveness!" She choked out the next words through fresh tears. "She will box us away again, without care for how we feel about our own transgressions. Pretending they did not happen! Pretending we have right to a crown again, or power. Never allowing us to redeem ourselves! Perfectly preserved in our lonely, shameful corner of her Grand Plan for Equestria."  Luna lowered her head, tears falling freely now. "Nay. We shall not allow her thus. We shall abdicate, and leave Equestria to ponies who want and deserve it." She shuddered again, more tears falling. At this Luna felt a claw raise her chin, much like her sister would do for her. She tried to open her mouth to give protest to the action, but was cut off by a pie to the face. She spluttered, spreading her wings to raise her voice at Discord. "How dare thee?!" 

"Oh, do forgive me, Lulu. I can't stand a stick in the mud." Discord leaned back against thin air and sighed at this, waving away his Renaissance garments with a claw. He jabbed his claw at her, a medal with a sheepish-looking Luna appearing around her neck. "Congratulations, your Royal Highness! You have the distinction of having made a royal error." Discord winked at this, Luna rolling her eyes. 

"Why are we even paying thee attention?" She threw the medal off her neck with a flick of her head and her magic, stomping her hooves. "We must make haste if we are to disappear quietly." 

"Another one for my collection, then. I suppose we'll talk once the day has been saved." Discord sighed theatrically, levitating the medal and dusting it off. He smirked, opening a case filled with them in front of Luna. The glint from the medals caught Luna's eye. She winced, her face falling at the onslaught of light. But then she found herself staring at her own sister's face grinning sheepishly at her, and she did a double take. 

"What did my fair sister do to earn such mockery?" She tried to keep the bitter scowl from her face. She could also see an image of Twilight, Rarity and Spike. In each case the subject looked as if they had been caught sneaking a dessert after midnight. Discord himself was there twice, and there were spaces reserved for herself, Cadance, and the others among Twilight's own circle of friends. The medal nestled itself in the center of the case--her very first. In the center of all the medals of shame was a key, which likely slotted into that box Celestia had mentioned in praising her better for the thousandth-odd time. 

"Well, now, this one was for Celestia nudging Tirek and I into an alliance together. A tiny oopsie that very nearly resulted in the end of freedom in Equestria. Sorry about the brief stay in the Tartarus penthouse, by the by. I can't imagine it being much more comfortable than being turned to stone." He shrugged, his arms detaching from his shoulders to hover in the air. "Or the moon."  

"And Twilight Sparkle?" 

"Really, I should give her about a dozen more with half of what she's going to do I'm sure. For now I only know about the time she swapped the destinies of all her friends and almost broke the bonds in the Elements of Harmony. Quite an embarrassing prelude to an ascension, I would say." 

"Twilight's coronation was shadowed by an error that grand?"

"Of course! I mean, she didn't handle things perfectly when she was saving you did she?" Discord snickered. "Despite the lines Celestia may feed her about being ever so wonderful, the truth of the matter is her plans tend to be full of holes that other ponies need to patch." 

"My sister never mentioned such a thing." 

"Pfft! Duh! She's in love, my gloomy compadre!" At this Discord summoned a diaper and a bow and arrow, poising like he was about to fire a shot, "Of course she didn't focus on that."

"What else has she hidden from me about Twilight's missteps?"

"You may be missing my point." Discord launched the arrrow directly at Luna, but it curved itself to sail over her head instead of striking at her. She snarled at this, rounding on Discord. He levitated the box of medals up between them, holding up a STOP sign and pointing back down at it. Her gaze flicked to the medal showing Twilight, her lips curling back in a scowl at the sight of her replacement's visage. Then she caught sight of her reflection. The look of anger, of bitterness and scorn that stared back at her was the spitting image of Starlight Glimmer's. "I think you'd do yourself a lot of good if you could only take a breather or two. Thinking before we rush off into trouble again. Yes?" 

She looked back up to Discord, her expression falling into one of remorse. "You are correct. What doth the others portray?" 

Discord pointed to each in turn. "This one is the time my plundervines almost destroyed Equestria, that over there is Rarity's close encounter with dark magic of the fashionable kind, and over here's the magical comic book business. This one," he pointed at the key in the middle, "used to be a medal owned by a creature named Scorpan. I keep it to remind me of the time I tried to sell my friends out to Tirek, was betrayed by him, ended up locked in a cage and had my magic stolen." Discord waved a claw. "Ringing any bells?" 

"So...thou pities us?" At once the urge to turn around struck her. But then she paused, remembering similar words coming from Starlight's own mouth. Luna bit back her feelings of shame. She was not Starlight, and she was not going to scorn this new chance.  Besides, on a second look she could see that Discord's expression was not one of mockery. His smile had fallen away for the second time in the conversation. She paused, and to his credit, Discord allowed her to sort her thoughts. Did he feel some measure of sadness at his actions? At their result? She decided to test the waters. "Thou wishes to help truly, out of sympathy?"

"Ding, ding, ding! Answer goes to Luna." Discord handed her a scorecard. She tossed it aside with a roll of her eyes, but found the corners of her mouth tugging upwards. "I've been on the receiving end of these new 'second chances' things that are all the rage in Equestria right now. I can't help but nudge in on the fad myself, especially when you have a pout that cute." 

"I am not cute!" Luna snapped, her face falling into one of the pouts that had already been mentioned. Discord snickered, earning him a firm glare.

"With a pout like that you might even be cuter than Twilight." Discord gave her a knowing smile. Luna wrestled with the thought, a cornucopia of emotions flickering across her face in short order. 

"I--you--we--thou art impossible!" She stomped her hooves, huffing.  

He smirked again at this, leaning against nothing in particular. "I apologize. You have very important self-pitying to do. I would hate to rain upon your parade." At this he summoned a cotton candy cloud above his and Luna's heads. He pulled a gigantic funnel out from behind a wing, snapped his fingers, and began to drink the rain that would otherwise have been landing on her. Luna stared at him as if he had just broken her favourite vase. Discord smirked at her. Luna scowled at him. He bounced his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes. When they had finished rolling, they landed upon an extended claw, and Discord's own gaze following her hooves. With a deep breath, Luna calmed herself again.

I am not Starlight. "Fine. We--I accept your help." Luna raised herself back up to her full height. She paused, once, twice, but then took the hoof for herself. "Never mind the chances thrown to Twilight Sparkle. Never mind ou--my mistakes. I will take the chance you throw to me." 

"Really?" Discord pulled away the funnel, allowing some of the chocolate rain to land upon Luna. Despite herself, she found herself sticking out her tongue to catch some of the rain drops. Once she had caught her fill, the rain stopped, and she turned back to Discord. 

"Truly." She found a gigantic curly straw being thrust in her direction, jabbing into her once or twice for effect. Luna took it in her magic, and Discord levitated the cloud down to where both could enjoy it. Luna's expression lightened, and she gladly began drinking up the delicious contents of the cloud like an enormous inky blue hummingbird. Once it had dried, the two began to eat the cloud in globs. 

Only once it was finished did Luna catch herself smiling. The thought that she did not deserve such a smile pulled the joy from her face, but before Discord could offer a new form of whimsy, she brought their attention back to the current situation. "You say the dark magic Starlight wields offends your senses, yes?" 

"Yes, I know where she is, if that is what you're asking." 

"Teleport us in front of her." Luna said firmly. Then paused. "By 'us', I mean 'me'. Teleport me in front of her. Directly." 

"And let you get blasted to ashes? Hardly. We only just got to talking! I'm not just going to let you martyr yourself on the first dark magic beam you come across." 

"Nay. Tis not a foalish sacrifice I stand to make. Starlight will want mine sister's magic, and I have a plan to stop her. But I will need your help." With this Luna's gaze hardened, mirroring an expression she had seen many times on her replacement. 

Discord expanded his ears until they were large enough to eclipse most of his body. "I'm all ears." 

"Tell me when the dark magic storm in Canterlot has died down. Then, teleport me in front of Starlight before she can cast again. She will want to drain my sister's magic. I have seen her schemes, and they are all blunt, abrupt and reliant on superior magic. Misdirect that blunt force and it may fall in on itself. She cannot drain me twice, so I shall be the one to draw her attention." Discord stared directly into Luna's eyes, his mismatched pupils searching her for any sign of deception. But instead he found an earnest gaze staring back, hardened with determination in a way that reminded him of the pony who had sprung him from his own cage of shame. With a small nod, he raised his talon and readied it to snap, waiting on the right moment. 

"And Discord?" Luna watched Discord's claw extending to help her once more. "Thank you."


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


Celestia took shaky steps back out of the mirror world, a timid smile upon her face. She pulled Twilight in closer, the two of them nuzzling together. "Perhaps now I might find some greater peace with Luna." 

"I'm always here if you need--." Twilight's reassurance was cut off by the sight of a dark void gathering around them. 

The pony that stepped from the vortex of churning magic was at once familiar and utterly alien. It was clear from the coat and mane that this being of dark energy had, at one point, been Starlight Glimmer. Much the same, it was equally clear from the crimson energy trails that flowed from her eyes, the tainted artifact that was wrapped around her neck and the dark red aura that surrounded her horn that this pony was no longer fully the rebellious unicorn Celestia had saved Twilight and company from. Her toxic sneer made her intentions clear as day, but she regardless felt the need to launch into the obligatory mad rant that ponies wrapped in the power of dark magic so oft gravitated towards. 

"Surprised to see me again, Princess? Surprised I didn't just crawl away when you pulled your little strings and upended my little town, hmm? Well I have news for you. It didn't have to be this way. It could've been peaceful. It could've been easy. You all could have joined us willingly! But now, oh, now you've shown me just who and what I'm up against. I needed the power to compensate, and I have it now! So to Tartarus with you and your little Princess Junior, too!"

Celestia stepped in front of Twilight. "Twilight, run. Gather your friends. We will need--" 

"The Elements. We need the Elements of Harmony." Twilight teleported in front of Celestia. "This time you have to run, Princess. This time I have to..." She looked at Starlight's twisted grin and gulped. "I'll be fine. Go!" 

"No, Twilight." Celestia pulled her back. "Her quarrel is with me. I cannot let you do this for me." 

"I just hate seeing ponies in conflict, you know. Tell you what, I'll blast you both!" Starlight's magic rippled like an ocean, sucking inwards for a moment, and then blasting out with the force of a tidal wave focused into a single beam. Celestia raised a quick shield, but already the cracks began to show. She poured more of her magic into it, but still it would not hold. Twilight added her own magic to the shield. 

"I'm doing it because it's right! Because it's what a Princess would do! Don't you think I'd just love to impress you again if I could?! But that's not what you need right now, and--and--" She swallowed. "It's not what I need either! I need you to listen to me, right now! I need you to find your friends and bring them back here!" The shield began to crack further, even with Twilight's contribution. "I need you to trust me, Princess!" The shield surrounded with cracks, and they both flinched under the sound of it preparing to shatter. 

