A Head of Darkness, a Heart of Gold, by Princess Celestia
I was having a pleasant dream. One where my sister and I flew along above the clouds in the starry night, trailing our hooves along the wisps of vapour and changing our magic so that sometimes we would pass through them, feeling the cold drops on our fur and sometimes we would feel them as solid like snow. But even as I gazed towards the moon, thankful that it no longer held the physical mark of my sister’s imprisonment upon it, I felt the dream slipping.
Luna was first to disappear, vanishing silently into the ether. I briefly wondered if it had actually been her with me, or merely my own mental projection. I had little time to contemplate however, as the clouds flattened out into a floor and the sky morphed into a mere mural of itself, becoming a roof with a chandelier where the moon was seconds prior. Then the horizon split in two, letting forth rays of light which burned with a fierce intensity where they struck me. I shielded my eyes with my wings as the dreamscape burst into shards of light around me and I awoke.
Shaking off lingering sleep with a well-practiced ease I pulled myself into a sitting position only to find myself staring at the back of my own head. Momentarily disorientated I tried to scurry back in my bed but realized I was standing upright. Or rather, floating as a disembodied entity. I was still dreaming. But wait… I felt my magic being used, flowing from every corner of my physical body lying on my real bed into a very powerful spell.
A prophecy!
My heart skipped a beat. It had been years since the last one, the one that showed me of Nightmare Moon’s return and my reunion with Luna. I quickly searched through the recesses of my mind, trying to remember the spell that allowed me to record my memories. I released a breath I hadn’t realised I had been holding as I cast the spell, weaving its complex magic into my eyes and ears. A faint golden glow descended over the world, informing me that it was working.
I was fortunate I hadn’t hesitated to cast the spell as it was only a moment later that I heard a door behind me slam open. I spun around quickly, followed more calmly by the Celestia in the vision. Luna stood there; wings flared and head held high. She was wearing coal black armour of an indeterminable metal. The other Celestia shuddered, her wings ruffling even as every candle in the room flickered and dimmed.
“Well?” Luna asked sharply. “What dost thou think of my armour?”
I willed myself to move to a position where I could watch the conversation unfold between Luna and the prophesy-Celestia unbridled.
“Let me see,” said Celestia with what I knew to be a fake smile, approaching Luna even as Luna walked towards her.
Luna stopped in the centre of the room under the chandelier which had once been the moon and waited while Celestia slowly walked around her, absorbing the craftsponyship of the armour, how well it protected Luna, how the joints fitted together. The armour was a complex construction but took Celestia less than a minute to fully comprehend, at which point she stepped back to half a body’s length in front of Luna, looking down on her with a slightly raised eyebrow.
“Divulge your thoughts.”
Celestia sighed. “I suppose there is no point in pretending otherwise: I hate it. I think it looks cruel and malicious. Perhaps even bordering on demonic. Functionally it is perfect. But I know that you didn’t chose it for its functionality.”
Luna visibly clenched her jaw. “Very well. I see how it lies with you.” She lit her horn and the armour disassembled itself. Every strap, brace, and buckle came undone and the pieces collapsed onto the carpet in a series of clashes that resonated with an unnatural quality. Without the armour on, I noticed how heavily she was breathing. Having not taken her eyes off Celestia, she slowly removed her helmet. It descended shakily towards the floor but had scarcely reached head height before Luna screamed. I scarcely had time to register the helmet being crushed into a ball and thrown through the enchanted outer stone wall like a sheet of parchment. “Thou always treat me so unfair! Why will thou not allow me to resume my duties as thou promised? You have already twice delayed me!”
The other Celestia had instinctively flared her wings and leapt backwards. But now she slowly approached Luna, and leaned towards her. She was now sitting with her head hung in amongst the piled armour. She looked up at Celestia and sniffled, blinking back tears. But as sudden as her outburst was, she stood up. Her eyes quickly dried, a steely look overcoming her.
“Apologies for my outburst, I know not what came over me.” Luna said through half-clenched tetth. She gave a half-bow in apology. “I had commanded the finest smiths to forge for me my armour. I presume that I was disappointed to see thee so unbetaken by it but I see now that thou art correct. The smiths only saw me as what I was and not who I am and so crafted my armour to that regard. Wherefore I didn’t realise this myself is unbeknownst to me, but I fear that perhaps I still seek some lingering connection to my past, if only to show how I have overcome it.”
