I lower the milk bottle and take a moment to check on the children. It's Saturday, and the children are mostly sorted as far as breakfast goes. I think they're giving me unrealistic expectations regarding the likely behaviour of any children Luna and I have; they're really well behaved. No bickering, no randomly throwing their food across the room, no complaints when the elder take charge of the younger. It's a little sad, but at the same time, a bit of a relief? I'm not sure how I'd cope with this many children if they behaved like normal children. Normal parents can just have one at the start and then wait until they're past the constant attention phase before having another.
And unless they end up having twins, triplets or more, that's where many
leave it. Costly and tiring, of course. Consider yourself
lucky indeed, Renegade.
"Children, Luna's arrived. I'm just going to pop over to the portal room and escort her back."
Because while she can move around in human-form, she's made it very clear that it's far from her favourite thing. She's fine with the hands, not so much with the bipedalism. Which could be a little awkward, as I had a family sledging day planned and sliding across the frozen Denver countryside isn't something for people not comfortable on their legs.
Ah, she's more of a 'sit and watch' kind of lady, eh? At least when she's not on
hooves...
Mother Box, hush tube.
Ping.
Heh. Beats
walking all the way to the portal room.
The portal opens silently next to me and I step through, smiling broadly.
"Luna, dear heartttt…"
Ah, not who you were
expecting, eh?
That's not Luna.
Someone I
strongly suspect to be Celestia smiles at me, standing exactly one pace from the portal and quite deliberately not moving another step.
Huh, a bit more covered than I expected of Celestia, and yet less
obviously armoured. Positively super-heroic, in fact...
"I'm sorry, but Luna is occupied with affairs to state today."
Quick check with the Mountain's magic monitoring systems… Yep, both her general power and signature match Celestia, and her clothing roughly matches the design of the New God barding I made for her, allowing for the changes the mirror has wrought. And she feels right; there's an established relationship and familiarity there.
I see she came prepared for
trouble. Has she been listening to Luna's tales of Earth with a concealed
worry, perhaps?
"Yes, I… Thought that she would be. That's why this was a… Surprise. So… Was there something that you wanted..?"
"Yes." She bows her head a little and then frowns slightly. Yes, feels odd with a differently proportioned head and neck, doesn't it? "I thought that I should try to spend some time with the stallion my sister intends to marry. And I also wanted to see the world where Sunset has been living."
And this way is just a little less... Conspicuous than your naturally
dazzling form?
"That's… Fine. Ah, but why come through the mirror? I know from personal experience that it's a bit tricky to handle the new shape. Especially if you're planning on using magic."
"Because Sunset did the same. For a pony whose special talent relates to magic, losing her horn must have been extremely stressful."
And you're not going to let your student show you up? Feeling a little
insecure about your talents, are we?
"I think we distracted her with local magic before she could really notice. Ah… I… Take it that she doesn't know that you're here?"
"No. Given how… Tense, my relationship with Sunset is, I decided that-"
Big Oof. I rather suspect having 'dear Teacher' just show up might just make Sunset a little
paranoid.
"Sinestro, call Sunset."
"Certainly, Lantern Grayven."
And try not to sound like you're enjoying this so much, would you?
I make no promises, Corpsman.
"-I wouldn't-. What are you doing?"
"Hey, Grayven. What is it?"
He's making a fuss, Sellie. I assume that's what you were about to say?
"Where are you?"
"Did you seriously call me to ask that?"
And I am
so picturing the flat
look she's giving Grayven right now. Because she's sure he'd be watching her
somehow.
"Yes, Sunset, I care about you, and I get worried when I don't know where you are."
"W-? Now I just feel childish for complaining."
Well, you
are a senior vassal of the Suzerain of Earth. Some enterprisingly
foolish New God might decide to try his luck with you.
"Yes, that's intended, and it's a sign of your growing maturity that you recognised that without throwing a hissy fit. Well done."
"Ah… Thanks?"
I can just tell she's thinking 'get to the
point, Grayven...'
"If I knew where you are, I'd boom tube right over there and pat you on the head."
"Not sure I wanna tell you where I am, now."
...Or with
who, depending on timezones? What? She's a big girl, she can date whoever she wants.
"Does it involve Z-?"
"Would you stop with that? Ghia'ta still doesn't believe me. Look, I'm in Venturia. Is that everything?"
Ah, committing
SCIENCE! upon Atlantean thaumotology again?
"No, Celestia's paying us a visit." Celestia looks quite put out. "Just thought I'd warn you."
"Oh. Does she want to see me?"
...And now I can see the 'really?' face on Celestia. It involves a huffy frown and a squint.
"I think she's doing a home inspection. I just wanted to make sure that you didn't just run into her with no warning."
"Okay. Ah. Well. Thank you. I'm… I'm hanging up now."
Yes, I don't see her taking that sort of encounter well, especially if
surprised.
She hangs up. Celestia still looks put out.
"Grayven, I asked you not to do that."
And you're not the boss of him. If anything, you two are
peers.
"Yes, I know. But I considered the thing that torpedoed your relationship with Sunset in the first place; concealing from her information that she wanted. Then I considered if she'd want to know that you were here, realised that the answer was 'yes', and told her."
"I didn't intend to hide the fact that I-."
Not hiding an unannounced visit is a very different thing to calling ahead and giving people a head's-up...
"
Ah-djah-" I point my right forefinger at her. "-
djah-djah! That sort of '
from a certain point of view' stuff does not work when you're trying to repair an emotional relationship."
"Then what would you have suggested that I do?"
Well, how would
you handle a casual, friendly visit to another monarch in your world? Or do you lack any protocol for that?
"Ask me in advance. And… Tell Sunset that you were going to be here, and then let it be her decision whether she approaches you or stays away."
She nods slowly. And awkwardly.
Ah, still stuck in the 'used to being in charge of everything' mode, are we, Sellie?
"It doesn't make any different to your attempt to find out what suddenly having her shape changed was like, but it shows that you're interested in her life and that you respect her boundaries."
"I will remember that in future. Do you think that she would be prepared to stop taking Twilight to cult survivor lectures if I did?"
...What.
"Heh-hah-hah-hah-hah!" Celestia doesn't appear to appreciate the joke. "She's actually doing that? I thought she was joking!"
"I think that Sunset originally planned to take her to one. But Twilight wrote in a letter to me that she found it a 'highly informative window on the perils of applying the Magic of Friendship to other species without considering the differences in way that species thinks'."
...Because of course miss 'Socially inept'
would totally grab the wrong end of the pokey stick like that.
"So Sunset's been stuck taking her to them because she won't admit that she only took her to the first one as an insult to Twilight's relationship to you. That's so Sunset. Though I do admire her commitment."
"To dishonesty."
Hey, they're hanging out, Sunset's suffering for her mistake. Let it slide.
"At this point I think it's its own punishment. Or maybe it's like taking her out to a horror film?"
"I don't think that either Sunset or Twilight find other people suffering entertaining."
...Oh, boy. Wait until you see human cinema.
"It's cult survivor lectures. The ones giving them are the ones who made lives for themselves after they left. So there's suffering and an uplifting ending. Though maybe we could suggest alternative lectures?"
"I think that would be best. For now, I would-."
That's an
interesting way to look at it, at least.
She takes a step forward, instinctively moves her arms to the 'walk' position, and falls on her face.
"Honestly, you should have been expecting that. Everyone mentioned it."
"I'll thank you to keep silent,
sirrah...
Ow."