Celestia took once last glance back at Twilight, her wings trembling. In her mind's eye she saw a column of light thrusting Twilight to the surface of the moon. She saw Twilight trapped in a vanishing city, slipping just out of her hooves. She heard a voice whisper 'this is the biggest mistake you'll make in your entire life', Twilight vanishing into the shimmering surface of a mirror. To Twilight's shock, Celestia's eyes shone with tears. But when Celestia saw the look in Twilight's eyes, she remembered. 

She remembered worries of sending Twilight against Nightmare Moon evaporating in the morning sun. Twilight's battle with Sombra, ending with the Crystal Empire returned forever. Leading her and Sunset to that park bench, trusting them to reconnect. Completing Starswirl's spell, defeating Tirek where Discord had not. Her faith rewarded again and again, each time a new joy she once had lost returned to her. Celestia spread her wings, giving a solemn nod and whispered prayer that Twilight stay safe once more. Unnoticed by either, a red light began to shine between them, but it was so small, so nervous, that it was drowned out by the burning array conjured up by Starlight in response. 

"I love you, Twilight." Her voice strained. "Promise me you'll stay safe." The shield shattered, and Celestia prepared to launch herself away from a magic drain. Starlight shot the spell forward, but Celestia's leap in response was cut off by a teleport. 

Luna materialized between Celestia and the beam, the magic drain cutting off all at once. The eyes of all the room's ponies were on her. Luna rounded on Starlight, spreading her wings to shield the two alicorns behind her. "Thou shalt bully my sister no more, traitor!" Starlight worked her jaw uselessly at the sight. Luna began to back towards Celestia, still shielding her with her open wings. "I shall not see you drag her into a quarrel you have with me." She bumped into Celestia, and at this wrapped a wing around her, her body shielding Celestia's own. Resolute, she ended with. "I will guard her to the last." 

"You can't stop me!" Starlight wrapped her magic around Luna, trying her best to pull Luna away from Celestia. "You have no magic and no power! You're not going to be able to--oof!" Starlight was bowled over by a Spinning Faceplant, Twilight's earthpony strength and the incredible momentum knocking her silly. She and Twilight skidded to the end of the room. 

"Luna! You have to go with Celestia!" Twilight pressed a hoof to the dizzied Starlight's horn. "I already hold an Element! You have to help her find Loyalty!" Starlight smacked a hoof into Twilight, knocking her to one side. She again began to try to charge a spell aimed at Celestia, but Twilight recovered in time to kick her squarely in the jaw. The spell went wide. "Go!"

Celestia gathered up Luna, giving Twilight one last regretful look, and then teleported herself and Luna to the skies above Canterlot. She began to search the noble districts for Fleur-De-Lys icons, flying low to the ground and searching far and wide. 

"How did you get here, Lulu?" Celestia said the words with some hesitance. "You said she had a quarrel with you. How did she get your magic? And why did she seem to dismiss you like she'd already won?" 

"We...we tried to help her. She was alone, and hurt, and scorned by you." Luna lowered her gaze. "We thought to help her with those feelings, feelings we know all too well." Celestia stiffened. Luna looked back. "But her hurt ran too deep, her betrayal and loss too much a part of her nature. She turned on the pony trying to help her, using us instead of trusting us. Dragging us down instead of pulling herself up." Luna began to tear up once more, shutting her eyes. "Feelings you know all too well." 

Celestia said nothing to this, her flight carrying her from street to street with pristine and perfected movements. She lit up her horn and began the process of lowering the sun. Almost like clockwork, she began to raise the moon as well. Luna watched her sister's face twitch against pains both past and present. The same weights that pulled at Celestia's face also sank Luna's heart, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

A thought brought Luna's spirits out of their downward spiral. She cracked a timid smile, despite herself. "T'was the chaos demon, Discord, who came to aid us. Strange, tis it not?" 

"Strange is his style of choice." Celestia gave a small smile at that, looking away from the rising moon. 

"He said he had done similar things to helping Starlight and suffering her betrayal during Tirek's time, and showed us a way forward. A way forward of chocolate milk, cupid arrows and game shows, but a way forward no less." Luna brightened at Celestia's smile, which by now was a smirk. "He helped us to return to our senses...and to find the resolve to do better." 

"Something I'll have to thank him for, when we next cross paths." Celestia's face fell into a neutral expression once more, her eyes catching a manor with a gate decorated with golden Fleur De Lys knockers. 

Luna paused, searching Celestia's face. Seeing no expression at all, she opened her mouth once more. "Sister, I am sor--" 

"Oh yes. You're sorry." Celestia's tone was flat. She descended to rest in front of the estate, her magic wrapping the knocker with robotic practice. "I'm sorry, too. We're all sorry." At this Celestia ceased to carry Luna, gently but firmly forcing her onto her own hooves. 

Luna stumbled, unable to find a good footing. She turned to face Celestia. "Sister?" 

Celestia's smile returned at this, though it did not reach her eyes or ears. "It's nothing. It was thoughtful of you to try to help her, Lulu. But some ponies will never reward your efforts, no matter how many you make. Some ponies are not Discord, and will only reward your attempts to reach out with petty selfishness, no matter how much you sacrifice, never heeding how much you care. But worry not. I am sure, once we have finished undoing her corruption, she will be very sorry for what she did to you." 

"Sister..." Luna only bowed her head at this, shrinking back inside herself. Her wings drooped towards the ground. Before either could say anything further, the grand door opened to reveal a noble pony.

Fleur De Lys stood in the doorway with a furrowed brow and widened eyes. "Princess Celestia? Princess Luna? Is that you?" 

"It is good to see you, Fleur De Lys." Princess Celestia spread her wings and gave her a smile. 

Fleur blushed at this, but caught on very shortly. With a sweeping bow, she added. "Were you looking for me?" 

All at once, Celestia's emotions came flooding back. Her sister might require Royal handling, but her would-be friends did not. The imposition she was about to thrust upon Fleur made her hesitate. If she were to simply thrust such a thing on a pony--"My sister requires thine help in restoring harmony to Equestria." Unfortunately for her, Luna held no such reservations or restraint. 

Fleur tilted her head at this, scanning Luna for some kind of mirth. She did not find any signs that this was a prank on the lunar ruler's part, but what she did notice caused her brow to furrow. "Never mind Equestria. What happened to you?" 

"Nothing we did not deserve." Luna shrugged. "Tis not important at the--" 

"You have muscular atrophy as well as a discoloured coat. What have you eaten recently?" Fleur looked Luna up and down with narrowed eyes. Luna scoffed. 

"An entire cloud of woven sweets and seven tankards worth of milk with added cocoa." She replied. 

"So you're running on pure sugar right now. Right, we're getting you some real food. I know malnourishment when I see it, and from the look of your Cutie Mark it seems to be magical in origin, too. That's not something anypony deserves. Come on, come on." She looked to Celestia briefly, then shook her head and marched to the gates. She threw them open with a flourish of magic and reached out to grab Luna by the hoof. The startled princess yelped, any protest cut off by the force with which Fleur carried her towards the living room. She practically threw Luna against a sofa, raising a hoof at the strangled protest Luna gave. "I'm not going anywhere until you're looked after. I'm putting on some beans, you're going to get some water in you in the meantime and you," she nodded to Celestia, "need to explain what happened here." 

"I like this pony." The addled Princess Luna noted. "Where did you meet her?"

"A pony has drained her magic." Celestia said, ignoring Luna. Luna looked at her hooves. "You are right that she will need help in recovering her strength. I will be travelling to Ponyville shortly, searching for a group of ponies I know that are--" Celestia said the words slowly, pacing them out so that she might find an appropriate wording. "I will need a place to gather them, perhaps in the street outside. The ponies have a set of artifacts, of sorts, and in order to activate them, I must make...I must remind myself of my--" 

"She must gather the ponies she calls 'friend' to activate the Elements of Harmony!" Luna stressed, forcing herself into the stalling conversation. "She considers you among them, and hopes you will join us in bringing them to bear against a threat to the kingdom." Celestia froze at this, her eyes breaking contact with Fleur's and her teeth straining behind her smile. Twilight would have noticed her ear drooping. "Thou art a pony of concern and plain thinking by the impressions we have noted. Will you not help her?"

"Luna!" Celestia hissed. "We can't simply force Fleur to help us out of necessity. That isn't how the Elements work. Fleur, I must apologize for my sister. This must be a terrible imposition for you, and I am hesitant to ask to begin with. I will understand if you feel overwhelmed, or unable to help."

"Honesty tis one of the Elements, tis it not? Let us speak to her plainly. Tis her decision--allow her to make it." Luna did not so much as flinch at Celestia's glare.

"Now doesn't seem to be the time for the patient approach." Fleur gave Celestia a wink, trotting between the two. "Yes, it's a little sudden, but I do appreciate getting the whole story at once." Celestia's gaze remained focused on Luna, but Fleur turned herself back to Celestia. "I'm flattered to hear that you think of us as friends. I do want to help, if you're in trouble." She smirked at Celestia. "You know that's the sort of thing I live for." 

Luna raised a hoof in triumph. "Wondrous! Stay where you are and make ready for our re--" 

Fleur cut her off. "You aren't going anywhere like that. Not until you're healthy enough to walk out of here without collapsing, which I have my doubts about." She turned to Celestia. "Do what needs doing. I'll look after her."  

Luna pursed her lips. "Sister, we do not have the time for me to--" 

"Starlight is after me, not you. She won't notice the detour if she's as far gone to dark magic as she looked. I will go to Ponyville and alert my other friends. For now," Celestia began to light her horn, her eyes no longer following Luna, "I need you to guard the house in case Starlight comes after the two of you. You have the strength to hold her off. I trust you." Though her tongue said she trusted her, Celestia's clenched wings and strained smile said far more. Her words hollow as the mask she wore. 

Luna opened her mouth. "Sister--" But at Celestia's expression, Luna bit her tongue once more. Words of regret would be as hollow now as Celestia's words of forgiveness. Words of forgiveness that had done nothing to soothe her from her guilt. Luna's words of anger had done nothing to sway her sister from Twilight Sparkle's side. Her words of compassion had done nothing to win the trust of Starlight, to whom she had done nothing truly wrong. All these gestures paled to the pain Celestia had endured by her, the same pain Luna had felt a fraction of at Starlight's hooves. She could not stop the wince that came when she multiplied that pain across the span of a thousand years. What words could hope to upend that? What words could bring true forgiveness in light of so many acts that eclipsed them all? So the words of apology fled her mouth. She shook her head. "Tis...nothing." Luna looked away. "We wish thee luck. And tell thine friends the truth of what thou wish. Thou art...a caring pony...and they will know this, if they truly do deserve thine kindness." 

Celestia nodded stiffly at this, a frown spreading at Luna's defeated expression and bowed head, but she spread her wings regardless. In a flash of golden light, she was gone.  


