Cinnamon followed Celestia through the castle. He asked multiple times where they were going but she’d only tell him to have patience. Much to his dismay, their first stop was at the guard wing of the castle so Celestia could pick up her personal guard, Stunclaw.

He stared at Stunclaw as she closed the door to her quarters, “Celestia, I can guarantee you’ll owe me that favor if Stunclaw is coming.”

The griffiness glared daggers at him, “What’s the matter consort? Still bitter over losing your position of personal guard?”

He frowned, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Celestia listening intently with a curious expression on her face. Slowly, his frown turned into a smile, then a smirk. She’d been pestering him for months since his loss against her at the tournament. Whenever they met she would say the same thing and, while her reaction was always the same, he knew exactly what button to push. “What was it you said in the arena? A weak, scrawny Minotaur? And yet, you were pretty close to losing.”

She leapt into the air and used her wings to hover at eye level with him, “Better opponents than you whittled me down. You’d stand no chance when I’m in top condition.”

He leaned in further until his nose nearly touched her beak, “I saw your fights and I know you weren’t nearly as worn down as I was.”

She grinned, “Then are you going to accept my challenge to a proving fight? Or will you continue to hide behind big talk that hold no value?”

He pulled back and walked over to stand beside Celestia. “Even if I were ninety-nine point nine percent sure that I’d win, I still wouldn’t risk becoming your slave if I lost.”

Celestia’s ear swiveled in Cinnamon’s direction at his comment but stayed silent.

Stunclaw looked Cinnamon up and down, sizing him up. “A testament to your cowardice. How do you sleep at night being such a letdown?”

Cinnamon was surprised at how aggressive she was being. Usually, they’d get in each other’s faces, talk down to each other before parting; not seeing each other for a week if he was lucky. But this felt like a personal attack. Meanwhile, Celestia had been studying his face the entire time that he stood there, silently staring at Stunclaw.

Normally, he’s shut his mouth by now. Stunclaw always had to have the last word and it never improved the longer he went. Instead, he smiled, this time she wasn’t going to get that. He had an ace against her that the loyal griffin wouldn’t be able to counter. “Actually, quite comfortably. How could I not when sleeping next to Princess Ce-“ *Thwack* A large white wing collided with the back of his head, effectively silencing him.

The action caused Stunclaw to laugh for a short time before Celestia’s gaze fell upon her. When she noticed, she cleared her throat, and looked down at Celestia’s hooves.

“Stunclaw,” Celestia began, “your actions in public are a reflection upon me. With Cinnamon as my Consort, your duty will also apply to him whenever he accompanies me.”

She walked past Cinnamon until she stood in front of Stunclaw, “You are a fine guard, so I expect you to control yourself around him while we are in public. If you cannot do that, I will have no choice but to give this position to the runner up… well…” She glanced back at Cinnamon, “… the second runner up.” Her gaze returned to Stunclaw, “Can you do that?”

Stunclaw glared at Cinnamon for a minute before her eyes softened and shifted to look at Celestia. She saluted her, “Understood.”

Celestia gave a short nod before turning to Cinnamon, “The same applies to you Cinnamon; I cannot have my consort publicly arguing with my personal guard.”

He looked at Stunclaw. It was the first time since he met her that she didn’t have a cocky look on her face. “I won’t have a problem with that.”

Celestia smiled, “Excellent; now, with that squabble behind us, shall we continue to our destination?”

Once all three of them were ready, they began walking down the hallways. Celestia leading the small group in the front while Cinnamon walked beside her and only slightly behind since she hadn’t told him where exactly their destination was. Stunclaw was following behind both of them them. Her face now concentrated on her duty as she kept an eye on every creature they approached and or passed; ready to pounce on anything that becomes a threat at a moment’s notice.

The walk was quiet; Stunclaw putting her full attention into her guarding duty while Cinnamon was preoccupied; thinking about where in the castle they would be going that could be relaxing to talk. At first, he thought they may be going back to the private gardens, but they made a wrong turn at the bottom of the stairs. The direction they were walking led to the Ambassador rooms and they were less than relaxing to be around. Well, at least most of them.

They passed by the Ambassador’s room doors and took a right into a hallway with no discernable features and only one door at the end of it. There were also no other attaching hallways to this one; so it came as no surprise that Celestia opened it with her magic and motioned for Cinnamon to enter it.

She looked to Stunclaw, “Guard the door until our return.”

Stunclaw nodded and saluted her while Celestia passed through the door and closed it behind her.

The door immediately led to a small spiral staircase that led down. Celestia’s horn ignited and the area around them lit up. Further down they went for a few minutes, descending several stories before it ended and opened into a small room with a tall, jet black stone against the wall on the opposite side of the room from them.

Once Cinnamon’s eyes connected with the stone, he immediately knew where he was. They were in the room with The Obsidian Tooth. Nicknamed for its tooth-like shape that ended in a point at the top. For a time, gossip ran through the castle that it was a replacement tooth that belonged to a medium sized dragon. Others were doubtful a dragon would use a rock to replace a tooth.