“Oh, Luna. I too am sorry. I was insensitive. I know how much your return to your former duties means to you and how eager you are to recommence them.”
“I thank thee for understanding. However, I will begin with my duties tonight. I will undertake them unarmoured if it truly offends thee. Or at least I will for the present until I can find a more suitable option.”
Celestia winced. “Luna, I know how confident you feel but I’m unsure of your safety. You’re still recovering from your liberation. I will concede to you that you probably are capable of fighting, if not at your full strength, but I feel uncomfortable for you to do so without protection.”
Luna smiled. “Fret not for my safety, dear sister. Alicorn hide is as strong as any armour and I have my personal night guard with me. They will keep me safe.”
“I know. I just…. I worry.”
“I know thou dost. Your compassion is an admirable trait but one that is better spent on those who cannot fend for themselves and not those like me who surely can.”
“You’re right. Thank you, Luna. I’ll leave you to lower the moon. I have a dinner to attend with delegates from Maretonia anyway. I wish you the best of luck with your duties. If you find yourself in trouble I won’t think any less of you for turning away.” Celestia hesitated. “I will be disappointed though if you stay and fight and are hurt.”
“Do not worry about me. I am capable of handling myself.”
Celestia merely nodded. She gracefully walked towards the door, her tail bending around the frame when by all reason, it should have collided. As soon as the door closed, Luna dropped her smile and settled for an aggressive frown.
Luna stayed that way for a while before turning back to the hole she had made in the wall. She lit her horn again and the helmet came floating back to her, coming to rest directly in front of her. She looked its mangled formed, rolling it around slowly. Then, in a single burst of magic she reformed it to its original shape. She gazed into its gaping eye holes intently, as the empty metal had challenged her.
“You doubt me. I know you do. But I will show you.” Luna set the helmet gently by her side. “I will show you.”
Luna stepped towards the window, gazing out at the setting sun. Her time had come again.
On the Responsible Use of Time Travel, by Princess Luna
Author's Note
In case anyone is confused about the thing with Rainbow Dash, that's in reference to my other story; "Rainbow Dash, The Spartan". It's not relevant to this story in any more than a fleeting fashion and knowledge of it is completely superfluous.
On the Responsible Use of Time Travel, by Princess Luna
Five years, seven months after my return.
As you will see, the factuality of these events does concern more than just Celestia and myself. As such, I feel obliged to inform you that this did not officially occur. I say officially as it did occur yet the use of time traveling spells promptly erased these events from history. I stand by my decision to turn back time in this situation. I know what I am doing and I do not use time spells without consideration. I would go in depth into my rationale, but Celestia insists that I leave my actions open to judgement. So I conjured her up some actions of her own to be judged; after careful consideration I am all but certain that she fully intended to manipulate me into using the time spells. And that is as much I shall say about my opinion on that.
Celestia had concerned herself with the positioning of the Sun in the sky while I watched on, invisible to her, from behind the balcony’s thick oaken door. I exhausted many options on just what she was doing as I watched her pull it left, then right, then up, then down. She began tapping a fore hoof before cocking her head to one side and quickly dragged the Sun down to the horizon. It was obviously a gesture to impress me. Which it did, but it was a needlessly risky gesture. What are you thinking, sister? I was tempted to walk out to the balcony straight away and begin berating her but after taking a step forward I decided against it. I hadn’t come early to spy on Celestia just to break my ruse at the first peculiar action she took. Besides, waiting the hoof-full of minutes before I was supposed to arrive gave me a better opportunity to formulate an argument that would leave her scurrying.
Celestia returned from the edge of balcony and sat down at the table. She was facing towards me. I watched in amusement as she closed her eyes and begun muttering to herself. A spell? Possibly. Or was she practising a speech? That seemed more likely. Either told me that what she had to say to me was going to be important.