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


Sweet Apple Acres was quiet this late in the afternoon. The harvest of apples and turnips were currently waiting in bins that would be brought to Ponyville market in the next day, Winona had been freshly walked and dinner had just finished cooking. Applejack was getting drinks, Big Macintosh was transporting pots of mashed potatoes and tomato soup to the table. Applebloom was setting the table. Missie herself took in a deep whiff of soup, carrying rolls and green beans with practiced ease. Just as she began to settle in, a knock came at the door. Applejack jumped up with an 'on it!' before Missie could so much as speak, leaving her to shake her head and smirk. 

The door opened to reveal none other than Princess Celestia herself, causing the assembled Apples to bow. The assembled apples save Missie, who instead set down the rolls and beans and then looked to Celestia with a raised eyebrow. "Missie, I am terribly sorry to have to impose upon you like this." Celestia began. "But I have little time, and I need your help." 

"After ya kicked me outta my rocker and got me back out doin' what I love? 'Course." Missie's confused look turned to a smile. She plucked a walking stick from where it leaned next to the doorway, turning back to the family. "These ponies 're big enough what kin git their own suppers. Keep some waitin' for me till I get back, ya hear?" She then turned back to Celestia. "What all do ya need?"

"I will be happy to explain in a moment. We must travel to Canterlot first, and I can explain on the way." Celestia paused at the hoof Missie held up, one hoof resting against the walking stick. 

"Ya know my policy, yer Majesty. If'n ya can't give me the plain truth..."

"I know. It is simply--this is a family matter. I would prefer to keep it between us." She nodded at Applejack and Big Mac. Granny mulled this over, but gave a small nod. 

"Well, let's all git out of ma kitchen, then. I trust ya to honour yer word." Missie nodded to Celestia, who lit her horn. With a flash of light, they appeared back in Canterlot's upper class district. 

"It is a slight walk, but I can tell the way from the signature of my last teleport. Scattering them should make tracking us difficult." She began to walk at a relatively brisk pace, allowing Missie to lean against her so they could walk at the same rate.  

Missie did a double take. "Trackin' us?! What all in tarnation is trackin' us?! This one o' them adventures in savin' the kingdom what y'all got Applejack runnin'? An' what's all this 'bout a family matter?" 

"Please. Allow me to explain, as I promised I would." Celestia turned back to Missie, looking her directly in the eyes. Despite her drooping ear, her gaze was firm. "I will cover as much as I can in the time that we have." 

"A'right, a'right. I'm listenin'." Missie leaned back against Celestia's side, using the walking stick to help her keep to the pace as best she could. The two ambled towards Fleur's house at a decent clip. 

"I...You recall when Applejack and Twilight were called away by a magic affecting their Cutie Marks while we discussed our old history?" Missie gave a 'mm-hmm?' at this, prompting Celestia to continue. "The magic turned out to be a map, and the map led them to meet a powerful unicorn named Starlight Glimmer who engaged in stealing their Cutie Marks. While this occurred, my sister visited me in dreams in the hopes of convincing me to break off my relationship with Twilight." 

"Well ain't that plum rotten!" Missie shook her head. "But don't you listen none to that. Family's always kickin' up nonsense 'bout who all you date. As if it were any o' their business what all yer love life is like." She paused a minute, biting the inside of her cheek with a sheepish smile. "Fell into doin' some o' that meself, when I wasn't half as clever. Point is, don't you pay yer sister no heed on that crock o' spoiled potatoes."

"I tried not to." Celestia chuckled. "Luna grew upset by this, and I...may have said some things I now regret." Celestia paused, cutting off Missie's reply with an observation of her own. "No, I suppose I merely regret how I said them. I believe they needed to be said." 

"Think so?" Missie raised an eyebrow. 

"I do. A wise pony taught me that true families speak plainly with each other, and that they stick together through all hardships, no matter how fractured. It was...very liberating, if I am to be honest. To tell her how I truly felt, and express why I felt as I did." Celestia spread her wings a bit at the memory, a small smile on her face. 

"Well, that's mighty lovely, but what all does it have ta do with yer troubles now?" Missie's voice lowered, her face darkening. "She git herself into trouble again?"

"In a respect, yes. She and I intervened in the adventure Twilight and Applejack went on in different ways. We were both upset, and both dealt with these emotions in regrettable ways. I inserted myself into the adventure Twilight and Applejack went on, endangering myself and upending Twilight's autonomy in the process. This had poor consequences of its own, but Twilight and I managed them. Luna...attempted to console the villain they defeated. I do not know the details, but I know that in her heart Luna was trying to help. Still, in some manner or other she led the rogue unicorn in question, Starlight Glimmer, to a dangerous magical artifact. Now Starlight is attempting to amass as much magic as she can, in the hopes of remaking the world in her own image."

"Probably with some kinda crazy scheme in mind to shape the entire country sideways." 

"Starlight is quite dangerous." Celestia confirmed. 

"Wasn't talkin' 'bout her." Celestia did not meet Missie's eye. She only clicked her tongue at this. "Can't say y'outta be surprised it turned out that way. Always thought ya handled all that dark magic business with yer sister like a rich pony payin' their kid outta county jail." Missie shook her head. 

"I beg your pardon?" Celestia leveled an even stare at Missie, who didn't so much as flinch at her old friend's offense. 

"Beggin' yer pardon, but sendin' crazy ponies after my friends ain't the worst Princess Luna's done to me and mine." Missie stared Celestia straight in the eye, leaning forward on one side and stretching her eyelids wide open to emphasize her disapproval. "Ya say that ya wanna be treated just like everypony else? Yer gonna git an earful just like everypony else. Mah farm and family's in danger on account o' this, just like it was a'fore when yer sister decided the sun wouldn't raise no more. Know what apples need ta grow? Sun! What yer sister did then was wrong! Ta you, yer friends, and 'specially to all yer little subjects what don't even mess around with magic none. But she didn't see none o' that on accounta you tryin' ta cover for her, play it down like what all she did was nothin'. Well it weren't! Apple Bloom don't learn lessons none til she sees her actions have consequences--yer sister didn't learn nothin' on account of ya didn't give her consequences to her actions. Same crown, same position, same strains 'tween the two of ya, and same result. 

"Course ya sister ran off and turned on ya. S'all she knows how to do when things don't go her way! Ya want yer sister ta change? Show her why she needs ta change! Let us wee ponies what can't fight back against her dark magic none decide if'n we forgive her or not, and what all she needs ta do ta make it up to us. Don't we git a say in yer sister's dips inta dark magic? Ain't our lives on the line, too? Let us give'er the justice what's comin' to her, let her learn from the mistakes she makes and earn the forgiveness she asks fer. Otherwise, y'all are gonna be fightin' the same back-n-forth fer the next thousand years or more!" Missie settled on her walking stick, her eyes darting to Celestia's mouth every time it opened to protest. Once she concluded, Celestia spoke up again.

"And what of her feelings? Being scorned by the public was what brought her to dark magic the first time. Their contempt now would only make things worse." Celestia shook her head. "No, I will handle Luna, as I have always done--"

"Given' it's worked out so well the last two times, yeah. Tell ya what. You take her fancy-pancy magic away and let her do some honest work for us common ponies and we'll see how all she deals with bein' 'scorned' and 'contempted', eh? Places like Ponyville are communities, an' hard labour is a good way to whip a pony like that inta shape. You leave it to us plain folks to sort her out some, and we'll leave it ta you to bring her back inta government when she's learned some respect fer the ponies she's s'posed to be leadin', eh?" Granny settled into a confident stride, and Celestia noticed that as the aging mare spoke, she began to lead Celestia as opposed to the other way around, her limp already forgotten. 

The two of them caught sight of the gate with golden Fleur-De-Lys, Celestia turning to Missie with some effort and giving a strained smiled. With a sigh, Celestia said. "I cannot simply throw my sister to the public." 

"Ya don't trust yer subjects, then?" Missie said pointedly. 

"I..." 

"Didn't you spend half the White Tail Wood's air supply tellin' me a good ruler don't let conflicts o' interest cloud their judgement, huh? Ya really think we're gonna just toss her away like nothin'? Don't sound like the ponies I know ta me. Don't sound like the ponies you look after, neither. Trust me, Majesty. She needs help, and she ain't gettin' it by you coddlin' her and keepin' she an' us separated. Nightmare Night worked out fer all of us, didn't it?" Celestia paused at the knocker, a hoof to her chin. With a lasting sigh, she finally conceded. 

"I will take all you have said into consideration. And--" Celestia held up a hoof at Missie's open mouth. "When this is over, you and I can talk at length about what to do with Luna. It will not be easy, but..." Celestia sighed. "What you say makes sense to me. But I need time to process it, and find a way forward that is good for all of us. Right now I need to stop the threat to Equestria." Missie considered, still looking unconvinced. "But, when the time comes, I swear on my crown I will consult with you and the rest of Equestria's citizens on what to do with Luna, and do my utmost to ensure she sees justice, whatever that may be." Missie nodded at this at last. With a strained smile, Celestia turned her attention back to the knockers, raising a handle in her magic. 



Fleur returned from the kitchen. "Alright, beans are getting ready and I've got some water here. These are some blankets to get your core temperature back up." Fleur seated herself opposite Luna. "Now, tell me what's all gone on here."

Luna paused, taking the water in her hooves and sipping slowly. "A unicorn stole our magic." Luna's gaze was intense, and her words plain. "She hopes to use it, along with my sister's, to rule Equestria as a society of equal slaves under her iron will."  She made no effort to hide her emotion behind her words, either. Her head sank with every word, her ears and eyes both dropping and her shoulders tensing. "I was swept up in folly, and used by her plan for her own purposes." Fleur placed a hoof against Luna. 

"That sounds like it was more her fault than yours."  

"But it was! We encouraged her, came to her. We tried to forge a new country of our own with her, against mine sister's own wishes, and against the ponies of Equestria!" She paused, her eyes widening. "Even now we betray Equestria by spreading news of such things so freely." She sank her head into her blankets, refusing to look Fleur in the eyes. 

Fleur wrinkled her nose at this. "Listen, you. I don't play noble's games and I am not a ladder-climber. Celestia came to me for a reason. You already noticed that yourself. You've answered my questions, and my questions have been aimed at helping you. You're not a traitor and I'm not, either. I'm just trying to figure out why you helped one, given how much you seem to regret doing it." 

Luna's head sank, her eyes squeezing shut. "She was...she was alone, and in pain. She was searching, desperately, for another pony to hold onto. We hoped to be that pony, for her and for others. Because loneliness is the cruelest of pains, and we wished to see her freed of it. We wished to be a way forward to a better future. But she could not trust, would not trust, and we were naive enough to believe her lies."

Fleur raised an eyebrow, her ear perking up at the sound of boiling coming from the kitchen. "And that's why you were worried about me using you just now, right? Because when you trusted her..." 

Luna's eyes opened back up, looking at the floor. "And now we have insulted you also. It seems we can do no right--" 

"I'm made of tougher stuff than that, Princess Luna. You're gonna have to try harder than that to get rid of me. Right now you deserve a rest, and some time to think over your mistakes. Trying to help somepony isn't a bad thing, believe me. But it isn't always easy, and sometimes we bring our baggage into it and mess it up. Try to figure out what went wrong while I get us some food." Fleur trotted off to retrieve the soup. 