Although Cinnamon himself never escorted Celestia to this room before, one personal guard before him escorted Celestia and Lord Ember to this room. However, when they reached the door, Celestia had instructed her to guard outside the door until her return. Cinnamon only knew about the stone because the maids would come into this room to clean, and gossip spreads.

“So, the Obsidian Tooth. I will admit, this room was not on my list of relaxing spots.”

Celestia chuckled and rubbed her cheek against his as she passed him, “Do not let appearances deceive you, we are not yet at our destination.” Her horn ignited and a spell was cast. A golden light started from the top of the rock and slowly made a line down the center. Once it reached the bottom, the stone split into two pieces and parted from each other; revealing an entrance to a lit cave behind it. Warm air filled the room as soon as there was space between the two stone pieces.

Celestia gestured to the hole with a foreleg, “Shall we?”

He glanced at her before stepping past the parted stone halves and entering the cave. The tunnel itself was warm and damp with the only light sources being a single lantern holding a bright sunstone within it. Despite the warmth, the stone beneath his feet was cool.

Celestia followed closely behind him; Igniting her horn once more after completely passing the stone, causing the two halves to move back together and merge back into one stone. The lamp handle glowed as Celestia's magic enveloped it and levitated it off its hook; floating over to hover between the two of them. Then they began walking down the tunnel, side by side. Beyond the bright light the Sunstone was emitting, it was pitch black.

Cinnamon scanned the walls of the tunnel, noting every dark crevasse, hole and branching tunnel. “No creatures living in here that I should keep an eye out for, is there?”

Celestia shook her head, “The only living things in here eat gems. They will not bother us.”

Gems? When he thought about it, they did descend those stairs for some time… That paired with the Castles location to Canterlot Mountain. “Are we going to the crystal caverns?”

Celestia smiled at him, “Mmmhm. A nice little place I made some time ago.”

So a meditation place? he thought to himself That could be nice.

“So,” Celestia continued, “I did not realize you had a history with Private Stunclaw.”

He grimaced, “I wouldn’t say it’s a history. We first met in the tournament, competing to become your personal guard. Ever since, she’s been bothering me to no end about it. It doesn’t help that I’m a bit ashamed with how that match went.”

Celestia raised a brow, “Oh? Care to elaborate?”

He gave a short sigh, “Well, I’m sure you’ve heard the gossip around the barracks; Stunclaw’s a pretty well-known griffin for fighting without using the talons of her claws because she considers them a handicap. So, when we were matched together in the finals, I went into the fight overconfident. I assumed that she only got to the finals by being fast and whittling down her opponents with a lot of weak attacks. To my credit, she was fast but… when she punched me, it felt different. It wasn’t as hard as a punch from other species, but the spot she hit felt numb for a second after it landed.” He rubbed the back of his neck, ”I could hardly keep up with her speed. When she hit me, I could get a good hit in retaliation, which she would follow up with another hour hits before I could hit her again. I could tell I was wearing her down but she was doing just as much against me. The end came when she used her tail to create an opening against me and hit me enough to immobilized me for a second. I knew I wouldn’t be able to take whatever she would do next, so I conceded… I’m pretty sure she doesn’t like how close the fight was because since then, she’s been taunting me over it.”

Celestia hummed, “I see. That would explain a few things. I did wonder why you fought defensively that match.”

He looked at her in surprise, “Oh, you remembered?”

She chuckled at the look he was giving her, “Of course. I remember every moment of that fight. It was the most important match of the tournament for me. I certainly remember wondering to myself why you were on the defensive when your style appeared to be either a swift first strike to catch your opponent lacking or a constant barrage to find an opening.”

“That is… perceptive. I shouldn’t be surprised you saw what I was doing but I honestly didn’t think you’d be paying attention to my fights.”

“You held the position of my personal guard prior to the tournament,” She looked him up and down, “I had an interest in observing your style of fighting.”

“Well then, do you have any notes to share?” He asked.

“I would ask you to change your fighting style to a defensive one if you should ever find yourself in combat. I know it goes against your training, but, as my consort, find the opening to flee instead of countering or attacking.”

He raised a brow at her, “Should I be concerned?”

“I do not think there is too much to be concerned about. Those that might confront you with malicious intent are already incarcerated in stone… however; a new threat could always quickly arise from nowhere much like the Storm King. More likely though, will be disgruntled suitors or jealous drunks both desiring harm upon you. Given your performance in the tournament, I know you could handle yourself in those situations; however, my consort should not be fighting my little ponies.”

“So, I have to run away? What if they started a fight with me?”

“That point is moot if you are on your own. You will always have the option to take a guard detail as my consort; they will handle whatever may come up, but if you leave the castle alone, then yes, flee. Or diffuse the situation if you believe you can.” She gave him a pleading look, “Please avoid a physical fight. No matter how deserving you may believe. ”

Cinnamon chewed on his cheek for a moment thinking. “Alright, I’ll stand down if it comes to that… How much longer do we have to walk for?”

“Not long now; A few more minutes.”