I let my sister continue her strange rambling while I went through some thoughts of my own and tried not to salivate over the delicious tea Celestia had prepared for us. Sitting on the delicate white coffee table was a plate of sugar-encrusted pastry scrolls. Next to the plate was a steaming pot of tea and two teacups; it was a delicate blend all the way from Saddle Arabia and one of my personal favourites.
I tore my gaze away and poked a hoof at the edge of the hall rug. Was it time yet? I searched around for a clock and cursed my lack of a watch when the closest was on the mantelpiece of the fireplace at the opposite end of the hall. Watches may look ridiculous but I would lying through my teeth if I said they weren’t useful. As it was, I was forced to walk to the end of the hall only to find that the mantelpiece clock was broken. That did it for me.
I dropped the invisibility spell and settled my face into its usual expression; my proud mixture of condescension, aloofness, authority, and displeasure.
“Oh! Luna!” Celestia faltered, then recovered with a practiced smile. Celestia falter?
“I.... I apologise for my tardiness,” Me falter? I coughed, trying to remember what I had intended to say, the words being overwritten with images of Celestia trying to make speech only to start speaking gibberish.
I shook the peculiar thought from my mind. “I was delayed when a contingent of guards came rushing to me, fearing for my safety.” I flashed a polite smile in her general direction and took my seat opposite her on on her abysmal excuse for seating: a floor cushion.
Bringing my attention back to my sister, I saw that her smile had quickly dropped, followed a short moment latter by her ears. I was glad I had chosen not interrupt her straight away. This was going to be fun.
“You see, they saw that the Sun was behaving very erratically, dropping into a sunset when it should have been midday and thought we were under attack.” I calmly began pouring the tea, unapologetically pasting a fake smile to my face that altogether was an insult to the conviction and genuineness of Celestia’s.
Celestia made to bite her lip but stopped short.
“Of course, I told them that they were surely mistaken and that we could not possibly be under attack as you hadn’t had any visions as you have every other time there has been a threat to our kingdom. I then told them that I was, in fact, on my way to see you at that very moment and I would enquire you if you knew anything about the behaviour of the Sun.” I paused to take a bite from a cinnamon and jam scroll, chewing it slowly and deliberately before continuing. “That is what I told them, dear sister. What I did not tell them was that I was truly fearful for your safety and considered that perhaps we actually were under attack.” I paused and took another, equally deliberate, bite. “So imagine my reaction when I arrive here on your balcony to find you muttering to yourself as if you had no cares in the world."
“Oh. You saw that.”
“Indeed. But we digress. The questions that formed in my mind were simple: why had you lowered the Sun so, and what had you murmuring like a mad mare?”
“Well, I can explain-“
“The answer came to me shortly after.”
“Luna, I assure you that-“
I took another bite as Celestia spoke, and interjected with a mouth full of scroll. “What do you need me to do?”
“I… what?”
“You may also end your charade.” I swallowed, pointing the remainder of the scroll at Celestia in a semi-accusational way.
“Am I really that transparent?” Celestia had dropped back to her normal polished tone.
“Oh, not at all dear sister. You are forgetting that there are merely a few decades between us in age, and I have accumulated just as much wisdom as you have in that time.” I put my scroll down as I prepared the explanation I had been working on before being distracted by the scroll that was now comfortably in my stomach. “You see, when I initially stepped onto the balcony I did indeed see you muttering to yourself and that the sun was now setting. Only a fool would believe you were mad and you clearly know I am no fool. Any filly could see that you were in fact nervous. Nervous about what? That wasn’t as important as the degree of your agitation. You are well renowned for your calm - even pleasant - attitude in the face of all adversities. Clearly your performance here was somewhat exaggerated. Why though? You would obviously know that an exaggerated sense of nervousness would not fool me. The answer was then apparent; it was because you truly were nervous about what you had to ask and by exaggerating the effect to a near comical level, you intended to hide that you were truly worried.” I paused to judge Celestia’s reaction, which I was pleased to see was a half-smile. Perhaps that was too generous. A one-sixteenth or one-thirty-second smile was perhaps a more apt term. I grinned as I imagined progressively smaller inclinations of Celestia's smiles until they became so faint that you would need a microscope to even see them.