Luna looked up upon Fleur's return. "Tis strange, though. Sister did not always surround herself with contemporaries like thee. Her past peers were like her, never speaking their minds plainly." Luna ceased to sip the water, pulling the blankets around her tighter. "Once she would place trust in subjects who meant to fall into our good graces to hold greater sway with her. Or who wished to threaten us as a way to get her to bend to them. Tis odd to see how things have changed."

Fleur pursed her lips. "Like I said: it isn't easy helping ponies, and we make mistakes along the way. Celestia said she made a lot of on the way to becoming the ruler she is." Luna's eyes went wide, her jaw falling open. 

"Sister confessed to...making mistakes? In what regard?" 

"A lot of things, actually. But she mostly focused on how she pushed too hard for more education, and had trouble noticing the consequences of her actions. It ended up creating things like the EEA." Fleur sighed. "Stars know I would love to never have them breathe down my neck again. 'No funding for griffon schools' my--anyway. She got overeager. That's kind of what we were joking about earlier. There are times for the patient approach and times for the active approach. Right now, she needs a more active approach and I need a more patient approach."

Luna merely tilted her head, her brow furrowing more and more as Fleur went on. "Sister never admits to anything but perfection. How didst thou coax such a confession from her, let alone such a resolution?" 

"Maybe your sister changed while you were away." Fleur shrugged. "The pony I know gave some pretty good advice, and had some good things to say about my own advice. It kind of went both ways." 

"You gave advice she listened to?" Luna blinked. 

"She asked for it, actually. She was a bit nervous at first, but she listened once I eased up a little." 

"Nervous? Her?"

"You better believe it, sister." Fleur giggled. "She wasn't just patient and understanding and all that, she was kind of scared and worried, honestly." Fleur paused. "She mentioned being nervous about Twilight in particular." 

"Of course she would." Luna rolled her eyes, the bitterness again creeping into her words. "She believes with all her heart that Twilight Sparkle is the best thing to happen to herself and Equestria in its entire history. If she is showing nerves, it is because she believes Twilight Sparkle is even more perfect than herself, and in her worship of the mare she has come to see herself as inferior."

"That...doesn't really match up with the stories she told. I think she's always felt this way, and Twilight just let her show it." Fleur countered. 

"Tis not the sister we have known." Luna sulked.  

"Yeah...and I have to wonder why that is. The Celestia I know has been charitable to every pony we've met. She's been patient, she's admitted to her failings and she's worked hard to overcome them. But that didn't seem to be a new thing. She had a lot of stories from her past about doing that. It is true that she's had trouble explaining herself. But that doesn't come from arrogance, it comes from an anxiety about talking about herself. Kind of the opposite of arrogance, really."

"Then why does it seem that every act she does is an act against ourselves?" Luna sighed. "Why does it seem like as she thrives, we fail. We wish to see the pony thou doth."

"I think it's a matter of perspective. I'm a subject trying to do the things she tried to do when she was younger. Her for ponies, me for griffons, but it's still there. For you...you're a Princess, too, right? The Other Princess?"

"The lesser Princess." Luna scowled. "Celestia's shadow."

"Then of course she would seem hostile to you. You're her rival. If there's one thing that my upbringing taught me about ponies, it's that competition can bring out the worst in us." Fleur shrugged. "I'm really glad my brother didn't follow me into charity. I can't imagine what it'd be like if we worked in the same place at the same job."

Luna nodded glumly. "A job we never wanted. But it was our duty. Our destiny."

"Well," Fleur paused. "Your talent was raising the moon, right? Dream magic and sleep?" Luna nodded. "But you both ruled as co-rulers of night and day. In the waking world, not the realm of dreams. Is that right?" 

Another nod. "Sister's idea. One she has always been certain of." 

"But you weren't as sure." Fleur poked out a hoof. 

"T'was never comfortable for us. She insisted we would grow into the role...but we never did. Even now, we struggle with our subjects in the waking world. Things that seem simple in dreams are complex in reality. Emotions are writ large in dreams, but here they are nuanced in ways we struggle to grapple with. Dreams are seldom a shared experience, but in the waking world harmony between dozens of ponies with interlocking lives is crucial."  

"..Is this why you feel she's so insistent on being right? So controlling?" Fleur pursed her lips. Luna's eyes widened, then looked away from her own. "You've even been internalizing it. Isn't that right? 'Your duty, your destiny'. Wasn't your destiny about dreams, not crowns?"

"But sister is always...right." Luna gasped. "You are correct, Fleur De Lys. Tis a lie we have internalized." Fleur moved to open her mouth again, but at Luna's held up hoof she fell back on the patient approach. Luna, for her part, turned her thoughts to Discord's words. She let herself breathe for a moment. "We must speak with her about this. Plainly, and without hidden plans or hidden feelings." 

"Right. Which means you have to fess up to what you did wrong, too." Luna gave a grim nod. 

"Aye. And much there is we have done wrong." She bit back the melancholy with thoughts of second chances. "But to correct it, we must seek a way forward, not wallow in what has been done. If we have done wrong, we must set it right. If sister has done the same, we must help her see a way forward...as she has tried to help us do so often."

"Right. So what's this way forward, then?" Fleur pressed. Luna paused to organize her thoughts. She began to mutter to herself.

"We cannot simply abdicate. T'would cause chaos in the government. But neither can we...perhaps that is the way. Nay, we were...perhaps that is the right course. But--nay. Nay. It is not that! Perhaps...not entirely..." Luna pursed her lips. She thought of Discord's words of second chances. "We wish to continue as a mare of dreams, hope to do our duties as we always have in the slumbering world. But to rule this nation across the day was never our destiny. Our attempts to do so have led to naught but ruination." Luna sighed. "But to undo our current positions would lead to sure disaster for the nation, at least at first..." 

"Sounds like you need somepony who's good at re-structuring the government." Fleur noted. 

"But to convince her will be a feat worthy of the epics. We have wronged her deeply this time, as a ruler and a sister. To demand things of her in this position would be the height of arrogance." 

"Maybe with the right help you might be able to get a bit of traction?" Luna looked up at her, eyes wide. 

"You would do that for us? Even as Celestia's friend." 

"As Celestia's friend, I want her and her family to have healthy relationships. The first step to that is convincing her of the problem, and of a solution." 

Luna gave a timid smile at this. "What do you propose?"

"You want to change her mind, right? Well, as a lobbyist I can safely say that the first step to changing somepony's mind is knowing what they want. Have you ever considered what she wants in all this? Why she does what she does?" Fleur crossed her forelegs. 

"She has made that much abundantly clear. Her wish is to entrap us both in this cycle, neither ever to escape. Her the all-knowing ruler, us the compliment to her that works in her shadows." Luna shook her head, sighing. Even now the bitter feelings edged around her words. 

Fleur frowned. "Maybe that's what you think she's doing, but are you sure that's what she wants? Maybe that's all she knows how to do." 

"'Knows how to do'?" Luna pursed her lips. 

"You say Celestia considers me a friend?" Fleur pursed her lips. "Friends usually know each other for more than two meetings." 

"I do not truly know, beyond that she believes you to be one of the ponies she is close enough to to wield the Elements of Harmony with. It is only recently she has been reaching out to others. We do not know the exacts." 

"Only recently reaching out? What was she doing before?" Fleur tilted her head. 

"Ruling, it would seem. She mentioned that since Twilight Sparkle's ascension and her niece's attaining a domain, she has had time off, holidays, that she did not have time for in the past." 

"So she's only now able to make friends? She has that much work on her, that she didn't have a social life till, what, a few weeks ago?"

"...Framed in that way...it becomes easy to see why she would want to hold us so close. To never let go." Luna frowned.  

"That sounds really lonely." Fleur confirmed.

"And she wished for me to be by her side eternally. That we might share this together, and ease the burden of the loneliness." Luna's heart sank with her head. "Oh, sister..." 

"She's been trying as best she can to hold on to you, even as she rules. Maybe that's wrong, maybe how she did it was wrong--"

"--but the gesture is one born of a desire to be connected." Luna concluded. "A desire we share, if what we have supposed is indeed the truth. That much will be common ground."

"And that will be crucial to both of you working something out. But it might not be the only reason." Fleur tried to stress. "There might be more going on than just that. I don't know Celestia perfectly. I don't know anypony who does know her that well. Really, you should ask her your--"

It was at that moment that a knock interrupted them, leading them both back to Fleur's door. Fleur peered outside from the safety of a peephole and, seeing that it was Celestia and a wrinkly green earth pony, opened the door once more. Celestia and Luna gave each other bashful looks, both sisters lowering their heads away from one another. Before their companions could speak, they brought themselves to face each other, Luna first and then Celestia. In the struggle to start the conversation, they spoke their words in unison.

"We need to talk."
> Chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You too, sister?" Luna pursed her lips. "What do you have to say to us?" 

Celestia paused, one foreleg lifting in hesitation. She looked over at Missie, and the two of them shared a smile. Before she could find a way to explain herself, however, the pair were interrupted by the sound of an explosion. The roof of Canterlot palace was blasted away by a battle between mages, with Starlight tackling Twilight up into the sky. Twilight teleported out of Starlight's grapple and into the open air, giving Celestia a quick view of her. She suffered scratches and cuts across her barrel, there were burn marks across her coat in places and one cheek was already swelling. Celestia drew in a shallow breath, her wings clenching against her side. Twilight grabbed Starlight by the tail with her magic and flicked her back down with as much force as she could muster, but Starlight's false wings braced her, and a bolt of lightning went flying just past Twilight's back legs. Twilight dove back into the palace and out of sight, hauling Starlight with her.

With great effort, Celestia turned herself back to her sister. Her entire figure clenched. "We have much to talk about. And I promise you it shall be spoken. All of it." Luna opened her mouth to speak, but Celestia continued. "Luna, I swear I will address it. But first, I must gather the last of the Element Bearers and save Twilight. Keep the ponies here safe and sound. I will rejoin you shortly." Luna made to ask how she was to protect ponies without magic, pegasus agility or earth pony strength, but Celestia turned tail to gallop without another word. When she was about a block away, she teleported. 

Luna groaned. "Yes, sister. We see and obey." She rolled her eyes and ushered the others among Celestia's subjects inside. 


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


Celestia's wings vaulted her across the sky, beating against the open air like it was a wall between her and Twilight. Her eyes scoured Ponyville for the familiar pointed top of the Carousel Boutique, her eyes wide and her flight erratic. It was at that moment she noticed she was not alone. "Something the matter, friend?" Discord jogged through the air next to her, dressed in workout clothing and sweating profusely. 

"Discord!" Celestia did not even turn to glance at him. "I need you to teleport to Canterlot immediately and attempt to face off against Starlight Glimmer. I can join you there shortly with reinforcements." 