Another minute passed in silence until a question that was weighing on Celestia’s mind since she heard it came fourth. “Cinnamon? How much do you recall about gryphon culture?”

“Hmm,” He thought to himself. “Well, they’re all about strength. The strongest becomes the leader of their country… though I vaguely remember that they’re altering that a little. Lets see… Prideful… Greedy, or at least, they used to be… and I remember their soldiers were something to be wary of in a fight. Honestly, after my fight with Stunclaw; I don’t want to know what it feels like to fight a griffin that uses their talons, or a weapon.”

Celestia nodded, “All good points. What about the Trials of Leadership?”

“Trials of- oh yeah! That’s how they’re altering the way they choose their leaders. Being the strongest and needing to be smart.”

Celestia nodded again, “good, good. How about the proving fight?”

Cinnamons facial features soured. “A fight between a griffin and a griffin or another species. Loser becomes a slave to the winner.”

“mmm… no.”

He gave her a double take, “Sergeant Noble Banner went into a proving fight against one of the Griffin ambassador’s guards. He lost. He was forced to stick near her for their whole stay. Then, when they left, he was forced to go with them.”

Celestia giggled, “Cinnamon; I would not allow such a thing to happen in my borders. Sergeant Banner was not forced to leave, nor was he forced to stay by her side during their visit. He did not become her slave, he became her mate.”

“He lost a fight and became…” He looked at her like she was crazy, “How are those two things related?”

“A proving fight is the Griffin’s tradition of procreation. When a griffin finds a potential mate, they challenge them to a proving fight. The winner decides if the loser is worthy to create strong offspring with. Sergeant Banner was challenged by her, accepted, lost to her and she deemed him strong enough to reproduce with.” She glanced at him, “However, that is all it is. Griffins do not see mates the same way ponies do. Mates for life is counter-productive to them and marriage has very little point. He only needed to breed her; he had no obligation to return to Griffinstone with her. He chose to because he wanted to and she allowed it.”

Cinnamon stopped walking; Celestia shortly doing the same and looking back at him. “That… that can’t be what it is.”

She raised a brow, “Why would I lie to you about that? I can procure some books on Griffin culture to-“

“No,” he interrupted her, “no… I believe you… it just doesn’t make sense. Stunclaw’s taunted me over that. I refused time and time again saying I wasn’t going to be her slave… If that wasn’t what a proving fight is about, why didn’t she correct me? Why did she keep harassing me and demeaning me over it?”

“Stunclaw is… new… to our customs. A citizen of Equestria for only two years. If you claimed to avoid her challenge to prevent yourself from becoming a slave, she would likely see it as you telling yourself a lie to excuse yourself from the fight. She taunts you, attempting to make you accept the challenge.”

“Well… Is there a way to make her stop?”

To Cinnamon’s joy, Celestia nodded. “There are two ways out of a proving fight. The easiest and permanent solution is to accept the fight. If you win, you can decide that she is not worthy of your seed, or you can breed her. In either case, her challenge is fulfilled and she will not challenge you again. However, if you lose, you will have to accept her decision on that matter. You will either give her the clutch she demands, or whatever she saw in you during your tournament fight was not as she thought. Once again, in either case, she will never challenge you again.”

He gave her a confused look, “Saw in me?”

She smiles, “Your tournament fight was close. If she started challenging you to a proving fight after that match, then she knows it as much as you. However, it is not that she does not like how close it was; quite the opposite, she is excited with how close it was. Now, she wants to know if you really are as strong or as skilled as she believes by fighting you when you are both at your best.”

“So, she’ll back off if I don’t fight well?”

“Yes, but I know what you are thinking, and it will not work Cinnamon. She has already fought you. She will know if you are holding back. To them, that is an unacceptable measurement to judge you by.”

He sighed, “Alright. What about the second way then?”

“The other way is to wait, and it is neither a guaranteed nor permanent solution. You can hope for another to catch her eye and fertilize her after a proving fight. If that happens, you will have just over two years of reprieve from her while she lays and raises her young to the age of two. After that, she will come back to you and start challenging you to a proving fight again. She may find a suitable contender today or it could be years.”

“What about you? Can’t you stop her?”

“I could. However, I believe this would be a good opportunity to give you a task instead. If you continue down this road of being my consort and, possibly in the future, a prince-consort; you will need to handle things like this on your own. Consider it a test as well as a glimpse into a future beside me.”

He squinted at her, “A future with you means… dealing with more Stunclaws?”

“Dealing with other cultures, yes. Griffins may challenge you to proving fights, Saddle Arabians may gift you mares, Dragons may seek tribute. I would urge you to study the customs and cultures of all our allies and any we may seek to ally with in the future.”

“Why don’t you have to deal with that?”

She smirked, “Who says I do not? Every Griffin ambassador challenges me to a proving fight. I accepted all of them and defeated each one in combat. Dragons, few as there have been, have mostly been content with a small tribute of delicious gems. Saddle Arabians, on the other hoof, view gifting mares to other mares as an insulting gesture in their culture. I should specify this to you though; You would not need to accept the customs of every single creature that enters or lives in Equestria. Ambassadors, Leaders and the offspring of those leaders are the ones that you should never deny participating in their customs with.”