I continued, “The question remained then; what would stir the mind of the Great Celestia? This, I must admit, took some thinking. You had invited me to tea rather formally several days ago, meaning that it was clearly something that’s been troubling you for a while. The fact that you did move the sun into an admittedly lovely sunset indicates that you are trying to impress me, as does the choice of tea, my favourite Saddle Arabian blend. These gestures work on all levels of your charade as they are well thought-out peace offerings and regardless of whether you were nervous or acting you knew they would be well-received. At the same time, your movement of the Sun was also furthering your act of appearing nervous about your conversation which I had discerned, by this time, was to ask an important favour of me.”
Celestia’s eyebrow had raised a fraction more than her smile while listening to my continuing dissertation. Still, she let me continue. “Just how important was this favour, I here you ask? To come to a conclusion about that, I had to cast my mind back a whole month. It was at this time that I first noticed that you were locking the top draw of your dresser every day, a trend which has always continued since. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet been able to ‘run into you’ when you have been retrieving any material from it. Its contents were a nagging mystery to me. Until today, that is. While I do not know their exact contents, I understand their importance, which is an empathic ‘massive’. Why else would you have been planning this tea for the whole month? For you see, I first noted that you had placed an order for a replacement batch of Arabian teas several days after you had begun locking your draw. You don’t like any of their teas which meant that you had ordered them with me specifically in mind. I had thought perhaps that it was for my birthday next month, but I see now it was for this afternoon. But wait, there’s more! You see, with that amount of time to plan there is no way you would have any degree of nervousness about you when today finally arrived. The few times you have lost composure have all been due to extreme unforeseen circumstances and never have you been anything less than the perfect image of stoicism when you have had time to plan things out. That means that you act was a double-bluff. You were exaggerating your emotions to hide the fact that you were truly worried, to hide the fact that you weren’t nervous at all because you had really been planning this day for nearly a month.”
Celestia watched on with no visible emotion save for her faintly glistening eyes. I tried to discern what her reaction was to my little game of deduction but the physical signs that had betrayed her had been crushed. Her face may as well have been petrified, her eyes locked unblinking to the wall above me. Was she enjoying this? Was she proud of me? Or afraid? Was she even listening? I crushed a burst of envy and decided to continue before my thoughts brought any harm. “Of course you have been worried. You have not been sleeping properly as of late. Sleeping patterns are the one aspect of your psyche even you can’t truly control. They can be very telling of a pony, dear sister. And they have very much done so here. Now, what possibly could you need to ask me that is keeping you awake at night and requiring you to plan a simple tea weeks in advance? Well, for my final act; I deduce that you are going to ask me to-“
“Attend a meeting with the Trans-Reality Council of Higher Powers," Celestia said before I could come to my incorrect conclusion. Her gaze locked to mine with her head tilted at a slight angle. Then she laughed. She continued alone for several seconds while I watched bemused. What was funny about any of this? But then I realised. It had probably been years since Celestia had heard me saying anything so intelligent and I hadn’t even realised. My laugh began as an odd hiccup, but soon erupted into a voluptuous cackle. The disjointed sounds of our mingling laughter - Celestia's serene and melodic and mine guttural and hearty - flowed over our private balcony for a duration of nearly a minute.
Celestia placed a slender foreleg over her forehead in an attempt to stop her entire body from shaking. Somehow that thought only wanted to make me laugh harder but I held my breath and let my sister speak. “I had no idea..." she was interrupted by a lingering chuckle, "you were so interested in deduction, sister.”
“Hm?” I was busy trying to adjust my cushion and it took me a moment to latch onto what Celestia had said. While I hadn’t ever given it thought it was perhaps an avenue I would consider pursuing in the future after this incident. But what was this about a council? I had heard them mentioned before. Where though….
I decided I need to bring this back to a more serious mood. “I was going to conclude that you’d had a terrible vision that I was going to turn back into Nightmare Moon and bring a new era of misery and suffering and that you intended to put me in prison for ‘my own safety’” I hadn’t been thinking that at all, really. I just wanted to mention Nightmare Moon to soften Celestia up a bit. Still, I couldn’t risk playing the “banishment to the moon” incident as a trump-card too often or at the wrong time. I had learnt soon after my return that the banishment had truly been both ways. Celestia was only marginally better off in the deal that I was. The one and only time I had tried to use my banishment as a method to gain leverage, it had ended in a sopping mess of pony princess tears. Love. Ugh. Still, it was what separated ‘us from them’, so to speak. I was happy to have the occasional moment of emotional instability if it meant being a fairer ruler and better sister. It was a side of me I wasn’t ever going to let anypony but my sister see.