At this Discord pulled out a large volleyball net ahead of Celestia, causing her to crash into the netting and entangle herself. "Discord?! What is the meaning of--" 

"Slow down, friend. There is time enough to chat, I think. I'm sure I can help with whatever fresh madness Canterlot finds itself in." He gave a genuine smile, snapping his claw and dissipating the net. "But first I needed to catch your ear for a moment." He handed the appendage in question back to Celestia. She would have questioned when he had plucked it from the side of her head, but she was in no mood for games. 

"Discord," she began, diplomatically, "Twilight is in danger. The situation is dire, as I believe you should know if Luna's testimony is true. I need you to travel to Canterlot to help protect Twilight."  

"There are a few reasons I can't do that." Discord held up three of his claws. "The first is that that would be ending a conflict, and as a chaos spirit I am physically incapable of doing so...at least directly." He lowered one of his claws, using his paw to pull Scorpan's medallion out from behind a wing for emphasis. "I can certainly join in on the havok being wrought in such a way as to distract our wannabe alicorn, but I have two conditions." He waved the two remaining claws for emphasis. 

Celestia gave a sigh. "And those are?" 

"I firstly have a question regarding what I presume is the plan, and I feel I deserve an answer." 

"Every moment we spend talking is another blow against Twilight." Celestia sighed. "Forgive me if I am brief." 

"Of course. My second condition ties to the first, and both tied into the fact that you now have those." Discord jabbed a claw at the gems on Celestia's peytral. "I'm not stupid enough to miss what happening's here. I know exactly what they are and how they formed, and I knew the moment one formed in front of me that you would come calling for me to use it with you some day. But you know as well as I do that the bonds between Element Bearers can be strained, and even broken."

"Do you feel that is the case right now?" Celestia pursed her lips, her wings clenching to her sides. 

"That," Discord emphasized his next phrase with a detective outfit and magnifying glass, "is what I am trying to find out. So I to you I must ask, in the hopes the honesty in your words is as true as the honesty around your neck: Is any of this real?" 

Celestia frowned. "I'm afraid I don't follow." She tilted her head.

At this he spun a marionette duplicate of himself into existence, golden chains connecting from its arms to Celestia's hooves. "Every step forward that I take seems to fall more in line with your plans. I find myself free, but only by ceasing to threaten you. Friends with another pony, who keeps me on a leash for you. Friends with your star pupil, but now to never be trusted with a mission from the crown again. Friends with you yourself, and better off for it, but now a piece of a weapon you wield against your enemies." 

"Do you believe I simply used you?" Celestia's brows turned upward, her frown growing. 

"I don't know what to think, Celestia." Discord shrugged, his mismatched eyes lost in thought for the briefest of moments. "I have been user and used in many a 'friendship'," at this air quotes appeared on either side of Celestia. "Truth be told, it leaves a draconequus rather disillusioned with the whole affair. I thought Tirek was my friend, and we both know how that sordid business turned out. He promised me pranks and whimsy, too, you know. To say nothing of my own betrayals and how easy they were to arrange. Now you arrive all delegations and bluster, ordering me around like I'm one of your little guard ponies," Celestia looked away at this, "and I can't help but wonder what all you really think of me, and of the friendship you claim to hold for me."  

Celestia looked back up at the last few words, smiling softly. "It's more than a claim, Discord. To form nothing more than a tool for my power is against the nature of the Elements. In the same way that you cannot solve a conflict, an Element cannot form from a false friendship. If the friendship I extended to you was nothing more than a ploy, the Element of Laughter would never have formed between us. Take that as proof, if you need it. Every word was genuine. Every laugh we shared real. And, once this is all over," at this she turned her head away again, but still held Discord's gaze. "I hope we might share many more." Discord shared the quiet smile with her, closing his eyes and nodding. 

"That would be condition one, then." Discord dissipated the claw in question. "But if all this is true, I have to ask: Why did you come in here barking orders? Did you just expect me to say no? I didn't say no to catching Tirek for you, did I"?" Discord broke into a small frown, his paw scratching his chin. 

"I had hoped my last explanation would suffice." Celestia's brow furrowed, her smile fading. "Twilight suffers every moment we stay further." 

"And the longer we stay, the greater the odds of helping her. Riddle me this, Princess. Would a friend--a true friend, per your magic sparkle stones--hold you here without a good reason? Where's the trust, Princess?" He raised an eyebrow at this, peering at her. 

Celestia shook her head and sighed. "And logically I know that, yes. A genuine friend--which our shared Element of Laughter should tell me would include you--would help me knowing my closest loved one is currently fighting a battle which may lead to her imprisonment." Celestia's throat caught in her chest. "Or even...Even her..." She shook her head. "It is not that I do not trust you, Discord. It is--I lose sight of such things when my loved ones are in danger." She whispered her next words, looking away. "I have lost them before." Discord tilted his head, mismatched eyes softening at Celestia's own pause. Celestia looked back up again. "It is the way of the world itself I do not trust in these instances. I do not trust things to work out for the better. I do not trust my loved ones to be safe. And it seems, in doing so, I have lost sight of the way to save them." She sighed. 

"It seems--to me, at least--we are playing a game of musical chairs, between us." Discord sat them both in singing furniture with a snap of his paw. "After all, when we met I was in your shoes, yes?" 

"You mean in regards to Fluttershy's friend at the Gala?" Celestia did her best to shrug off the new tangent. 

"Bingo!" Discord waved a bright green flag, now wearing a table jockey's attire. "For me it was jealousy, for you, a pessimism you really should be talking about with somepony--" 

"--That somepony being Twilight--" Celestia interjected. 

"--Right." Discord waved a claw, "which gives this all some very appreciated context. But the problem still remains." 

"And it likely will continue to." Celestia sighed. "As I am sure your jealousy still sometimes manifests also." 

Discord dissipated his outfit and the chairs, replacing them with a rock that he scuffed with a cloven hoof and a blush. "Wellll, yes, it is true I am not exactly a saint--" 

"--Nor am I." Celestia concluded for him. "Despite what you may have been told otherwise." Celestia winked.

Discord gave a sigh and a shake of his head, rolling his eyes. "Discord, Discord, Discord. Here I go lecturing about trust, and--well, you know. Just like all your little subjects, I seem to have been expecting this master empress of friendship, playing a flawless chess game in which we all are but the tiniest of cogs. By now I should know better than to assume that of you." A pause hung between them, Celestia's smile neutral and inscrutable. Discord's smile, however, said everything well before he said it. "What lies beneath that is so much more." At this, Celestia's smile turned genuine, and wobbly. Her eyes were wide and shimmering. After a moment, she coughed and composed herself. 

"For my part, I will try to curb the flaw as it comes. But know that it may happen again in the future, working to correct it though I may be. I'm afraid, if we are to truly be friends, I must ask you to forgive that. At least until the day comes that I can truly tame it."

"One more thing we have in common, then." Discord waved a claw. Then his eyes went wide again, a smile forming. "Oooooh! We could take our respective favourite little ponies out together some time! I've always wanted to take the little bookworm to the chaos realm." 

"Perhaps. Or perhaps we might stay for tea--I'm told you've grown a fondness for it, and we might yet convince Twilight to abandon her heathen coffee ways." Discord snickered at this. 

"I'd like that." 

Celestia placed a hoof on Discord. "Now I must ask for your help in defending my friends from a tyrant who wishes to take that freedom away from them...in the hopes that some day they might be your friends, too."  

"That was condition two, then." Discord dissipated his entire claw, smirking. 

Celestia blinked. "It was?" 

"You ordered me as a subject--which I'm not, for the record. I was waiting for you to ask me as a friend." 

"Even as Twilight suffered?" Celestia leveled a look of disappointment at him. Discord shook his head. 

"If I had doubts in our friendship, the Elements wouldn't have worked, remember?" Celestia's disappointment melted away at that. She pursed her lips, looking away. He slithered back into view, smiling. "But suffice it to say that the answer, now that I have it, melted all of those doubts away." He eroded the marionette and chains at this, replacing it with a flower bracelet shared between the two's wrists. "I'm all yours." Celestia looked back at him with a growing smile.

"I am sorry to have doubted you, Discord. And to have given you cause for doubt." Celestia motioned to the Carousel Boutique. "But I need to go now." 

"And so, I believe, do I." Discord raised his paw for emphasis, readying to snap.

"Thank you." Celestia gave a tender smile. 

"Anything for a friend." Discord replied, snapping his paw. With that, he vanished, and Celestia turned her attention to the last of her friends. 


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


Rarity opened the door to a very un-Celestia-like Celestia. Her brow was furrowed, beads of sweat were against her forehead and her entire body was locked up in an incredible degree of tension. She did not even deign to shoot a look at the alicorn-sized dresses Rarity's work mannequins currently sported. Rarity's brows raised at the sight. "Celestia? Whatever is the matter, dear?" 

"Twilight is in danger." Celestia said perhaps too quickly. Rarity's eyes immediately shone with understanding.

"What do we need to do?" The fashionista instinctively straightened herself up to her full height, her eyes locking with Celestia's.

"Arrive in Canterlot." Celestia began. "I have assembled the other Bearers there, and will need you to journey with me in order to activate the Elements. From there we will use them to undo the threat."

"The Elements?" Rarity paused. "You mean the Elements of Harmony? Did we not seal them within the Tree of Harmony not two moons back?"

Celestia pursed her lips. "I will explain when we get there."  

"Err--right. When we get there." Rarity nodded. "Let us begin, then." With a flash of light, the two of them returned to Fleur's estate, bringing together the last of the Element Bearers. The last of the Element Bearers, that was, save one. 


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


The collection of ponies facing Rarity was most certainly not the group that she had expected when Celestia had arrived informing of her of a gathering of the Elements. Fleur De Lis, Luna and Granny Smith stared at her, but Celestia only smiled in turn. 

"There." Celestia said, looking to the assembled ponies. "That is four of the five needed party assembled, and then...Loyalty." Celestia sighed. "We do not have time for this."  

"Your Majesty...?" Rarity began.

Celestia barely glanced backwards. "One momen--" She paused, thinking of Discord's warning. "No, I promised you I would explain." With some effort, Celestia tore herself away from her thoughts and back to her assembled friends. "I know you have not known me very long, and I know that you do not all know each other perfectly either, and I especially am aware that this is all very abrupt for each and every one of us." Contingencies and fallbacks began to form in her head, but she brushed them aside in favour of the current plan. She did not like it. The Elements were scattered, their bonds half-formed. Twilight was in danger. Her Twilight was in danger and here she was wishing on a set of gems to solve all of her problems and--the only thing that kept her from scrapping the plan then and there was the knowledge that it had worked so many times before. Luna. Discord. Tirek. She had to trust it would work again. Celestia shook her head, making sure to look directly at Rarity, and to speak slowly and gently. 