“Never deny? So… if this is a test, you want me to accept Stunclaw’s challenge.”

She nodded, “Yes, I do. However, I do not want you to feel like you must. You are only my consort, Cinnamon. You have no obligation to do this. I only believe it would be a good opportunity for you if it ever does become an responsibility.”

He stood there in thought. The fight was… well, turned out to be nothing like what he thought it was. Knowing why Stunclaw was taunting him was also making him feel weird over it. He knew he could end it all now by accepting the fight but a part of him also didn’t want to. Stunclaw was arrogant, even before the fight. He didn’t like her and everything she’s done since the fight hasn’t improved his look on her. If this was something she wanted… he was inclined not to give it to her out of spite.

“I’ll think on it. And… you’re fine with whatever I choose?”

She nods, “If you are asking for permission, I am giving it to you.”

“Permission… I was thinking more to ignore it… You did tell her to stop with the taunting, so my issue is solved.”

Celestia smiled and turned herself back around to face the way they were originally going and started walking. Cinnamon, seeing that his light source was walking away from him, jogged to catch up.

“You should know, I did not specifically tell her to stop. I told her to control herself when we are in public. Plenty of places in the castle are considered private, including where we eat. If she has not noticed that by now, I am sure she will before we return.”

He glanced at her. She was never a pony known for doing things on accident. The fact that she called it out means… “You did that on purpose, didn’t you.”

“Mmmhm. Being my consort does not mean I will fix every problem that you can fix yourself. I have alleviated how often she can pester you, given you the knowledge to make her stop yourself or you have the freedom to disregard it and continue as you were.”

After hearing her say that, he knew how he was going to handle Stunclaw. Sure, she was going to keep annoying him, but she wouldn’t be able to do it as often. He could live with that if it meant she didn’t get what she wanted.

Three more minutes passed walking in silence; the air getting warmer with every passing minute before the tunnel opened to a large chamber. Large crystals lined the walls and ceiling; some of which poked through with sharp points facing the interior of the room. Water poured into the chamber from one side of the room and flowed into a long, rectangular crevice in the floor. From there, it traveled to the other side of the room and into a large red rock, where the water around it boiled and evaporated into steam.

He stared at the large, shining red stone half submerged in the water. The water around it emitted a low hiss as it evaporated against the surface of the rock. The light it emitted bounced off the crystals in the room, illuminating it without the need of torches, candles or runes of daylight.

Cinnamon’s eyes widened as he recognized what the rock was. “Is that a Dragonstone?” He asked in bewilderment. It was super rare for any creature that wasn’t a dragon to have one. Not only were the stones incredibly hot, but they were made by dragons. Nocreature knows how exactly it’s done, only that they’re made with lava from an active volcano and dragons create them with their bare claws. The bigger the stone, the larger the dragon that made it.

Very few creatures try to steal a dragonstone, fewer are prepared enough to be successful and the ones that are, only manage to grab stones roughly the size of their hoof. The one currently in the cavern was easily twice as tall as Cinnamon and half that size wide.

Celestia smiled and nodded, “It is! A gift from the former Dragon Lord, Torch.”

Cinnamon thought to the former Dragon Lord. A creature he’d never seen even a picture of but knew from the rumors that he was half as tall as Canterlot Castle.

“Why in the world would he give you one so big?” He glanced at Celestia, “Was it… a courtship gift?”

She laughed, “no, no, nothing of the sort. Besides, a gift is a quick and easy rejection of a courtship request. Unfortunately, the cause of such an action is not a happy one. A little more than 150 years ago, some dragons flew across the sea into our territory and burned down the first village they came across. Over a hundred ponies were burned to ash with less than a dozen survivors reaching the nearest fortified city, now called Baltimare. The attack led to a short but violent conflict between our nations.

“Through rumor and confessions, Dragon Lord Torch learned of the dragons that attacked us first. He gave the offenders over to us for punishment as well as that dragonstone as a form of atonement for breaking the truce we had at the time.”

“Is it wise to have it in water?”

She shrugged, “As nice as the gift is, I had a terrible time finding a place to put it. Any room I placed it in would become a furnace within hours. Anything that could burn, would. Any glass windows would warp and fall out of their frames. I could not store it outside as it would kill any plant and small animal life that was too close to it.

“This idea came to me after I no longer desired to keep it. Either I would gain a private spring, or it would cool the dragonstone into rock and my dilemma would be solved.”

Her horn ignited with magic and her royal garments floated off her head, neck and hooves. “It has remained scorching for all these years, so I no longer believe it will ever cool.”

She set her belongings on a pedestal shaped from a large gem. A little magic appeared on her back and the dock of her tail. Both auras split apart from each other, pulling on thin but long pieces of fabric. Once apart, it floated under her and was revealed to be the chameleon cloth she showed Cinnamon just a few days ago. That too floated over to the pedestal and rested on top of her crown.

