Author's Note
“Tell people there's an invisible man in the sky who created the universe, and the vast majority will believe you. Tell them the paint is wet, and they have to touch it to be sure.”
― George Carlin on doubt
Adrift
Twilight tries to think of what to say to her, to Tempest Shadow. That's hard. She has to admit to herself as she walks, one hoof after another, toward the throne room. What does she actually have to say? Nice ....encounter? Let's be friends? Can we work this out? No. None of those things.
Rounding a corner she see's Luna speaking with Tempest quietly, they are off to the side, a comforting hoof from Luna resting on Tempest's shoulder. Twilight stops a moment and steps to the side of the hall watching them.
Tempest nods low, and her eyes dart down. Luna is smiling, and Twilight can only imagine she offers comfort and support. A streak of jealousy flares and twilight shakes her head to try to dismiss the notion as quickly as it had become reality. What does she have to be jealous of?
This is Luna, what was causing this jealousy? She never was before when Luna counseled another pony. Perhaps, it wasn't Luna, the variable was Tempest herself. She looked up as it dawned hard upon her that: perhaps that was the truth. She was jealous not of Luna speaking, but Luna speaking to Tempest.
Twilight sighed and pressed forward, seemingly undaunted toward the pair. "Princess Luna." She addressed and turned her face to the deep sea eyes. "Tempest." She gives them both a curt nod. "Good evening to you both."
"It is a good evening Twilight." Luna's smile turned from Twilight to Tempest. "Anyway, think about what I said, remember what you have learned." She pulled her hoof back turning to leave them. "I will see you both tomorrow."
"Goodnight Princess," Twilight said on reflex and turned her attention to Tempest. For a moment she forgot what to say, what she could say, or just to say anything.
"Twilight are you alright?" Tempest asked the arch of her brow showing her confusion.
"Yes. Yes, of course." Twilight smiled back. "Sorry long day." She waves her hoof about "Pinkie got cake stuck down the sink again... and well..." she sees the tension in Tempest and stops dead. She lets that whole line of the uncomfortable story just drop. "I wanted to see how you were doing."
"I am adjusting," Tempest says but she does not admit if her adjustment is good or bad, and turns away from her. Twilight follows walking at Tempest's side. The taller unicorn making sure to keep a half-step to keep them together. "Celestia has provided me a place to stay for now. Things to read, until she figures out what to do with me."
"In the castle?" Why did that sound so judgy?
"Yes, she says she does not wish for me have an opportunity for solitude." She sighs heavily at the thought. "I need to be around ponies it seems." She shakes her head. "She will give judgment tomorrow at noon."
Twilight nods. "I understand her reasoning for keeping you in the castle." She smiles up trying to be diplomatic, but soon she changes the subject. "So what room are you in?"
"I have been placed in the Chamber of Swirling stars." Twilight's smile is broad. "Is that a good room?"
"Yes, it's beautiful in there, and right next to mine," Twilight says with cheer. Tempest's hooves stop and she glances at Twilight with a blink. "I'm in the Chamber of Sunny Rays." She nods. "I get a different room every time I visit." She smiles.
"And your castle?" Tempest asks. "Is it just as vast?"
"You haven't seen it?" Tempest looks away from her and Twilight regrets the question. "I'm sorry, that was wrong of me." She shakes her head. "I didn't mean to offend."
Tempest shakes her head coming back to speak to her and they start walking again. "No, it's fine. I have not seen it. I grew up in a small town to the west." she shakes her head. "I ventured beyond the lands of the ponies to escape my..." a deep breath. "To escape everyone and everything after the Ursa Major." she shakes her head. "I didn't come back. I am sure there is much I have not seen."
Twilight and Tempest come to a halt outside two large doors that bear the likeness of the wizard the chamber is named for. "If you are willing," She nods gently. "I'd like to show you those things."
Tempest blinks and says nothing for a long moment before she gives a curt nod. "Yes, I would... like that." Though Twilight isn't so sure, she doesn't seem convinced, but at least willing. "If Celestia deems it possible, I would like that very much." This seems more of the truth. Tempest is worried about Celestia locking her away, but Twilight feels deeply she won't do that. She knows her mentor too well.
Trying not to let her concern show Twilight responds. "Perfect." Giving a little wave of her hoof twilight turns back to her own room. "I'll um, see you tomorrow?" She hopes as she waits.
"Celestia said Breakfast was thirty minutes after dawn," Tempest says softly. "I shall meet you here beforehand?"