"Rarity, since the time we last met I have been extending friendships to a variety of other ponies, all of them ponies you know in some capacity. Fleur De Lys and Missie Smith have helped rekindle my connection to my Kindness and Honesty, respectively. Discord, who is not present, helped me recall my experience with Laughter. For you it was Generosity." While Celestia continued, Luna gave a small frown. Celestia's words seemed not to fit some information Luna had come across earlier. Something Twilight had said... "Together, the four of you form a circle of friends who have come to show me wisdom and compassion that I greatly respect. Each of these gems on my neck is itself a fledgling Element, a symbol of our bond together and a conduit that channels the power of our harmony when together." 

"But I don't understand. What about the Elements held by my friends in Ponyville?" Rarity pursed her lips. eyes scanning Celestia's necklace. 

"Still resting in the Tree of Harmony, where I hope we may some day be able to use them again." Celestia looked down at the stones upon her peytral. "These are new and untested, grown through my bond with the previous Elements of Harmony and my connection to each of you."

"So you mean to tell me I hold Generosity for two separate circles of the Elements?" Rarity paused, blushing. "That seems a bit of pressure, don't you think?" Luna's brow furrowed even more at this. What had it been that Twilight had said...

"I understand your concern, Rarity. But I assure you the bond is genuine." 

Rarity waved a hoof. "Oh, of course, dear. I never doubted that much. Though, while I do find your work and your aesthetic quite charming, Fleur," She gave a nod to the other pony, who chimed in with a 'thank you, Rarity' in response, "I must confess I hardly know you, Granny. To say nothing of my ability to work alongside Discord..." 

"In fairness, the same could be said of your relations to Applejack and Pinkie Pie prior to your adventure against Nightmare Moon." Celestia replied. 

"And you suspect a similar occurrence here?" Rarity tilted her head. 

"I choose to believe that we can all be friends, yes." Celestia said with a note of triumph. "And that, when we do, the last Element will be revealed--"

"Magic, yes. I recall that much." Rarity concluded. "Provided we can find an Element of Loyalty--I recognized from your role call that we are missing one. Have you any candidates?" Loyalty. Luna's eyes widened. She narrowed her gaze further to count the number of gems upon Celestia's neck. 

"Actually," Celestia sighed. "That was the part I was hoping to resolve now. We must find a pony to call Loyalty, and quickly." The group looked at her with skepticism. Fleur scrunched up her muzzle, Rarity gave a flat look, Luna tilted her head and pursed her lips as if to speak and Missie outright rolled her eyes. 

"Easier said than done." Rarity retorted. "I sincerely doubt some pony none of us know would qualify." 

"I do not suppose any of you might know a potential candidate?" While Missie prepared to launch into a rebuttal of Celestia's attempt at a plan, Luna pushed through the assembled ponies to speak up. 

"Sister?" She spread her wings, earning Celestia's attention. "You say you are missing Loyalty, yes?" Rarity followed Luna's gaze, one eyebrow raising. The others soon did the same, each one wrestling with their own sense of confusion.  

"That is correct..." Celestia began slowly.  

"How many stones are there in this set of Elements, again?" Fleur added, looking at Rarity's expression with concern. 

"Six, as in any set of Elements." Celestia looked between them in confusion. "Has something I said led you to believe otherwise?"

"There are six gems on your peytral." Rarity said in a quick, flat tone. 

"There are?" Celestia looked down. She searched, eyes only now falling on the tiny pinprick of red that was nestled on the side of her neckwear. "When could that have..." 

"The asymmetry has been bothering me for some time now, but I did not put my hoof on why until Luna spoke up..." Rarity confessed, forcing Celestia back to the present.

"Who did I meet recently to even provoke such a--" She gasped. "Luna!" Her head shot up, turning to the alicorn in question. Luna's eyes widened at the insinuation. The other assembled ponies followed Celestia's gaze, varying degrees of uncertainty written across their muzzles. "It must be your return to my side." Missie raised one eyebrow and narrowed her remaining eye. 

"Beggin' yer pardon, Majesty, but if'n that were the case wouldn't ya'll have managed that when last the same consarn thing happened at the end of that Nightmare Moon business?" Celestia pursed her lips at this. "Ya didn't then, an' I don' see much o' what you did now to show y'all have more Loyalty now than ya did then! 'Specially seein' as how ya weaseled outta talkin' to yer sister not half an hour ago again rather'n deal with all yer troubles with 'er! Loyalty? Shucks! I ain't seein' it, from neither of you fillies." 

Celestia sighed, preparing to launch into an explanation. At this Fleur cut in. "Perhaps you and Luna should have the talk you promised, then. If the Element begins to shrink or grow when the conversation happens, it'll mean the Element is connected to the two of you, and we'll know we have the pony we need. If nothing happens, it means we need to keep searching." 

"But I--" Celestia sighed. "Very well. If we are in conflict, the Element will not work. Thus we need deal with the consequences now, not later. But we must hurry. We may have to gather Discord and Twilight and run if the battle has taken a turn against them, and I wish to prevent either of them from suffering any further if possible."

"Understood." Rarity nodded. "But what shall the rest of us do while you discuss?" 

"You recall our discussion on networks, yes?" Celestia at last settled back into her smile. "I believe now is the time to begin forming one between us. While Luna and I discuss our disconnect, I must humbly ask the rest of you to attempt to bond with one another. Do you believe you can manage such a thing?" 

At this Rarity smirked, turning towards the other two ponies with a twinkle in her eye. "If there is anything that I can do for you, Celestia, it is that." 

"All the best." Celestia smiled back. It was only after Rarity began to trot away that Celestia noticed Luna's shadow against her shoulder and turned to face her, dread rising in her chest once more. 


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


Twilight's spell was eroded away by a tidal wave of dark magic, forcing her to duck under the blast. The tapestry behind her transformed into a chair, the parts of her mane grazed by the spell becoming wooden and rigid as a result of its effects. Twilight transformed her mane into a flowing magical ribbon, reversing the transformation spell in the process. She lassoed Starlight's hoof, causing her to smile in the process. She tugged at the other mare, but in response Starlight simply thrust forward with her false wings, slamming a hoof into Twilight's gut. Twilight's eyes bulged out, the wind knocking out of her chest, and she fell to the ground coughing. A gigantic fly swatter scooped Twilight up, hitting her into a badminton racket and then a gigantic pillow. Winded and dizzied, she was unable to stop magical strings from wrapping themselves around her hooves and horn. A set of gigantic kites lifted Twilight in front of Starlight, and the victorious mare grinned a twisted grin. 

Starlight drew back, readying a spell to drain Twilight of her magic. It was then that the entire throne room filled with bright pink bubbles, each one bearing a face that winked at her with an exaggerated grin. She groaned, doing her best to wipe them away with her magic. "Ugggh, what now?!" The bubbles surrounding her popped, ensnaring her and Twilight both in a truly unsettling amount of gum. She searched for her new attacker, spotting a tall and mismatched shadow projecting from the entryway. Her eyes flashed with anger, and she rounded on the intruder with a fire spell readied on her horn. She found herself rounding on a hat rack, the mismatched pegs arranged to look like some kind of towering creature with a set of horns. On one of the pegs was a single black top hat. Freeing herself from the gum, she wrapped the hat rack in magic and cast an anti magic shield around herself. "Show yourself!"

"Well, since you asked so nicely." The throne itself transformed into a bizarre creature of mismatched proportions, which promptly began inspecting its claws and leaning on one of the back walls. Dim recognition registered in Starlight's mind. 

"Where have I--You!" She settled on the floor and sent a blast of fire Discord's way. 

Discord yawned, producing a gigantic frying pan from behind one of his wings and shielding himself from the brunt of the blast. He scooped a pancake from his shield and tossed it into his mouth, blowing a kiss to Starlight after he had finished chewing. "My compliments to the chef." Starlight made to fire off another spell, but before she could the hat rack's black hat tipped towards her. A flood of white rabbits charged into Starlight at alarming speeds, each of the small creatures scrambling over her and away from some sort of nebulous danger at the end of the hat. Starlight batted them away with a wave of her hoof, unable to focus a shot at the wretched being in front of her. 

"You showed up and ruined everything! You stole my magic and fed it to some kind of horrible monster! Back to finish the job?!" The last of the rabbits scampered past, and she readied her horn again. It was then that the gigantic dove that had been chasing them snatched her up in its talons, and an assortment of scarves and playing cards blasted across the entire room. 

"Hardly." Discord scoffed. "Tirek--us horrible monsters have names, you know--turned out to be about as valuable and trustworthy an ally as yourself. Fortunately, I got by with a little help from my friends." A set of ice packs bound themselves to Discord, Twilight and Starlight's foreheads, bandages wrapping around each of them in the places they were injured. He looked to Twilight, who blinked at him in bleary confusion. "Now I'm here to return the favour. And, of course, spread chaos! It is in the job description, after all." 

Starlight snarled. "How could anypony possibly make friends with you after everything you did?!" 

"I gave them reasons to." Discord smirked. "But you'll find out all about how that works once we're done here. For now, you have a new opponent." He summoned up a fencing outfit, sword pointed directly at Starlight's chest. "En guarde!" 


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


"Well, so. What do you have in common, ladies?" Rarity gave a strained smile, eyes darting between the two. 

"Peh. Chit-chat." Missie waved a hoof. "Don't see much point in shootin' the breeze while ponies are hurtin'." 

"I guess that would be a start, then." Fleur nodded. "I don't think now is the time for the patient approach. I don't know how we can help, if the thing we're fighting is tough enough to spook a Princess, but not knowing how to help has never stopped me from trying before." 

"Atta filly!" Missie poked Fleur in the side with a smirk. "What're we standin' 'round fer when there's work ta be done!" 

"Well," Rarity began, "the Elements must be gathered in one place in order to be used. We need to sit tight until she finds Loyalty, and from there have a close enough understanding of the Elements in order to wield them. I'm afraid we'll need to wait until we have a complete set, ladies."  

Missie glanced around with an unimpressed glower, Rarity's smile growing more and more sheepish with each passing moment. Missie at last rolled her eyes when her gaze turned back to Rarity. "Is not bein' able ta count a unicorn thing or somethin'?!" Missie looked over at Fleur. "...No offense meant." 

"Some taken." She shot back, smirking. 

"We need six o' them Elements in order ta git the job done, right? I'm countin' five ponies here. Where all is the sixth?" 

"Didn't Celestia mention the last was off facing the enemy?" Fleur offered. 

"I hope you're not suggesting a rescue mission..." Rarity began. 

"No, of course not." Fleur said. Rarity sighed in relief. "More like a relief effort!" 

"Now we're talkin'!" Missie nodded to her. "Haul that last critter back to us and git us all ready together."

"This is assuming Luna actually is Loyalty." Fleur stressed. 

"You thinkin' that's a load o' ponyfeathers, too?" Missie smirked. 

"I spoke with Princess Luna before. Right now it doesn't seem like she knows what she wants. It's hard to dedicate yourself to anything when you're trying to figure out what you want to dedicate yourself to." Fleur turned to look at the skies above Canterlot Castle, where Discord was defending himself from blades of crimson magic with a shield shaped like a period and a spear shaped like an exclamation mark. 