Cinnamon glanced at the steam rising from most of the pool of water. “Is it safe? Wait, no… that’s a dumb question… how far should I be from that thing?” he asks, motioning toward the dragonstone.

Celestia walked toward the long pool, “it is gradually heated; the closer you sit to the dragonstone, the hotter the water will be. I suggest testing the waters closer to the stream.” She said, taking a big step into the pool, the water beneath her nearly touching her barrel. She walked a few hooves closer to the Dragonstone before lowering herself and submerging her body in water, laying on the step she used to enter.

While Celestia closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth, Cinnamon had made his way to where Celestia entered the pool. Even through his callused feet, he could feel the warmth coming from the rock below him. He dipped a toe into the water but immediately withdrew it. The water was SCALDING. He glanced at Celestia, who not only entered the water at this spot, but walked CLOSER to the Dragonstone. And she was SMILING!

He chewed on his lip, looking toward the stream of water flowing into the cavern and into the pool. He walked his way over to it. Now that he was closer, he could see the groove the water cut into the ground leading to the head of the pool and creating a small waterfall off the pools edge to join the rest of the water.

Dipping a toe into the pool nearly made him yelp in surprise. It was freezing! His toe had only been in the water for half a second and he could still feel the numbing tingle aftereffects.

Maybe I should split the difference, He thought to himself. Closer to cold just to be safe. It doesn’t need to be perfect, I just needed to be able to get into the water so I could shift to a perfect temperature, just like Celestia did.

He walked to a spot that was about halfway and dipped a toe in a third time. It was hot, but not unbearable. He tossed his loincloth aside and stepped into the pool, the water coming up to his upper thighs.

His foot touched the single large step in the pool that spanned the entire length of it. He quickly waddled away from the Dragonstone a few paces until the water was finally comfortably hot. Once he found his spot, he sat down on the step as if on an underwater bench.

He exhaled as the hot water encapsulated his body all the way up to his shoulders. His eyes half closed on their own as his muscles relaxed in a way they never had before.

He nearly dozed off until waves in the water caught his attention. Celestia had waded over to where Cinnamon was relaxing. “Soo…? What do you think?”

He sighed, “It feels fantastic.” He looked up to the roof made of gems, cascading an array of colors onto the room’s floor. “Looks nice as well.

“I am glad to hear it,” she said, shifting herself so she could sit next to him.

He peeked at her, “You don’t have to stop enjoying the pool on my account.”

She gave him a side glance and a grin, “Who says I am not enjoying myself?”

He scoffed, “I felt the water that you were enjoying yourself in. This spot can’t possibly be warm to you.”

She chuckled, “Yes, I did see your testing of the waters.” She scooted closer to him, “Allow me tell you something few others know about me. I have an extraordinarily high resistance to heat. Sitting here with you and sitting there is the same to me. In fact, I am the only creature without dragon blood coursing through my veins that can touch that dragonstone without receiving third-degree burns… my fur would not even singe.”

He looked at the stone, “You’re kidding.”

A *pop* sound was made as Celestia teleported away, leaving a momentary pocket of air in the water she was just sitting in. She appeared standing on the Dragonstone. The water that was on her legs and underbelly immediately evaporated due to the proximity to the stone. Water dripped off her neck, falling toward the stone but evaporating before it could land on its surface.

“Point taken.”

Instead of teleporting back, Celestia jumped into the water and swam back to Cinnamon. “Do you recall when Nightmare Moon returned? How I was nowhere to be found.”

He nodded.

“Well, I was banished by her in a similar way I did to her a thousand years prior. I spent that day on the surface of my sun. Only there did I begin to… I believe my little ponies say, feel the heat.”

Cinnamon shoved water in her face, “Alright, I said you’ve proven your point… And it’s feel the burn.”

“Oh,” She pouted. “Well drat; that’s not what I felt at all.”

He chuckled, “Whatever the case, why use a hot spring if temperature doesn’t affect you? How can you enjoy it if it just feels like being in a lake?”

“Only hot temperatures.” She corrected, “I am not resistant to the cold, “She said, motioning with her head toward the waterfall, “That water is teleported in from a large lake in the Frozen North. That is uncomfortable to me.”

She moved closer to Cinnamon until her side pressed against his and closed her eyes, “Besides, nothing warms me more than good company.”

He froze feeling her lean against him. Feeling her side slightly rub against him as she breathed.

Luna’s voice echoed in his mind from the maze, If thou can only see a superior in our sister and not a mate, thy relationship shall fail.

He hesitantly raised his arm and placed it on Celestia’s back. The touch caused her to open her eyes and glance at him. He could see her looking at him in his peripherals but he kept looking straight forward. Despite the hot water, he was suddenly feeling tense.

He felt a hoof press against his chest and spoke calmly, “Cinnamon… is there something bothering you?”

“W-what do you mean?”