I only now noticed how long Celestia had taken to formulate a response. “That’s… very morbid of you, Luna.”
I shrugged. “I am The Night, after all”.
Celestia glared at me; it was a completely undetectable gesture to most outsiders. I hung my head. I should’ve been more circumspect. There were other ways to bring a conversation back into seriousness without mentioning Nightmare Moon. I knew I hated it when ponies did it to me, why hadn’t I considered Celestia might feel much the same way?
When I looked back up Celestia’s gaze had moved away from me and off to the distant hills behind Canterlot. “Anyway,” she began with a croak before clearing her throat. “Anyway. Are you aware of who the Council are?”
It occurred to me then where I heard about them before. Or rather, experienced them before. “Only what I’ve seen in your dreams.”
Celestia shifted uncomfortably on her cushion. I had meant that earnestly but she probably didn’t need reminding that I could see every dream and vision she had. Our powers left us with little room to hold secrets between us. Not that that hadn’t brought us closer together than most ponies would imagine possible.
“And what would that be?”
“I understand you hold them in low regard. Very low regard, in fact. Not fearful, nor angry…” I tapped my hoof against the table, trying to think of the best way to describe Celestia's feelings.
“I think perhaps ‘wary’ is the word you are looking for.” Celestia ruffled her wings as she spoke.
I gave the table a definitive hit. "That would befit the occasion." I stopped, realising I still lacked a crucial piece of information. "Why though?”
Celestia sighed and stood up from the table. She made her way over to the railing and rested on it, looking over the city of Canterlot, cast in the golden rays of the setting sun. She reached out with her magic and brought it back to its proper place. Impressing me was done now, and now she needed to restore order before our beloved citizens started to panic. I was grateful for both the gesture and for the fact that Celestia knew when to end it for the sake of our ponies.
Celestia turned back to face me and I gave an approving nod of her actions without caring whether my previous words had deemed me temporarily unworthy to hold such authority. “Well Luna,” she said, “I have had several dealings with this Council in the past. They claim to be a force of order and justice, but they come from far more primitive places than our Equestria. Perhaps they are actually considered the height of order there, I know not. But I do know that from our perspective they are greedy, selfish, egotistical, violent, vengeful, and hypocritical. I say that with no judgement or scorn in my heart, but as the honest truth that I have witnessed. Their hearts are as cold as ice.”
“Why then associate with them at all?” I raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious.
“Because it is necessary. They control passage into many worlds and have many magical and technological wonders which have benefitted us in the past.”
That was not a satisfactory answer and I didn’t believe it for a second.
“They’re not evil Luna. Just officious, bureaucratic, and callous.”
I sighed. “What exactly would have me do?” If this Council was anything like how I was imagining it to be, I doubted this would end well for anyone involved. I had a bad temper at the best of times and dealing with idiots certainly wouldn’t aid that. Then again, I thought, maybe that is exactly what Celestia anticipates in the belief that my personality would be similar enough to theirs that we would be able to see more eye-to-eye. I didn’t know whether to be flattered or insulted and that usually meant I would side on being completely impassionate.
Celestia turned gracefully and began walking back inside, taking a moment before responding. I knew from experience that Celestia rarely took so long to think of what to say. She had already thought of a hundred responses, selected the best five and calculated your reactions of each of them before you even finished speaking. For the second time that afternoon, I found myself envious of her abilities.
“I believe you’ve met with Rainbow Dash before?” I made a note that Celestia’s suddenly conversational tone was probably significant while I kicked back my cushion and rose to follow her.
“The arrogant, blue pegasus?” I didn’t think too highly of her, which was a worry. I was old enough to realise that often the ponies you dislike reflect something you dislike within yourself. And I certainly didn’t dislike my own arrogance. Or at least, I didn’t think that I did.
