1. A Friendship's Beginning?
With an easy grace that was practically second-nature to her now after so many years of diplomatic functions and the like, Princess Celestia entered the throne room; despite the absence of any sort of current in the air, her multi-hued mane still undulated in every direction at once as she proceeded toward the throne. Her throne. At least, it had been hers and hers alone for the better part of a thousand years. She idly wondered, suppressing a sigh as she did so, if it would ever stop feeling strange to be doing this on her own, but then she remembered that she'd had that exact same thought every night for the past millennium. The answer was a categorical, defiant no.
Turning away from the golden, bejewelled seat of power, Celestia headed toward the set of Prench windows that dominated the far wall; during the day – in addition to providing an abundance of light to court proceedings – they offered spectacular views of the Canterlot countryside, but on dark, dingy nights like this one only sharp-pointed streaks of silver lightning that rent the sky asunder could be seen, bringing a brief false dawn to the cluster of small villages dotted around the castle's environs. Her thoughts turned to the Night Patrol: this storm had not been scheduled, and they were out there, somewhere, in the midst of it all. She hoped that they would be safe, that they would take shelter if it got any worse.
Even the most daring and foolhardy of weather ponies would be reluctant to go out there right now. One of these days, I must see to it that an extensive survey is conducted of the strange magical properties surrounding the Everfree Forest. These wildstorms it keeps sending our way usually burn themselves out after a few hours, but they still cause so much damage.
Celestia was just about to issue a command to the room's only other occupant when a high-pitched cracking noise suddenly became the sole focus of her attention. She turned back to the window just in time to see a black shape surrounded by shards of glass land awkwardly on the marble floor. An attack? On Canterlot Castle?
Her horn igniting of its own accord, Celestia made ready to unleash Tartarus on the insurgent when it suddenly occurred to her that, as far as invading forces went, this one was pretty pathetic, consisting as it did of but one rather dishevelled-looking blue pegasus pony. Still, maybe they were regarded as a great warrior back in Cloudsdale or wherever they hailed from, but they were an even greater idiot if they thought that they could challenge her on her own turf and succeed.
Slowly, with a shake of their head that revealed an impressive mane polychromatic mane, the pony began to pull themselves together; they brushed as much of the glass off as they could, letting out tiny yelps of pain as they did so.
Within moments, Celestia realised that this was pony was not a threat; in fact, she could see now that it was a rather young female, of slightly tomboyish demeanour if the spiky hair and athletic body were anything to go by. She could not be much more than fourteen- or fifteen-years-old. What was most interesting about her, however, was the cerise eyes: they radiated a supreme confidence, almost an arrogance, that Celestia had not seen since General Firefly himself.
Clearly, here stands before me a pony who knows exactly what she wants from life … and how to get it, too.
“Are you all right, Miss?” asked Celestia, masking her earlier foul mood as best she could. She was a host now, and she would see to the needs of her guest first and foremost. “Only, that was a rather striking entrance.”
“It was, wasn't it?” the pegasus said in response, her chest swelling with pride as she did so. In a split-second, her entire attitude changed, however, as it suddenly dawned on the interloper just who she was talking to. “Ohmigosh! Princess Celestia!” She affected an elaborate bow, wincing slightly as she did so – no doubt discovering some new injury because of the stretch – and started talking rapidly, the cracks in her voice rising in pitch with her stress levels, “I'm so incredibly sorry about the window, Your Highness. It was the storm, you see? I mean, I couldn't. See, that is. Oh, Celestia.” With a rather shaky intake of breath, she asked, “I'm in trouble, aren't I?”
Favouring the pegasus with a warm smile, Celestia replied, “No, of course not, my little pony.” Igniting her horn once more, she swept aside the broken shards of glass that littered the floor. She frowned, concern creasing her features as she noticed that some of them were damp with blood as well as rain. The maintenance staff would do a proper job of cleaning up in the morning – as well as replacing the window – but they were at least no longer a threat to anypony's health and safety. “May I ask what you were doing outside in such frightfully inclement conditions, Miss? Surely, you're much too young to be on one of the weather teams in this region?”
“Well, uh, yes, I am, Princess. It's just that I have this friend in Ponyville and she-”
“-Miss, uh, Miss?”
“Oh. Dash. Rainbow Dash.” She bowed again, smiling lopsidedly as she did so. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Celestia held up a golden-shod hoof. “Now, Miss Rainbow Dash, please take your time an explain properly. Not everything has to be rushed, you know.” She spoke soothingly, hoping to reassure the young pegasus that she was not in trouble. After a couple of moments had passed, she said, “Now, you have a friend in Ponyville?”