“There are moments you seize up, your heartbeat increases and your breathing becomes irregular. This one… started after you touched me…”

Cinnamon said nothing. How could he? He felt ashamed about freezing up and, truthfully, he had no idea why he did. When it became clear Cinnamon wasn’t going to say anything, Celestia removed her hoof from his chest and moved in the water to stand in front of him. “I may not be an expert like my sister, but I do know some therapy techniques that could help.”

He chewed on his lip. “It’s just… it still feels… wrong. Like I’m breaking the rules…”

She squinted at him, “You should not lie about this Cinnamon.”

He didn’t hold her gaze after she said that and continued to chew on his lip. She moved forward and climbed onto the step so she could sit on Cinnamon’s lap. While he might be slightly taller than her while standing, he lost half his height sitting down. Celestia lost no height sitting down and now towered over him.

“If you do not want to talk about it… I will not push you to.” She brought him into a hug, pressing his head against her chest. “So long as it does not progress into a bigger issue.”

He brought his arms around her to return the hug, “I’m sorry.”

“Shhh,” she soothed, “just listen to the sounds of the room and relax.”

So, he said nothing more and listened to the room. The room itself was very quiet. There were only 3 sounds he could hear. The first was the faint sizzle of the water against the Dragonstone across the room. The second being the sound of water falling into the pool from the small waterfall. The final sound was the faint inhaling and exhaling of breath through Celestia’s nose onto his head. “Is this how you enjoy this room?” he quietly asked.

She nods, her nose rubbing against his hair, “If the day ever becomes too much, this is where I go to find peace and center myself.”

“It’s nice… how often do you come here?”

“mmm, I used to come nearly every day of the week. Sometimes twice in one day. I have used it less since Luna’s return.”

He pulled his head back from her chest and looked up to her face. “Is her dreamwalking replacing the need to come here?”

She shakes her head, “Her presence does. For a thousand years since banishing Nightmare Night, I was not sure if I would ever see my sister again. I only knew Nightmare Moon would return. I spent a century attempting to find a way to separate a possessed body from a deity of emotion but… found nothing.”

“Deity of emotion?” Cinnamon interrupted. He’d never heard of such a thing.

She nodded, “Powerful entities that can influence our actions when we experience extreme emotions like love, lust, joy… anger. If there is a feeling, there is a deity.”

“So… if I’m too happy, I can get possessed?”

“Well, not you specifically. They can only possess those with a significant magical capacity to hold a large enough piece of them in a mortal body.” She pulled back so she could look at him in the eyes, “Even if you had such capacity, you would have to willingly allow it possess you.”

“Then… Luna agreed to let Nightmare Moon control her?”

She looked off to the side, “We all make mistakes… they make tempting promises to help in moments of weakness. Promises that solve problems that plague us. Promises they keep… but in ways often unforeseen.”

After a pregnant pause in conversation, Cinnamon whispered, “Sorry for interrupting.”

She nuzzled his hair again, “Do not be. I would prefer you knowing such a thing cannot happen to you than for you to be forever afraid of being too happy.”

The moment of silence returned. He felt like he’d made a mistake and opened old wounds, but before he could change the subject, she beat him by speaking up first. “To pick up where I left off… I could not find anything that would undo Luna’s possession as such an achievement had never been accomplished before. The only option I knew of was to allow it to complete its task and leave the body. However, Nightmare Moon’s task involved an eternal darkness… an unending task to be maintained for eternity. So, allowing it to run its course was not a viable option.”

She sighed and sagged, “Whenever I was not attending to societal issues, I was looking for a solution. Testing a hypothesis and performing experiments, I exhausted myself and neglected my needs… to the point that a deity of emotion began to whisper in my ear.”

She rolled off his lap to sit next to him, “at that moment, I knew my pursuit was becoming an obsession… and I could no longer convince myself to continue. However, my mind was never settled. Only after receiving the dragonstone as a gift and turning it into this did I finally find something that could take my mind off her… even if only for a few scant hours.”

“Wow, that was a lot.”

“Apologies for unloading all of that on you.”

“Don’t be… I mean, I was literally asking for it. I just didn’t realize it went so far… So how did you know the Elements of Harmony would help Luna?”

“To be truthful, I did not know it would. The elements, used together, have a variety of uses. Amplifying the power of spells, storing magic and purifying others by giving them what they lack. Nightmare moon only harbored jealousy and anger. Purifying her would force honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity and loyalty back into her body; giving Luna a… reset of sorts. However, since the elements could not fully function without Luna wielding her half of them, I did not consider it an option.

“The goddess assured me sending Twilight to Ponyville to make new friends would result in freeing Luna from her possession; however, it required me to allow Nightmare Moon to take me by surprise and permit her to banish me to the sun without resistance.”

Cinnamon thought back to the day Nightmare Moon returned. He was still new to being a guard, but he remembered that day vividly. Reports were coming in that Nightmare Moon was sighted in Ponyville and Princess Celestia was nowhere to be found. The entire castle staff and guards were searching everywhere for her. By the time the upper ranks of the guard were organized, the crisis was over. Six ponies had thwarted Nightmare Moon and we suddenly had two princesses in the castle.