Celestia definitely skipped a step and may have winced at my description of Rainbow Dash.
“Yes." Celestia started walking again. "Well, she has become stranded in one of the parallel worlds under the council’s authority. I’ve been trying for the past month to try and negotiate her return. Unfortunately, the council is in no hurry to allow her to return. They claim to have no knowledge of her existence. Unfortunately for them, they’re terrible liars. However, with no evidence to present to them, no way to know which out of the hundreds of world Rainbow Dash was on and no magical link through which to send scrying spells through, I had no other option but to give up. That was until several weeks ago. It was then that I found a way in. One of their prophets happens to use magic that is almost identical to my own to see into the future. For several hundred years, I’ve been able to sense when she uses her gifts. I had never given it much thought. You know how strange magic can be, especially powerful magic like prophetic abilities.”
Ś
I nodded slowly. Magic certainly did have its oddities. I stared briefly at the patch of carpet I had ruffled with my hoof earlier, trying to avoid thinking of the terrifying creatures of magic I had seen and fought in my lifetime.
Celestia snapped me back to reality. “However, this time when she cast her spell, I felt something… different. It was one of those kinds of feelings. Her mind allowed me to cast a scrying spell through it and I quickly ascertained that Rainbow Dash was indeed trapped on her world. However, there were complications.”
“Complications?”
“The kingdom Rainbow is living in is about to go to war against a powerful empire. There is every chance that she will be injured, or worse. Time is paramount to her survival.”
“Have you…"
“I’ve pushed Equestria’s Time Keeper to its limits. Time is flowing nearly ten times as fast here as it is in this other world. Even with its time spell, we still only have at most a month.”
I nodded, feigning interest in an ornate chandelier somewhere down the hall. I resented that Celestia hadn’t thought it was necessary to tell me any of this yet. “Then why did you delay so long in asking for my assistance?”
Celestia looked down apologetically at me. “At the risk of sounding blunt; you were a back-up plan.”
I saw that as a golden opportunity to push my case. “Hmph. I expected as much. I’m so glad you trust me, your own sister, enough to tell me when you’re negotiating an important deal with leaders from a parallel world.” I glared at my sister who stood in a patch of flecked light that drifted down from the stained glass window to my left and coloured her muzzle in a garish pink.
Celestia winced. I stared at her harder, trying to figure out if it was genuine, making a fake attempt at apology, or whether she had some alternate motive for feigning. She knew. She knew that if there was one way to guarantee my commitment to a problem, it was to challenge my ability to complete it. Especially when it was Celestia herself who issued the challenge. She saw that I was always trying to prove myself her equal. If she was using that to manipulate to me then…. Then…. It was working!
“Tell me then, Celestia," I almost spat out her name, “what caused you to end your negotiations now and come crawling to me for help?”
“The Council has decreed that I am to cease all contact with them.” Her voice was unnervingly calm but had lost some of the conversational ease it had held a moment ago.
I stopped dead, scrambling for a suitable retort. “And what makes you think I could do any better?” I cocked my head to one side slightly in a condescending fashion. I was well versed in the art of appearing superior. I was confident that I could make the self-depreciative comment a show of power.
But Celestia merely smiled. She turned away from me and used magic to push open the door to her apartments. I was left fuming and standing at the threshold of her door while she gave her head a casual flick to close the door behind her. As it clicked into locking, I felt my left eye begin to twitch.
The only coherent conclusions I could make were that Celestia was intentionally riling me up and that I really wanted to hit something. Every other thought flew around my mind in an incoherent whirlwind, leaving me wondering what in Equestria had just happened.
It took me a good five minutes of staring at Celestia’s closed door before my eye could stop twitching enough for me to turn my attentions to the task at hoof. Mentally belting myself across the face, I decreed that I was going to get the annoying blue pegasus back. I would prove myself to my… brilliantly manipulative sister and be heralded as a hero. Yes. That’s what I was going to do.
But I was going to do it my way.
I turned in a whirlwind of motion and stormed down the hallway, headed for my chambers. I kept many powerful spells hidden there, deep inside my personal magical wards. Including a spell for time traveling, courtesy of Star Swirl the Bearded. I had never seen eye to eye with the eccentric unicorn, but he certainly had proved that he has uses.