“Yeah, I mean, yes. She's a vet. At least, she wants to be a vet one day. For now, she's just an apprentice.” Realising that she was babbling again, Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Still, it wasn't every day that you trashed a member of the royal family's home. “Anyway, she needed this super-rare medicine that you can only get in Cloudsdale for a patient of hers so I volunteered to go and get it for her.” She wondered if she should mention that Fluttershy was also a pegasus but hated flying, but it seemed like unnecessary padding. “The delivery went fine, but I was on my way back home when the storm got worse and, well, I ran, flew, smack-bang into your window.” Unconsciously, she inclined her head in the direction of the damage, her expression morose. “I, uh, I'll pay for that, of course. As soon as I get a job, I mean.”
With a casual wave of her hoof, Celestia dismissed the offer, finding herself warming to the pegasus despite the hassle that she'd caused. Strange as it was to think, she actually rather welcomed the distraction. So much more fun than boring court politics. “Don't worry about it at all, Miss Dash. In fact, I rather commend you for the loyalty that you've shown to your friend. Such a thing is a rare commodity in the world these days.” She cast a scrutinising eye over Rainbow Dash. “The important thing right now is your safety. I see you have a few cuts and bruises, and you should have those looked at right away.”
“I'm okay, really,” Rainbow Dash, shrugging her shoulders and trying to look nonchalant despite the pain it caused her. “Believe me, I get into way worse scrapes than this.” With a sudden abashed grin, she added, “I mean, I don't go crashing into pony's houses on a regular basis.”
“Of course not,” Celestia replied with a wry smile. “Still, I would not be a very good ruler, to say nothing of being a proper hostess, if I stood by and did nothing whilst one of my subjects bled to death in my nice, clean throne room, would I?” She regretted the words the second they were out of her mouth; she'd been going for a playful tone, but she had a feeling that she was coming across as a sinister weirdo from a bad thriller novel.
Rainbow Dash considered for a moment before nodding. “No, I suppose not. Honestly, though, it's just a few scratches.”
Celestia finally spoke to the rather impatient-looking pony who had been standing beside the throne the entire time. “Kibitz, would you please escort Miss Dash to one of the guest rooms. Have the castle doctor sent up at once to tend to her injuries.”
Dutifully, Kibitz nodded. “Of course, Your Highness. This way, Miss Dash,” he said, gesturing to the doorway.
Rainbow Dash followed him out, nodding politely at Celestia on the way.
*
“I'd like to apologise on behalf of my princess for her behaviour,” Kibitz said, once they were in the corridor and suitably out of Celestia's earshot.
“Apologise? What for?” asked Rainbow Dash, having sensed nothing out of the ordinary.
“What I'm about to say is privileged information. Do you know what that means?”
“I'm not a moron,” Rainbow Dash said acidly. She suddenly forced a grin before adding, “But, uh, why don't you tell me what it means and I'll see if you're right?”
Kibitz suppressed the urge to place a hoof on his forehead. He walked over to a piece of ancient, battle-scarred armour. A few scant rays of moonlight peeking out from between the clouds played over its mottled surface. “Ever since what happened to her sister, she's had the tendency to be a trifle overprotective of the ponies in her care. Her heart is in the right place, of course, but she has a tough time in letting go, in knowing when to take a step back.”
Quietly, Rainbow Dash allowed herself a few moments to ponder that. She wondered how she'd react if she lost Fluttershy – a pony that she regarded as something very much like a sister – scarcely able to imagine a day going by that didn't involve her in some way. They'd lost touch after Flight School, but ever since they'd reconnected by chance in Ponyville, their bond had gone from strength to strength. “I understand exactly how the princess feels,” she finally said to Kibitz.
*
Once the doctor had concluded her ministrations on Rainbow Dash – she'd agreed with the pegasus' assessments that, aside from being drenched to the bone, she was suffering from nothing more than a few light scrapes – she had retired to the room Kibitz had shown her; between the storm raging outside, her own limitless reserves of adrenaline, as well as her meeting with Celestia, she was finding it impossible to sleep. Even a warm, relaxing shower had done little to calm her down, so with not much else to do, and not having been told that she couldn't, Rainbow Dash decided to go for a wander around the castle.
“I mean,” she asked of nopony in particular, “when will I ever get another opportunity to have a look around Princess Celestia's freakin' home?” She knew that the castle was not exactly off-limits, but very few ponies were ever permitted to venture much further than the throne room unless they had official business there.
Not really having much of a mental map of the place, Rainbow Dash contented herself with exploring the expansive corridor containing the guest rooms; she poked her head in to one every so often, but it didn't look like anypony else was staying here this evening. After much aimless meandering, she suddenly found herself at the threshold of the throne room. Celestia was sitting with a pensive expression on her muzzle, pouring over some scroll or other.
“Is this a bad time?” asked Rainbow Dash.
Favouring the pegasus with a fleeting half-smile, Celestia replied, “Yes, but to be honest, I could use a distraction right now.” In her magical grasp, she held up the scroll. “Hunters from Hollow Shades with a petition asking for parasprite trapping to be made legal. This is the third time I've turned them down.”
