Princess Celestia, yup there was no mistaking it. The literal goddess of the bucking sun just opened the door of his detainment cell. Zenith could barely hold in his excitement. These ponies once again surprised him! A visit from Princess Celestia is a huge honor for ponies. For changelings it is a fearful experience. To Zenith however, it excited him to no end!

"Well this is quite unexpected," Zenith began with a smile. "Princess Celestia, welcome to my humble little home away from home so to speak. Please by all means come in and take a seat. I promise I am quite strapped to my seat in anticipation to know why you've taken time out of your undoubtedly busy schedule to see little old me. I am actually rather honored if not more so amused."

Celestia could immediately tell two things. One, this changeling was vocal and rather polite much different from the reports that crossed her desk while doing other various paperwork. Secondly, that he was cracking jokes and was confident in his position even if he was strapped- ... My goodness, now that she thought about what he had said she found herself smiling at his word joke. It was as if he could predict the way she was going to think and make a joke about it! All the more reason she'd have to be careful. This changeling while his magic nullified and restrained to a chair preventing him from being out of sight his raw intellect and perception was enough for him to be a danger should she not be careful.

"Yes, I have found that you have been talking with my niece about several things." Celestia began moving across the room and taking the seat occupied by Cadance for the past two visits. "Things happening to include problems with her marriage."

"Ah, yes I can say with confidence that I did give her some advice on what she should do but it was merely advice and to be used at her own discretion." He said shifting slightly in his chair clearly trying to look professional even while confined to a chair was rather difficult but wasn't impossible at least he didn't think so.

Celestia watched him shift in his chair and immediately got a thought in her mind that made her smile. She pictured Zenith looking like a mafia crime boss in some dimly lit room his fingers laced together his elbows on the armrests while leaning back in his chair smiling smug-like as a guard tried to pin a crime on him and he knew they had no proof he had any involvement.

"So, I take it something out of the norm must have happened for you to come and see me about it." Zenith continued his smile disappearing replaced with a look of concern. "I can't necessarily say I know what happened but I could attempt at a guess-"

"There is no need to speak of that first. I actually had a few questions for you first if you wouldn't mind." Celestia interrupted getting Zenith to close his mouth and rest his head against his shoulder and await her first question. "I was curious as what was said by Cadance, you seemed to be well versed in love and marriage. So what I would like to know is just how much do you know and are you really qualified to be a marriage counselor?"

"Well, I..." He sighs, and then nods. "Yeah, I am. I studied the subject for quite a while under a pony named Allura Heart."

"Allura Heart?" Celestia hummed, she had heard that name before but she couldn't seem to recall exactly where.

"Yes, I'm unsure if Princess Cadenza told you but the research I've been conducting has been going on for the past 20 years... and the subject of said research was emotion." Zenith sighed softly. "It was four years ago... I met Allura here in Canterlot in a cafe called Alabaster. The pink unicorn mare was sitting there enjoying a cup of coffee while looking over some papers in front of her. Her red mane and tail a bit disheveled and unkempt, a gentle smile on her face, while looking endearingly at her coffee as it seemed to be the only thing she loved more than life itself at the moment."Celestia took note on how vividly he remembered this. It seemed rather odd to her considering how much his personality shifted as he continued his story. "I immediately took note of her the moment I walked in and after I got a cup of tea I sat across from her striking up a conversation. It was about how she looked absolutely in love with the cup of coffee in her hands. We'd eventually got so into talking to one another about this and that, we didn't realize that we talked to closing time."

Celestia listened intently to Zenith recalling the story seeming to recall this and recite it with a look of fondness on his face, even so far as to say he looked... Lonely.

"She asked me if I'd like to come over and talk some more, I agreed and we talked into the night about a lot more things. It was then I found out she was a marriage counselor and that she really loved her job even if it was really stressful to pick up others problems and try and help them fix what was wrong." He sighed sadly. "She was perfect, I could learn about emotion from her... A mare who worked with ponies sort out their marriages and emotions all the time... I also learned that half of what I studied and believed about emotion was wrong... and she showed me that, but more than that I..." Celestia opened her mouth to say something but closed her mouth when she saw a look of pain clear on his face. "I..."

"You, loved her... didn't you?" Zenith closed his eyes nodding tears falling quietly from his eyes. "You never told her did you?"

"No, I did tell her... I... I broke a rule a changeling like myself shouldn't break. I revealed myself to her... my true self. What you see, is what she saw... She just stared at me for the longest time... and then, she asked me one question. Was anything you ever told me a lie?" Zenith paused looking at the floor taking in a shaky breath. "I told her that I had only lied about my name and what I looked like but every moment we shared was me. I loved her, I told her that I couldn't stand to lie to her about who and what I was anymore. It was tearing a hole in my heart every day it continued..." Zenith sniffled trying to calm himself took a deep breath. "She accepted me for who I was even if I did lie to her... Allura hugged me and gave me a loving kiss telling me it was going to be okay. Because if I loved her enough to reveal myself and risk everything for her, she give me the chance to prove how much I loved her... I had revealed myself two years after meeting her... Three months later she and I sat down and she demanded that I drop my disguise so she and I could talk, face to face. She had time to really think and she wanted to talk about us. I was fully prepared for her to tell me she never wanted to see me again and to drop dead, but... it never came. Grabbing my hand she brought it to her cheek and she rested her head into my hand. She wanted to make this work... She didn't know how it was going to but she wanted to be with me."

Zenith smiled, "I'd never been so happy in my life. It made me cry like a foal. She loved me, that was all thought about... and it was all I wanted anymore. So long as I sent my results to the hive when ever I had new information I could stay as long as I wanted... but it didn't last for long... nine months later... it happened... She got struck by a stray lightning bolt, a complete accident. A blink of an eye and she was gone. After her funeral I... I left and returned to the hive and devoted all of my time to my research... Even then however, I couldn't get out of the slump I was in. My heart ached for her, so instead of conducting my research like I was supposed to I looked into every memory I had with Allura gathering up every small shred of knowledge she gave to me about being a marriage counselor and I came to a beautiful conclusion. Love is a lot of hard work, and it demands there is a balance and harmony between lovers no matter who or what they are. So long as they truly love one another, anything is possible."

Celestia was speechless, Zenith had been in love and lost the one he loved so much. Something he couldn't have done anything to stop even with every bit of knowledge he had couldn't have saved her. She then remembered the article, it made the front page the day after the accident. Local Beloved Counselor Laid To Rest, was the title. Quite a lot of Canterlot high society couples saw her frequently according to all of the ponies in the funeral photo on the front page.

"Zenith, I... I am so sorry... You must have been in so much pain my little pony." She stood up and reached over and undid the straps holding Zenith to the chair and his face falls into his hands as he wept in the memory of the mare he had loved so much. Celestia pulled Zenith into a gentle and warm embrace as he cried.

Some time and tears passed quickly after the gentleness of Celestia's warmth making Zenith feel much better after a while. "Th-Thank you Celestia... I'm okay now." Celestia let the changeling go and sat back down in her chair as he wiped his eyes sitting there and then folded his hands in his lap.

"Zenith, I would like to make a personal request of you." Zenith sighed looking up from the floor and into Celestia's eyes. "I want you to try and save my niece's marriage."

Author's Note

So, We have all found out that Zenith has some baggage....

I kid you not this was hard to write. I nearly cried while looking over my notes and trying to pull at my own heart strings while writing it. Let me know what you think in the comments below or in a Personal Message. I eagerly await what you think of it.