“What if you didn’t come back?”

“I did question what she wanted me to do. She promised it would work out.”

“What if she lied.”

“That is a dour way to look at it.”

“Humor me. What would happen.”

She looked down at him, “Very well, let us say she did. If Twilight and her friends did not bond with the elements, Nightmare Moon’s eternal night would come to fruition. Even if my ponies were able to detain or… eliminate… Nightmare Moon, Nocreature would be able to move the moon and reverse the effects of the eternal night. On the other hoof, If Twilight was successful but I did not return from my banishment as I was informed, then Luna would take my place until I returned.”

“Really? I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve heard around the castle that Luna’s transition was… not smooth.” He was putting it lightly of course. Luna’s first month sent dozens of guards to the med bay with temporary hearing loss. Her constantly addressing the public as peasants was awkward and a big topic in the papers for weeks.

She nodded, “I agree but that was due to my coddling of her. She is a mare of war. She thrives in intense situations that she cannot retreat from. If I had not been here to ease her into it, she would have handled it. Perhaps it would be chaotic at first, but she would transition faster than she has with me around.”

“Would she want that though? To come home and find you gone. None of the guards knew where you went. We wouldn’t have been able to tell her where you were or if you’d ever come back… What if you had contained her? Let Princess Twilight and her friends use the elements on her while you held her in place.”

She didn’t respond right away. Only a few minutes of silence before she spoke, “The goddess did not tell me Twilight and her friends would bond to the elements and return them to full functionality. Though, I would not have done anything different if I had that knowledge.”

“I don’t understand why you’d do that though. Risking so much without knowing why or what would happen.”

Celestia’s head turned to him and stared into his eyes, “Answer me this; two weeks ago, If I told you to investigate a disturbance in the Badlands, would you go?”

“Well… yeah.”

“Why?”

“I would’ve been a guard; I’d do as you commanded.”

“What is to stop you from refusing? Or, perhaps simply leaving the city and never returning? The Badlands are dangerous to traverse alone, yet you say you would accept without asking if you would be the only one going. Why?”

“I… I have a duty to you- had a duty to you. An oath to uphold. You were my superior; we were taught not to question what you said because you knew best. If I had to go to the badlands myself… you’d have your reasons.”

She nodded, “I am much the same to the goddess. She is my superior, my mentor. Instead of being told not to question her, I learned not to through my experiences. Even in times where she asked me to do something I believed to be dangerous for my ponies; it turned out to be the better option.”

Cinnamon was silent. A large part of him wanted to continue asking why but he felt in the back of his mind that her answers wouldn’t change. “How often does that happen?”

“In the span of my long life, she has been relatively mute. Rarely in the past would I hear her speak to me more than once a century. Though, since Nightmare Moons return, she has become very conversational, talking to me more in these few years than she has in the 3 Millenia prior.”

A pit formed in his stomach. They only spent about an hour in here, but the line of questioning left him feeling exhausted. On top of that, he would need to schedule a trip home so he could talk with his parents. “Do you, by any chance, know what time a train departs to Manehattan tomorrow?”

“I do not. May I ask why?”

“I need to talk to my mom about what happened. Help her calm down before it starts impacting her work.”

“Would a letter not work?”

He shook his head, “It’s not a one letter solution kind of thing. Last time I needed to talk to her, we sent over thirty letters to each other, and it took weeks to finish it. It affected her cooking, and the bakery took a financial hit from it.”

“If time is of the essence, I could have a carriage drawn for you. It would be three hours faster and eliminates the need to wait on a train.”

“That… would be nice. It’s not too much of a bother, is it?”

She shook her head, “Nonsense, it would be super easy, barely an inconvenience.”

“That’s great!” He smiled, “Thank you. The faster I can get there, the sooner I can return.”

“I will have it readied to depart at first light in front of the castle. When you are ready to leave, enter the carriage and tell them where to take you.”

He nodded his head, confirming to her that he heard, but said nothing. He did his best to relax in the water. After a few minutes, his mind finally started to drift. No longer focusing on a single train of thought.

An hour passed in silence, but the feeling of being in water was starting to get to him. His fingers were wrinkly and his hands started to itch uncontrollably. He internally groaned. He really didn’t want to leave but his aggravated body was only going to get worse.

He scratched at one of his hands, “this was nice, but I should get out now.”

She nodded and stood up; the water cascading off her body and disturbing the room’s ambiance when it hit the water under her. Celestia stepped out of the water, followed closely behind by Cinnamon. He looked around the cavern for a towel, “Uh, how are we supposed to-“

His question was cut off when Celestia magically removed the water from both their bodies. He looked down at his hand and noticed with dismay that despite being magically dried, his hands and fingers remained wrinkly and still itched. He brought his finger up to his mouth and started chewing on it. While it did make the one finger feel better, it only made the rest of his hand feel worse by comparison.

“What are you doing?” He heard Celestia ask.

He turned around, pulling his finger out of his mouth to talk, “Scratching an itch. My palms always do this if I’m in water for too long.”