“Some ponies just don't know when to quit.”
“Indeed. How are you feeling, Miss Dash?” asked Celestia, stretching her neck until she heard a satisfying crack.
“Better, thank you,” Rainbow Dash replied. “And, um, you don't have to call me Miss if you don't want to. Just Rainbow Dash is fine.”
“In that case, if you don't mind, I'm just Celestia.”
“Oh,” said Rainbow Dash, making a face, “I dunno if I could get used to that. But I'll certainly try, Celestia.” She cringed internally. It just seemed wrong to refer to her as anything but Princess or Your Highness.
“Would you care for a spot of tea?” Celestia gestured toward a still-steaming ceramic pot atop a silver tray. “It's a strange, spicy blend that was a gift from a far-off land.”
“Well, as the saying goes, try everything once.” Rainbow Dash walked over to the throne and, at Celestia's behest, took a seat on one of the padded cushions that were arrayed around it for the comfort of important guests and the like. Tea with a Princess. After I broke her windows. Could my life get any weirder?
Whilst using her magic to pour an equal measure of the warm, sweet-smelling brown liquid into each cup, Celestia asked, “So Rainbow Dash, what are your aspirations for the future?”
“Well, um-” she reddened slightly “-I'd like to join the Wonderbolts.”
Celestia floated one of the cups over to Rainbow Dash who took it in her hooves. “The elite flying squad? You have to be better than the best to get into the Wonderbolts.”
“Luckily,” said Rainbow Dash, cocky grin restored, “I happen to be even better than that.”
Masking her sly look with her own mug, Celestia said, “Except when it comes to the landings, of course.”
“Pfft. All it takes is a bit of practice and I'll have them down, no problem,” Rainbow Dash said airily. She took a quick sip of her own tea, pulled a revolted face, then immediately regurgitated it back into the cup. Abashed, she said, “Sorry. That wasn't very marelike, was it?”
Celestia let out a small chuckle. “Believe me, when I have to deal with people being scrupulously polite all day whilst talking about me behind my back, a little bit of uncouth behaviour is rather a delight.” She tasted the tea herself. “Mm. I'm afraid I have to agree with you. Not one destined to feature in our pantry in the future.”
They sat in silence for a moment before Rainbow Dash asked quietly, “Am I bothering you?”
“Quite the opposite, Rainbow Dash. This is … nice. I don't often get the opportunity to speak one-on-one with my subjects because I'm so busy with work. I appreciate that it's difficult for them to not treat me like I'm some kind of a-”
“-A princess?”
“Exactly.”
“Ask anypony out there,” Rainbow Dash said, gesturing grandly, “and they'll all say the same thing: just for a day, I'd love to be Princess Celestia. All that power and wealth, all those servants. I'd be able to do anything. But … it must be terribly lonely.”
Feeling a terrible, pressing weight on her heart, Celestia replied slowly, “More so than you can possibly imagine, I think.”
“And there's nopony in your life who is … special? Nopony you can talk to?”
“There is one, but she's very young. Younger, even, thank you, Rainbow Dash.” Her face lit up in a small smile as she thought of the precocious filly. “She's very intelligent, very powerful, but a little lacking in wisdom. She spends much of her time in her room, reading and studying.”
“You know what you need to do?” Rainbow Dash said.
“What's that?”
“You need to kick her out.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow.
“There's a whole world out there to be explored. Not just Equestria, but beyond. Books, I mean, they're fine if you're an egghead, but I've always felt that the best way to experience something is to get out there and do it. I don't want to just read about flying, about being a Wonderbolt, I want to live it.”
“You may have a point, Rainbow Dash. I appreciate your insight.”
Rainbow Dash smiled, embarrassed. “Hey, I'm just a stupid fly-girl. Don't actually listen to anything I say.” It was unusual for anypony to compliment her on anything other than her flying, and it rather flustered her when they did so. She always felt that they weren't being sincere, making fun of her, or that they were just trying to butter her up. Still, if there was one thing that couldn't accuse Princess Celestia of being it was a phony. She was delighted by the fact that she got to see another side of her, one that nopony else did. It might only be for this one night, but she was grateful all the same to learn of a new side to Equestria's ruler.
They talked long into the night; while in the intervening years much of what Rainbow Dash said to her eventually faded into the mists of Celestia's mind, one important thing remained startlingly clear: for Twilight Sparkle to grow as a pony, to fulfill the very important destiny that Fate has in store for her, she needs to see the world for herself. To find and meet ponies like this one, who will present her with a different way of looking at things.
*
The next day, Kibitz entered the throne room to remonstrate with Princess Celestia and ask her why the sun had not yet been raised; when he found her asleep, Rainbow Dash nestled against her side, his wrath vanished in a second. No one could possibly be angry upon seeing the contented smile that played on Celestia's lips and he decided that the night could go on for just a little bit longer.
