Cuori Intrecciati

Twilight stood at the back—aft of the ship, watching the great skyscrapers of Manehatten slowly begin to shrink.

The salt air was not as enticing as she might have believed from all the stories, but then, perhaps it was an acquired taste. Carried north from the warmer climes, it held an orange tange that just didn’t seem right, and she idly wondered what Applejack would have had to say about it. What it was, above all else, was cleansing, washing away the hard smells of the city and blocking out any lingering fragrances she would’ve prefered to forget.

All around her, ponies yelled and hollered as they went about the tasks of setting sail, flitting up and down the rope with surprising agility. Pinkie was up there ‘helping’, although Twilight had to wonder what the sailor thought of that help.

She felt… odd, strange… like… She snorted in frustration. This was not the first time she’d left Equestria, or even sailed. There had been trips abroad in her youth, traveling with… and that whole fiasco with Hoofbeard. So, what made this time so different? Why did she already feel home sick? They’d barely made it out of port for Harmony sake!

“Why, Twilight, whatever is the matter?”

Twilight started, surprised as much by realizing she’d been grinding her teeth as by being interrupted from her thoughts. “Nothing,” she said quickly, hoping it sounded natural. “I was just… thinking… about Spike, worrying really.”

“Mmmhmmm,” Rarity hummed, clearly not believing a word of it as she joined Twilight at the banister. “I understand completely, but he is growing up into a fine… err… drake? And besides, it’s not as though the Princesses are more than a puff of fire away for him.”

“I, suppose. And it’s a little too late for second thoughts, anyway, so…” she trailed off, neither knowing how, nor caring to finish the thought. Instead, she finally turned away and started toward the bow of the ship, Rarity keeping pace at her side.

It was only once she’d crossed the length of the ship and stood at the prow, staring out over the glittering sea that she realized what was bothering her. In all her adventures, in everything she had ever done, she had always been going somewhere, to something. Now… for the first time she wasn’t going anywhere. There was no goal at the end, no Elements, no magic keys, no destination. For the first time in her life, she was running away.

—————————————

Ponies filled the Throne Room to capacity, all eagerly awaiting their turn to speak to Princess Celestia as she sat in judgment over open court. They came to her alone and in groups. Some brought petitions for succor, others with grievances to air. A few desired blessings mostly for foals or impending nuptials. Celestia had given up correcting such assumptions ages ago, instead offering a warm smile and a few quiet words. Many sought only advice, of which she doubted hers differed much from what others had told them, but if her voice added confidence she was not one to withhold it.

The day passed quickly for her, the simpler, if no less important, problems of her ponies offering a much needed reprieve from her own.

Three days, had it truly been only three days?

She could still see her leaving…

The pony before her trailed off, her eyes no longer looking up at Celestia, turned instead to something just outside of her view. The entire hall, it seemed, stared at that same point, the quiet murmur of the herd falling into silence for a single breath before redoubling into fervent whispers.

Celestia’s heart leapt in anticipation. Only one pony could elicit such a reaction from her ponies. That pony, however, should have been asleep in bed, and Celestia had every intention of scolding her for it… after pinning her to a wall and extracting as many kisses as she felt were necessary. All of that fled in a wave of cold anxiety when she finally glanced over her shoulder.

It was Luna standing impassively just inside the royal entrance. At first glance, there was little to say about her appearance. She looked as she always did when in the public eye; a stern, slightly aloof expression supported by a militaristic posture akin to their guards. The lack of her regalia, however, shattered Celestia’s fantasies.

Their eyes met, and what Celestia saw…

She tore her eyes away and cast them over the still gathered crowd. With a tap of her hoof on the dias, she drew all attention back to herself. A few polite words, said in a calm voice she did not feel, ended the proceedings and started the petitioners filing out the great doors. The rise of speculation was instantaneous, a low murmur filling the hall as everypony made their exit.

In the minutes before the last pony left, Celestia idly wondered—if only to distract herself—how far the into the future this event would ripple. The last time she’d ended open court early…

Her thoughts snapped back to the present. Luna still stood outside, and for a moment, Celestia thought she intended they should travel elsewhere. Only as she shifted her weight to rise did she notice the guards still posted along the walls. With a silent flick of her wing, they too were dismissed, marching out to stand guard at the exits.

Alone, finally, Luna’s control wavered. Celestia’s mask shattered.

Leaping from the throne, Celestia wrapped her sister in a tight embrace. Luna returned it with just as much vehemence, burying her face in Celestia’s neck. She did not cry, though a few tears dampened Celestia’s coat, nor did she sob, though her breaths came in thick and heavy. Before she could ask, Luna pushed away, holding her at leg’s length.

“‘Tia… I… I think I am pregnant.”

“What? No. Lulu, that is not possible. We—”

“Were wrong.”

The weight and certainty in Luna’s voice struck her, stealing the breath from her lungs and the denials from her tongue. She could not think. Thinking required a clarity of mind she no longer possessed. A thousand thousand thoughts sparked and died behind her unfocused eyes. Thoughts, plans, ideas, conceptions: none of them meant anything, lasted longer than a fraction of an instant before being shoved out by the next.

“What are we going to do?”

Silence. Celestia’s eyes focused on Luna’s, saw the desperation they held, the hope for salvation like a sword straight aimed for her heart, hovering, poised where she could no more avoid it than she could deny Luna her love.

“I… I do not know.”