I wasn’t going to deal with this council and end up in a fight like my sister had suggested. I also wasn’t going to lie down and be a pushover like her. I was simply going to go back and time and prevent all of this from ever happening.
***
As Luna’s mind slowly ticked over, Celestia watched her from the comfort of her bed, using a scrying spell to see as Luna’s face contorted through every expression known to Ponydom. Celestia gave a deep sigh. This plan was going to work, and Celestia couldn’t be less happy about it. Just because she was doing the right thing didn’t mean she was doing things right.
Celestia watched as Luna turned and cantered off to her own chambers. She saw determination on Luna’s face. That improved her mood a small amount. She knew Luna would undoubtedly complete her ‘mission’ and bring back Rainbow. Luna would never give in so long as her honour was riding on it. Celestia just hoped she would go for the time spells like she had intended.
Celestia watched with growing resignation as she watched Luna go into her draws and draw out an unsealed scroll. When she opened it appeared blank but Celestia knew that was just an effect of an anti-scrying ward placed on it and that it contained a powerful spell written on it.
Celestia was relieved as an aura consistent with a time spell began to build around Luna as she cast it. He relief was short lived however as the time spell quickly over powered the scrying spell in a burst of magical static and then a few seconds later the past three years were erased on Luna’s whim.
The last thought to cross Celestia’s mind was just how great the faith was that she putting into her sister.
A Litte Game of Hoofsies, by Princess Celestia
Some of the concepts I divulge in this chapter have had unfortunate consequences and I must warn you that I do not accept liability for any permanent disability or inconveniences caused by the following.
Many forget that many years ago I was considered to be scholar of some repute. Clearly, they also forget that it was I who wielded the element of magic when Luna and I held the Elements of Harmony, and it is also me who has run a school for gifted unicorns for nearly two hundred years.
It really shouldn’t come a surprise then that I still valuable insight to offer to the world of science and magic, even if only on occasion. Unfortunately, my royal duties often prevent me from deep investigations meaning that many ideas that I have to live their sad lives buried in the back of my mind, or else be outsourced to other researches. Finding low-hanging fruit the scientific world was something I thought impossible. It is a belief I have since remedied.
It was several hundred years ago that this though first came to me – sitting at an incredibly tedious peace meeting with the Griffon Empire - and ever since then I’ve brought it up to confound unpleasant guests or to “test” the intellectually ingenuity of some of my advisors.
Such was the case with Kibitz’s, who at the time was soon to begin as my personal advisor, his predecessor, Gilded Hooves, having earned himself a rapid retirement to an oft pirate-plagued but otherwise utopian tropical atoll. He had first joined palace staff as a kitchen-hoof and had quickly moved up through first junior than managerial ranks owing in no small part to his diligence and “immeasurable professional enthusiasm” – a virtue he ascribed to be his defining feature.
He had passed his interviews with ease and I was immensely looking forward to his professionalism and wry humour that was so unlike his predecessor’s …. Less desirable traits. Most of all, I wanted to see his reaction to my little theory.
With careful deliberation in my admittedly few spare moments, I had picked the perfect place and time for our destined conversation. At eleven-past ten in the morning, I had invited him to room 12-25 for a game of chess. It was a secluded room high in the palace’s array of spires, chosen as much as a test of his navigational prowess as it was for its two-story window that looks out onto a hell-torn landscape under a perpetually thunderous sky. I suspected that whoever had originally owned the room had a flare for drama, but if I had ever known the pony, I had long since forgotten them. Clearly they clearly didn’t leave as big an impression on ponies as they thought. As it was now, the dais in front of the window which probably once held a grand chair and opulent desk was now the more home to a more modest duo of floor cushions and a large floating chess set.
I occupied one of these cushions bemoaning the lack of clocks anywhere in the room. I had no way to tell whether Kibitz was late or not, and the timeless storm out the window wasn’t helping. Watches may look ridiculous, but there certainly were times when they were practical. I closed my eyes and concentrated. My magical and spiritual link to the sun was strong enough that I could feel its movements and deduce the time from that, but after what felt like several minutes of pouring both my concentration and magic, I could only come to the conclusion that it was around ten-thirty. Which was, understandably, utterly useless.