"I don't suppose you have any suggestions, then?" Rarity sighed. 

"Don't know many ponies what can call Celestia a close friend ta begin with." Missie admitted. 

"It didn't seem like she really knew anypony from the nobility, either." Fleur added. 

Rarity put a hoof to her chin. "How all did you meet Celestia, anyway? Was there somepony with her at the time? Somepony who frequently works with her?" A column of salmon coloured-magic knocked Starlight out of the sky while they talked, leaving Discord holding a claw to his chin in concern. 

"Just her marefriend." Missie shrugged. 

"Her mare...Twilight?" Rarity's brow furrowed. Rising before Discord was a bruised and bloodied Twilight Sparkle, who flapped up to his side on failing wings. "Now that you mention it, a date with Twilight and her was how we got to talking." 

"She was alone when I met her, but she mentioned something about Twilight needing her help. Needing her " The three of them exchanged glances. 

"But ain't that against the rules or somethin'? Girl's her marefriend, an' she already has her own set, too. Seems like cheatin' ta me." Missie put forward. 

"Perhaps..." Rarity looked to where Celestia and Luna were talking. "But Celestia previously held Magic and Generosity, and wielded them with her sister. It might be possible. She didn't seem to notice attaining Loyalty, did she?" 

"No..." Fleur followed Rarity's stare. 

"Almost as if it happened so naturally she thought little of it. If her relationship with Luna is as strained as what you both have mentioned--" 

"It is," Misse and Fleur said in unison. 

"--Then Twilight would likely be the only pony I know of that she would speak to so casually as to not notice a bond like that growing between them." Rarity nodded over to Twilight, who was holding a magical mirror in her telekinesis. She reflected another one of Starlight's magic blasts with it, causing Starlight to leap out and away from the detonation and into a cat's cradle summoned by Discord. Smoke rose from the hole in the castle roof, Twilight panting with exertion.  

"An' where is Twilght now? Same place as our Element o' Laughter!" Missie poked a hoof toward where she was beginning to lose altitude, Discord grabbing her by the tail to keep her from falling. 

Rarity looked towards the duel. "Very well, ladies. I'm convinced. What are we all standing around here for?! Allons-y, everypony!" Rarity reared up and cycled her forehooves in the air. 

"Beggin' yer pardon, misses, but I can't exactly run on account o' this consarned bum leg o' mine." Granny glared at her hip with a large amount of venom. 

"Fortunately, I think Celestia should be able to take us there." Rarity nodded over to where Celestia and Luna were discussing, noting that the talk was beginning to wind down. 

"Hmph. Don't see her chippin' in on any schemes what ain't approved by the royal seal." Missie rolled her eyes. 

"She's worried for Twilight." Fleur countered. "And that can make her grow distant, or try to control anything that might hurt her. I saw it before. But she doesn't let it shut her down enough to stop her from doing the right thing. That I also saw. The Celestia I know will come around." She made to trot towards Celestia, beckoning for her friends to follow. "She just needs somepony to remind her." 


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼
  

Luna and Celestia stood facing each other, each of them utterly silent. Neither one could manage to look the other in the eye. The awkwardness was interrupted only by stammering attempts to speak over one another. 

"I'm--"

"I cann--"

Another pause. 

"Fleur and--" 

"I was just--" 

"You go first." Celestia smiled. 

"That," Luna said, "is what she and I have been discussing. I cannot be delegated into good cheer. Sister, I--" Luna looked down and sighed. "I cannot be ordered into recovery, nor forced into the role you seek for me. I must find such things for myself." Celestia frowned at this, but, against all her better instincts, allowed Luna room to continue. "I am not happy where I am now. I am sorry, but it is true. I feel like your shadow, always trailing behind you, always forced to mirror your movements. Rarely acknowledged and oft trod upon." Luna's wings tensed, her entire body twitching. 

"But..." Celestia led on.

Luna looked at her, then swallowed and gave a grim nod. "But...we have talked out your reasons for this treatment. We...understand. I understand. Sister, did you truly think that we would stop--" Luna swallowed again, her eyes beginning to water. "Did you truly believe I would not love you unless I was always by your side?" 

The Princess of the Sun froze. In another lifetime, and another world, she would have begun to redirect the flow of the conversation. She would have brought up necessity, duty and the details Luna had failed to consider. She would have brought home the ways in which they both could improve and strive forward, handily burying the issue in the process. 

But the last three months had not been for nothing. Instead, Celestia lowered herself, biting her lip and allowing her face to fall at the accusation. Princess, the sweet-toothed prankster with a love of gardening and history novels, whispered, "It was not that. I could not rule alone. It was all so much, and so suddenly. One minute we were fighting monsters in the Everfree, the next Starswirl was telling me everything Equestria needed in order to run. But...it was too much all at once for me. The laws, the delegates, the constant watch of subjects that we--that I had never asked for. I-I only wanted us to share the burden we'd been thrown so suddenly, and to be better sisters for it."

Luna gave a sad little shake of her head at this, her mouth set in a wobbly smile. "But we never were to share the realm of dreams? To share my duties, and my domain?" 

"I..." Celestia shook her head. "I am willing to learn now. Show me, and we can shoulder that burden together, too." Celestia's gaze shot everywhere but Luna's own eyes. "But I cannot rule alone." 

"Nor should you, sister. More time is spent awake than asleep, more is to be done in this world than mine. But thou art not alone, art thou?" Luna gave a sigh. "You have replaced me with one who is far better suited to an eternity at your side, delegated to her duties I refused to shoulder. Duties that crushed me into something we have both loathed. Duties she was happy to take, simper--no. Duties she was happy to take, glad to be by your side as she was. T'was never meant for me. I cannot be your shadow anymore, and I will not." Celestia sucked in air through her teeth at this, her wings tight against her sides and her body clenching. Luna held up a hoof. "I believe it is killing me to try, and has been since the start. There is another who thrives in my place, and we both know this." Luna looked at the gem set against Celestia's neck. Despite the admissions from both, it did not glow, change size or alter its shape. It did not produce even so much as a twinkle. 

"Which is why I am not the Element of Loyalty, Sister. For my place has never been to rule as your second half in the waking world, tried though we have to make that arrangement work. Never have I come to your aid when you deserved it least. Never have I placed you before myself when my own heart ached. Never have I chosen you and your dreams above any of mine. I would make a poor Loyalty, as I have been a poor co-ruler." Luna scuffed a hoof, looking away. But if Celestia held her in contempt, she didn't show it. Her gaze was elsewhere.

Celestia's eyes widened, her gaze turning to Canterlot Castle. "But there is a pony who has..." Luna turned to follow Celestia's gaze. There she saw the battleground that currently housed her rival, the one who had started her on this path of mad jealousy once again. She fought the rising anger, the sense of loss of being Celestia's second favourite pony. But then, had she ever been Celestia's to begin with? Was being cut loose from her grip not what she had wanted most? Celestia interrupted Luna's thoughts. "Do you believe it will work? She already holds Magic." 

"Her inadequacy speaking. Another attempt at self-abasement before you." Luna tried to prevent the venom from entering her voice. She tore her gaze away from the castle, looking to Celestia and catching sight of the hurt in her expression. The look of betrayal purged what anger remained. She shook her head clear of the lingering dark thoughts, changing her tone. "I apologize. That was...immature, for one who wishes to show she has the maturity to lead her own life. Cruel, for one who wishes to show she can lead a life of her own without causing pain in yours. What I mean is, Rarity's holding two Elements suggests it is more possible than she believed." Celestia nodded, still not meeting her gaze. Luna turned to her in full. "You said it best: these are your Elements, not hers. It is your choice who those closest to you are. Not mine, not the Elements of Harmony...not her. You are free, sister. These friendships are yours to make. No creature's ministrations can deny you that right...least of all mine." Luna stepped back and away from Celestia. 

Celestia, for her part, shook her head and gave a small chuckle. "Luna...it is my choice who is in my life, then I choose you to be in it also. Love Twilight though I do, it has never stopped me from loving you." Luna's eyes widened at that. Celestia gave a quiet smile. "I have many loved ones, Luna. Twilight, yes, but also Cadance, Spike, Shining Armor and my newfound friends. "Whatever you may wish to do going forward, know that it will not stop me from caring for you. And know that if I have ever wronged you, it has never been from anything other than a desire to care for you, and be cared for in turn." Luna gave a sad smile at this. "But in loving you, I constricted you. And I must face the consequences of that. I realize things will be strained between us for a while yet, and I realize it will be difficult to appreciate my care until I am better at showing it. But know that, whatever your choice, my love for you will always be there, as it always has been." Luna said nothing, instead biting her lower lip and giving a few nods. 

"My own way forward..." Luna put a hoof to her chin.

"Yes, Luna. Your own pathway, for all that that will entail. For in making these choices you, too, will need face your action's consequences. Consequences I cannot protect you from. Do you understand?" Luna again nodded, this time more hesitantly. "Your reaction to my constraints hurt more than just myself. Your actions have done more than simply slight me, and if you wish to be truly free of my ministrations, you must accept responsibility for acts I have shielded you from until this stage. I will be asking my subjects what these responsibilities will be. You will need accept their verdict. Whatever it may be." 

Luna paused. "I...if it must be. For the good of Equestria." 

"And it will not end there." Celestia gave a sympathetic grin. "Each action you undertake outside my shadow will be scrutinized, and criticized. Much of it may be positive. But much of it may not be." Celestia paused. "You might try talking to Fleur if that burden weighs on you. My talk with her on the same subject was very uplifting." 

"And other necessities of life I must take in if I am to take on all this?" Luna pursed her lips. The thought of uplifting brought the taste of newfound freedom to the forefront. 

"That will depend on what it is you wish to do, whatever that may be." 

Luna looked to the sky, her brows knitting together. "I wish to expand my time in my domain. To refine it, explore it, and better connect it to Equestria. Enrich it to be what it should always have been. I wish to further leave my position as your compliment in the waking world." She gave a knowing smile at this. "I believe we both know who that position is better suited to." Celestia nodded, but waited for Luna to continue. Luna obliged. "I will develop the realm of dreams that it might best serve Equestria, and I will do it in ways that work best for our citizens, whatever that must be. I will do it alone, free from your influence. And that means I will need to learn what I must do." 

Celestia gave a small nod. "You will need draft laws for your domain of dreams. You will need meet with myself and our bureaucracy to establish the mechanics of this new system of government. We can do this in and out of the waking world, but it must be you who makes this change happen if it is to have any legitimacy. I will not move to block you, but neither can I make it happen for you. Not if you wish to be more than my figurehead. The pressures of true rulership are many. You will need come to terms with them." Celestia gave a quiet smile. "But you need not do it alone." She placed a hoof on Luna's shoulders. "I will be there for you, every step of the way. Not in order to meddle, and not as a monarch. As a sister...and a friend." 