Twilight gives a nod and an encouraging smile. "We'll walk together." That thrills her in ways it shouldn't but she turns to her door. "Goodnight Tempest."
Tempest gives her an appraising look before lowering her ears back on her head and giving a bow. "Goodnight Princess Twilight."
Twilight doesn't remember the last time anyone bowed to her, let alone with such reverence. She stands there a long moment as Tempest rises and turns to her room pushing the door open with her hoof.
Twilight lets the air out of her lungs she hadn't known she'd been holding onto and turns to her room. Her magic pushes the doors open, and as soon as she's inside, it shuts them. With the flap of her wings, she floats up to the top of the bed, it's a four poster with a draped top.
She learned this trick from Rainbow Dash, and after telling Rainbow how terrible it was that she did so, did it herself. Laying on the cool hanging fabric she turns the canopy of the four poster bed into a hammock and lays in it. She has a fleeting wish for clear dreams, but darkness takes her deeply as she pulls her legs close to her body and wraps her wings around herself.
✳✳✳✳
She is dreaming and she knows. Knows because the fountain is filled with lemonade, and lemons that bob in the water. The sky is dark, littered with starlight. The moon is full, but shadowed. She rolls her eyes and looks at the water again with a deep sigh. "Afraid you are souring the relationship?" A voice speaks from the Moon.
Twilight looks up and smiles brightly. "Luna? What are you doing in my dreams? I'm sure there are others who need you more than I do." She laughs and leans down taking a drink of lemonade directly from the fount.
"Tonight is quiet, and your dreams are Sour." The Princess of the night nods "It was this dream or a Stallion in Ponyville who dreams of Jam." Twilight cringes, she does know who that is, and his obsession is still something she does not herself understand. "You seemed nervous when I was talking to Tempest." Twilight looks to the moon to see the face speaking to her. "I wanted to make sure you were alright, you did go through quite the ordeal together." The face turns and luna jumps out of the moon and onto the ground gently, as if the moon were barely feet from the ground. "My sister believes you would tell her if something were bothering you, I would like to believe that too, but my abilities are more initiative based." she smiles. "I don't like beating around a bush. Especially when my magic confirms what I believed to be true."
Twilight smiles at her. "You're welcome in my dreams anytime Princess you know that."
Luna nods as a bush beside her grows legs and walks off. "Yes, well... sometimes it is polite to ask." She looks left and right. "This is Starlights former home is it not?" The town is simply houses in two rows facing inward upon themselves.
Looking up Twilight nods. "Yeah." she shakes her head. "Not sure why I'm thinking of it, or why there's lemonade in the fountain." she waves a hoof.
"Or why you are only a Unicorn?"
Twilight turns to the fountain, looking down at her reflection she turns, her wings were gone and looking up at her horn she gasped. "I-It's broken..." She murmured softly. Wings, she could do without, magic? No.
Luna smiles at her, and it's an understanding smile she can tell. "A lot is on your mind Princess," Luna says walking closer. "You're afraid for her... the way you were for Starlight."
Twilight swallows hard. "Yes," she admits. "What if Celestia locks her away?" the broken horn on her head crackles with her fear. "What if I can't help? What if-"
"That won't happen," Luna interjects gently. "My sister has never been the kind to lock people away-" she gets quiet and concedes her point to Twilight with a smile. "Not recently anyway. Celestia told me that after locking me away, it was never easy to do it again. Not with any pony." She waves a hoof. "And she's tried several times recently with Discord."
Twilight turns now, endeared by the thought that Tempest would remain free. "You think so?" She floods her voice with optimism if she can.
Luna's face breaks into a smile as a possum runs between them wearing little swim trunks to jump into the fountain. "I know so." She says kindly reaching into the fountain to splash at him.
"Thank You." Twilight smiles at her brightly. "You don't know how much I needed that."
Leaving the fountain Luna walks toward her and smiles. "I think I do." She raises her own hoof to Twilights eyes. "Now sleep dreamlessly. Concerns can wait until morning." and suddenly her sleep is dark.
When Twilight wakes she wonders if she dreamt it all, or if it actually was Luna. With the rub of a hoof over her face, she yawns and looks at the window. "Dawn." She stretches and flaps up out of the hammock she'd made down to the ground. "Gotta get ready Tempest is expecting me." She looks over to Spike's basket, which is empty he must have stayed with Rarity. She sighs deeply and turns to the ensuite. Today is going to be a LONG day.