I was considering the existential questions posed by my life having devolved into a centuries-long exercise in schedules and meetings when a flustered Kibitz cantered in. He drew out a pocket handkerchief and wiped his brow with it before noticing the twisted landscape in the window.
“My, my, Princess. This is quite the room you’ve found here.”
“I trust it was easier to find than it is impressive once found?”
He blinked heavily “Um…. Yes. Quite.”
He sat down opposite me, and the chess board flared into life. The ancient enchantments worked, the pieces flowing up out of the marble surface and settling into the recognisable forms of the game.
I considered how best to approach this. Not the game of course. I had played so much chess over my lifetime that I was the equal of any grandmaster. Practice can, it seems, overcome talent. No, I was considering how best to approach my little test. It was something I performed on Earth Ponies or Pegasi, but for a unicorn with telekinesis, the task was a more difficult one.
First, I had to get him to use his hoof instead of his magic to play the game. I found the best way to do this was to lead by example. Making a very deliberate attempt to appear as casual as possible (expertise is the art of making the difficult appear effortless, after all), I made my move - Knight to C3.
Kibitz followed, pawn to D5, using his magic. He seemed rather distracted by the window. In hindsight, I probably should have picked a less obtrusive view.
I picked up a pawn and moved it to E4, again with my hoof.
He took it with his pawn, this time with his hoof. He was gazing out the window. Actually, in hind-hindsight his distractedness probably made him even more susceptible to suggestion.
I moved my white captain to B5, using my magic.
“Check, Kibitz”. Again, as casual as possible.
“Hm… what?” He furrowed his brow, glaring intently at the offending pieces. “Indeed I am. It would seem as though I wasn’t paying particular attention. So terribly sorry, I do swear I’m better at chess than this.”
“It’s quite alright, Kibitz. I didn’t hire you for your aptitude at chess.” I chuckled to myself.
He moved a pawn forward to C6, blocking my captain. To my luck, he used his hoof.
“How did you do that?” I pretended to be utterly confounded.
“It was a completely legal move, wasn’t it?”
“No. I mean,” I pointed to his foreleg, “how did you use that?”
“What, my hoof?” he looked over it as if it were some strange growth.
“Yes. How did you do that?”
“Like… this?” He picked up a rook, moved it forward, moved it back again, then looked up at me expectantly.
“Like that.” I nodded sternly.
“I don’t see how that’s in any way peculiar, your highness.”
“Don’t you see what you’ve just done?” I edged towards an authoritarian tone, to scare him a bit. Not too much though, the poor stallion was oh-so confused and making him loose his shoes in fear wouldn’t aid anypony.
“I… I can use my magic if you prefer, Princess.”
I toned myself back a bit, Kibitz was turning pale. “You do realise that you’ve just picked up a small, complex object with a completely flat surface, don’t you?”
“No,” he sounded genuinely disbelieving. He held a hoof in front of his face, and ran his other along its surface. “You’re right. How could I never notice that? I feel so-“
“Stupid? Blind? Un-observant?”
He sighed, and slumped back in his chair. “Yes, I suppose.” He looked back up at me “Well, then, how do hooves work? Because there’s no way that this should be physically possible.”
“Yes. It is quite the interesting puzzle. Trying moving the chess piece again, and see if you can find any helpful hints.
Kibitz tried to pick up the rook again, but his hoof was as useless as a plank of wood.
“I…. I can’t”. Kibitz made one last attempt, but only succeeded in knocking the piece over.
“Hm. Interesting.” I set the piece straight with my hoof, then rose from the table. I turned and walked away. I paused at the door, “let me know if you find anything, interesting, Mr. Kibitz. Oh, and welcome to your new job. I’m so glad I’ll have a stallion as capable as you as my assistant.”
I walked out of the room, gently closing the ancient door behind me, leaving Kibitz still sitting there in front of the apocalyptic window, staring at his hooves with more interest than he ever thought possible.
It took me fifty seven years before I could use my hooves again. I wished Kibitz the best of luck, but still couldn’t help but hum to myself as I walked down the corridor.