“Really?” She moved closer to him so she could get a good look at his pruned hand, “I cannot imagine you are allergic to it. Do you know why this happens?”

He shrugged, “Not a clue. I haven’t investigated it since it just gets itchy for less than an hour. I’ve just assumed it’s my body telling me to get out. If I catch it happening quick enough, it won’t even itch afterward… but I lost track of time in there. I suppose you don’t owe me a favor.”

“Perhaps not; though…” she smirked, “… I hope that does not stop you from asking for them.”

He raised a brow, “Really?”

“Within reason, of course.”

“Sounds like a trap, like opening a can of Parasprites.”

“Could be Parasprites, or it could be Breezies. I suppose you will never know until it is opened.”

He hummed to himself, wondering if he should take the obvious bait. While in thought, his aggravated hands started to become unbearably itchy once more. “Alright,’ he said, beginning to scratch his hands and fingers again. “Itch cream.”

She gave him a questioning look; her gaze shifting down to his hands as he stopped scratching them, but instead, started to furiously rub them together in hopes that friction would end the irritation. Igniting her horn and concentrating on her bathroom cabinet; a second later, a container of anti-itch cream appeared in front of Cinnamon, within his reach. When he looked at it questioningly, she simply said, “favor upheld.”

Realizing what was in the container, he quickly grabbed, opened and poured it into his cupped hand before placing the container on the ground. He then slathered it between his hands and fingers until there was a thin layer surrounding them.

“Quite a generous application.”

He breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, “Yeah, it’s the only way it helps. Really let it soak into my skin.”

The itch cream vanished with a *pop,* returning to where it was taken.

“I shall keep that in mind the next time we relax in a body of water… You are certain it is not a danger to you?”

He thought back to the first time he noticed it. He managed to doze off at a water hole in a forest some distance away from the city. “The first time it happened was when I was at a waterhole with… some classmates. Before we decided to go home, it was gone. It’s happened at least a dozen times since and nothing bad has happened.”

She cocked a brow, “Did you not see a doctor about it?”

He shook his head, “I was young when it happened and didn’t think much of it. Nothing came from it so I never bothered.”

She looked at his slathered hands, “Would you… be opposed to having somepony taking a look at it?”

He shrugged, “I guess not; if you think I should have it looked at.”

“Better to know it is nothing than to later find out it is something we should be concerned about.”

They both got dressed in their attire. Him in his loincloth and her in her royal regalia. Since the application of the itch cream, Cinnamon had stopped scratching and chewing on his hands. It made it no less strange for the castle staff to see the snow white cream completely coating his hands.

They decided to turn in for the night since the raising of the moon would happen in a few minutes. The walk itself was quiet, mostly due to Cinnamon thinking to himself. Now that the warm water wasn’t blocking his higher brain functions, he reviewed his time in the spa with concern. He froze when he wanted to show Celestia some affection. She even called him out on his hesitation.

“Hey Celestia, I need to go do something before I turn in for the night.”

She gave him a questioning look, “Very well.” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, “I await your return.”

She continued walking down the hallway in the direction of her room while Cinnamon turned around and headed to Luna’s chambers, only taking one short stop at the kitchen to wash his hands of the itch cream.

When he reached the doors to Luna’s room, he decided to wait outside a little longer. He wanted the moon to rise so he could be sure that he wasn’t waking her up early. The only thing he did before the moon’s rise was to go through the procedure with Luna’s door guards to make sure he wasn’t a changeling in disguise. When that was over, he simply stood and waited, trying his best not to acknowledge how tired the door guards were. They were doing their best to remain at attention, but their swaying heads were giving them away. He even tested how much authority he had as a consort by telling them they could stand at ease; but it was ignored.

Ten minutes passed before the sun set and the moon rose into its place in the sky. He waited two more minutes before approaching the doors. He wanted to give her time to leave the balcony, but he also didn’t want a new set of door guards to rotate and put him through the test again.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

“Princess Luna?” he called, knowing what happened last time he knocked more than once, “It’s Cinnamon; may I speak with you?”

The next minute passed in silence; Only the occasional sound of the door guards armor shifting as they re-positioned themselves. He was starting to think about knocking again when the lock clicked, opening to reveal half of Luna’s face looking through the crack.

“What matters lie on thy mind?” She asked.

He glanced at one of the guards, now as still as a statue. “Could we talk in private?”

She backed from the door and opened it enough for him to walk in. She closed it as soon as he entered and locked the door. “Now, what ails thee which requires the act of discretion?”

He peered at the door behind her, “Could we talk a little further from the door?”

Her horn glowed and a second locking sound could be heard from the direction of the door, activating a silence rune in the lock and effectively keeping the rest of the world from listening into anything going on in the room. “We are silenced from the outside world, nopony will know what we are discussing. Now make haste! We still require preparation before our upcoming duties.”

“Right, sorry…” He took a deep breath, “I think I need… therapy.”

Author's Note

Let me know about any spelling errors; I did my best but I'm sure I missed a few!