Luna smiled a fragile smile, a lump forming in her throat."I will not be part of your domain anymore. But we are more than our domains. As you are able to love more than Twilight, so too am I able to love more than a farflung dream of freedoms. It is true that I will never again be your co-ruler." Luna, despite herself, gave a bittersweet grin and placed a hoof around Celestia's neck, turning the gentle hoof pressed against Luna's shoulder into a firm embrace between the two. "But there is one thing I will always be, and that is your sister." The two of them held their hug, letting go only when the approach of three other ponies brought them back to the world around them. 

"Celestia," Rarity said. "We've resolved that we are coming with you in the rescue attempt." 

Celestia paused at this. Thoughts again raced through her mind. Starswirl, lost to the ages. Sunset, to another world. Luna to her banishment. Battles lost, friendships lost, bonds broken. But seeing the ponies she did evoked different feelings in her. "Should we fail, this enemy will remove your cutie marks and imprison you, denying you every basic right you deserve as an equine. She may try to banish you, entrap you...perhaps even fell you in battle. She will not hesitate in her cruelty, for she does not control her actions now. The amulet seeks only to expand its power and influence. It will not show you mercy. Do you understand? All of you?" She scanned the ponies around her, resolution set within each of them. Missie, who reminded her that no loss was insurmountable. 

Missie gave a roll of her eyes. "Still don't get why we're flappin' gums. Knew this was gonna be dangerous afore I left th' farm! Let's git to the savin' ponies already!" Celestia cast her eyes over the group. 

Fleur, who reminded her the value and necessity of courage. Rarity, who reminded her of the power of community. She nodded to each of them, at last looking over at Luna. "So long as you know the risks involved, I will make every effort to help you. Let us begin, then." Fleur made to turn at once. Celestia touched her shoulder with magic, shaking her head gently. "A plan first. One I want each of you to help with." Fleur bit her lip, but turned to Celestia nonetheless.  

"We're listening." Rarity nodded. 

Celestia motioned for them to draw in close, her horn already preparing the teleportation spell. "I will begin with what we know about our enemy. You see, Starlight tends to ignore things she feels are beneath her notice..."  


／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼


Starlight rose to her hooves, gritting her teeth. The misshapen creature produced a trumpet from behind his ear, readying to blow it. Starlight fired out a blast of anti-magic as a parry...only to watch the blast remove the trumped and Discord's head both. Her eyes widened in a mix of horror and confusion. "What..." To her relief, the draconequus' head reformed almost instantly, but his expression matched hers. "Give up!" She shouted. Discord rolled his eyes, so she fired another blast, this one at his hand. Then another at the other paw. "That wasn't a request! I'm in charge now, and you're not stopping me! Give! Up!" 

"Oh, hardly." Discord regrew his fingers and made to snap them, but at this a bubble formed around him. He sighed, finishing his snap, and summoned a ram. He made to use the startled sheep to batter away at the sides, but the moment the appropriated livestock made contact with the bubble, it vanished back to wherever he had summoned it from.

"Checkmate." Starlight sneered. She flapped over to him. "But I really don't get it. You had your own plans for Equestria, your own dream of how it should be. After everything, why give up half way?"

Discord simply shook his head and snickered. "It's not something I'd expect you to understand. Let me put it in terms that might reach your iron-clad cranium." He gestured to his body, turning it first polka dotted, then neon, and then into a starry background with a set of planets. "I've come much further in spreading my love of chaos to my friends than I ever did forcing it on my enemies."  

"So you actually believe their lies?" Starlight gave a bitter chuckle. "Pretending like they care to keep you boxed away?" 

"Oh, I don't know. She seems to." Discord shrugged, smirking. 

"What do you--" At this a tired Twilight smacked into Starlight, vainly placing a hoof to her horn. With the last of her strength, she fired a blast of magic at Discord, freeing him from Starlight's prison. In reply, Starlight aimed a beam of magic at the exhausted Twilight.  Twilight willed her wings to push her out of the way, but her current pain and exhaustion slowed her and held her down, and the spell hit her in the small of her back. 

She felt a familiar sense of energy draining out of her. "No...no..." She murmured, her wings failing her. Her eyes shut, and she found herself plummeting to the ground. Discord made to grab her, but found himself again contained within Starlight's magic prison, and Twilight rushed towards the stony floor below. It was only then that a familiar golden light gathered around her, catching her and setting her down next to a pair of new arrivals. Celestia and Luna trotted forward side by side, gently levitating Twilight to the floor. 

"Well, isn't that sweet?" A cruel and twisted voice cut in from on high. "You've finally resolved to fall together. Well, it's no matter. Two down," At this Starlight rose to her full height, the glow of her magic illuminating Twilight's battered and beaten body, "two to go." Celestia's love was a mess of injuries, her face puffy and bruised and her body covered in cuts and scratches. Her faded coat and distant eyes looked at Celestia in a mix of hope and regret. Celestia gasped at the sight, a hoof flying to her mouth and her eyes swimming with tears. 

"S-sorry, Princess. I did my--I did--" Twilight reached out for her with a shaking hoof, as if merely knowing the Celestia she was seeing now was real would revitalize her all at once.  

"You did wonderfully, Twilight." Celestia responded, a lump in her throat. "Never doubt that." She gently brought Twilight to her, embracing her. 

Starlight landed, eyes swimming with black magic and necklace pulsing. "Awww. That's nice." Starlight placed Twilight's cutie mark within the amulet, magic now coursing across and through her entire body. With a flick of her horn, she overpowered Celestia's field. Twilight was ripped out of Celestia's hooves, forced to Starlight's side by the overwhelming display of telekinesis. "Surrender now and I promise you'll get to share a cell together. Otherwise," Starlight opened a portal to Tartarus, her eyes wide with manic glee, "you'll never see her again!" 

Celestia's eyes never left Twilight. She was battered and beaten, but even in this state there was a silent plea in her eyes. Celestia's teary eyes hardened with resolve. At least she turned to glare at her enemy. "A tempting offer, Starlight Glimmer. But not one I am to take. I love her, yes. But it is because of that love that I must respect her wishes, and those of my citizens. They all of them are telling me that I must never surrender, or else I will have hurt them more than you ever will." As Celestia spoke, the red gemstone upon her neck began growing in size at a rapid pace. "So to you I must say: Equestria does not negotiate with terrorists."

All Starlight could do in response was grin wickedly. "I was hoping you would say th--"

"We surrender!" Luna threw out a hoof. Starlight paused. "We--I--will help you once again, if you will have us. We, we--we miss our friend." Starlight's eye raised, but she only smirked more deeply.  

"Luna?" Celestia sucked in air between her teeth, eyes going wide. 

"Somepony's seeing reason at last? Shouldn't be surprised, Your Majesty. Once a traitor, always a traitor." Starlight giggled. "I tell you what. You can be court jester. But first thing is first. Bow." 

Luna sighed. "We only wish to see our friend again. But if that is how it must be," she trotted towards Starlight, head held low, "please receive us, Your Majesty." Starlight rolled her eyes and giggled, horn swimming with magic. Luna felt her hooves thrust against her sides, Starlight's eyes flying to them. She was made to bow by the force of Starlight's magic, several body lengths away from any hope of seizing the amulet. The bowing motion repeated, again and again, as if Luna were a seesaw. Starlight cackled all the while, eyes on the hooves locked against Luna's body. 

"You still haven't learned. I can see your traitor ways coming miles away. Did you think I would fall for such an obvious lie? You must think I'm a lot stupider than I--Oof!" Starlight felt something heavy and uneven connect with the back of her head, her eyes shutting in pain at the latest interruption. She rounded on her new attacker, rubbing the forming bruise. 

She looked down to see a chunk of stone about the size of a baseball resting to one side. Standing behind her were a pair of white unicorns, one with a long pink mane and one with a purple corkscrew-shaped mane. Upon the purple-maned unicorn's back was an elderly earth pony mare tossing another sizeable mineral in one hoof. "Did you...did you just throw--you threw a rock at me!" Starlight stomped a hoof in anger.

"Darn tootin'." The wrinkly mare replied with a proud smile. "An' there's more where that came from, lil' missus!" She tossed the next rock, forcing Starlight to raise up a shield. She made to retort, but a cluster of gem stones rose up from the earth beneath her and caught her straight in the stomach before she could. She grit her teeth in anger, again making ready to gather up a spell, but a scarf wrapped itself around her ankles and forced her to the ground. 

A series of blankets wrapped around her face and forced her backwards, causing her to splutter and bat her hooves at them. Something pricked at the back of her neck, and she felt something fall away with a 'clink'. "Enough!" She sent out a shield spell in all directions, blasting a fourth mare she hadn't seen sneaking up behind her in the process. She lit her horn, fury in her eyes.  

"The Princesses can't stop my dreams and neither will--" Something felt off. She blinked, then searched herself for potential injuries. The clinking. What had the clinking been? She looked down at her neck. Her now bare neck. Her hooves flew to where it should have been. The amulet was no longer around her neck. Where was it? Where was it?" 

She wheeled around in all directions, only to rest upon Luna smiling in triumph, the amulet dangling from her horn. "Huh? How did you--" Starlight made to reach for it, but with a flourish of the Princess' neck, the amulet was no longer on her horn, either. "That doesn't--you have no magic!"

Luna pulled the amulet out once more, holding it in her teeth this time, only to vanish it into thin air once again. "Not of the unicorn kind." She smirked. 

"But--but--but--" A blast of golden sunlight cut Starlight off, knocking her silly and freeing her captives.  

Luna and Celestia watched Starlight pull herself up, both smiling gently. Discord floated over to their side and snapped a claw, and a set of cuffs appeared on Starlight's hooves and horn. Twilight plummeted from the sky, leaving Celestia to catch her once more. Celestia did so in a heartbeat, levitating her away from Starlight and into her waiting hooves. Twilight gave Celestia a weak smile, trying to put a hoof around her in a slow, methodical movement. "I'm sorry, I couldn't fight her, and I--" She was cut off by Celestia gently hugging her and pulsing healing magic across her body, her hooves cradling her softly. She stared up at Celestia with tender love writ across her face, reaching up against her flagging strength to nuzzle her. "Thanks."

"Thank you, dear." Celestia nuzzled her back, the pair letting their touch say more than fickle words ever could. A red glow began to eminate from Celestia's neck, and she felt Rarity's hoof against her side. Then Missie's. Then Discord's claw on her other side, and then at last Fleur. She closed her eyes, a radiant smile across her face. "For more than you know." The six of them embraced, and the gems on Celestia's neck exploded with light. The rainbow of colours radiated outwards, each gem growing to fill up the space of her peytral, and a beam shot forth from Celestia, surrounding and blasting the amulet. The dark magic nexus cracked, bits and pieces falling away from the alicorn-shaped center. Bits and pieces began to fly off and disintegrate, until at last there was only a gem left. This itself then shattered into a powder, and at last the object disintegrated in full, its magic undone and its captive cutie marks freed. The overpowering light faded back to the fine glow that surrounded the six friends, and with it came a quiet peace.