Celestia and Anon part 1

The scent of flowers filled the air around the hot spring. Soft moonlight glistened off the slick rocks around the pool. Rare and beautiful plants concealed the sheer white walls surrounding the spring. A shooting star traced a line across the night sky as a hidden door opened and Princess Celestia stepped out.

With slow, practised steps she made her way over to the pool, her naked hooves easily finding the depressions in the rocks they'd made over the previous millennia. She reached the water's edge and slowly slipped into the steaming pool.

>Ahh, that's much better.

Celestia closed her eyes and took a moment to clear her mind. The warmth from the water seeped into her aching flesh and seemed to draw out all of the day's stresses. The only sound was the trickle of water as it flowed into the pool, before a small pipe took it away to irrigate the rest of the garden.

This was her private sanctum. A soundproofed, magically protected space that only she had access to. even if Canterlot were razed to the ground, the hot spring would remain. It was the only place she could be truly alone.

>What a day.
>So many meetings and petitions...
>I had hoped Luna could take some of the workload when she returned, but it's gotten even worse.

She looked up into the night sky. The full moon gazed back, illuminating the steam as it curled around her head.

>I do love my sister, but sometimes is seems as though she's just another layer of bureaucracy.
>I shouldn't think that.
>I have been able to sleep better thanks to her.
>No longer having to worry about my subjects throughout the night.
>Our subjects, rather.

She sighed and laid her head on a rock near the spring. Hot water streamed down the back of her neck, and she let her mind wander.


It was over an hour before Celestia emerged into the antechamber, dripping. She expected to find her assistant in the richly-decorated room, awaiting her signature on the day's final orders before she headed to bed. What she found was five of Luna's night guards.

"Princess Celestia, thank goodness! We were banging on the door for ages. Luna needs you in the throne room now!"

Celestia didn't wait for an explanation. She burst out into the corridor and galloped for the throne room, trailing water droplets and the five guards. She barked orders to them as she ran.

"Secure the palace! Lock all the gates! I want my personal guard roused and in the throne room immediately!"

>What could have happened?
>It must be a disaster for her to send them to the spring.
>Few enough ponies even know about the place, and only my kin have ever been inside.

As she raced, her mind went over battle plans and crisis relief strategies for any threat she could think of. Panic sent her rocketing through the hallways ad hordes of armoured ponies galloped towards parapets and towers. Eventually, she reached the throne room.

"Luna! Are you all right? What happened?"

The Princess of the Night turned to face her sister, wide-eyed and ears flattened. Her tiara sat askew her head. A group of night guards formed a tight circle behind her, spears and senses focussed on the center.

"Oh, Celestia, thank goodness you're here! I don't know what to do! nothing like this has ever happened that I know of..."
"Slow down, tell me what happened."
"I was having an audience with a citizen, you know, the usual complaints, when there was a flash and... and it appeared! I don't know what it is, but it can speak!"

>It can speak?
>This doesn't sound good.

"What did it say, Luna?"
"Not much, that's the strange bit. All it did was look around, then it look straight at me and said 'It worked'. Then it fell, and hasn't moved since."



The circle of guards parted around Celesta as she walked through them, eyes still fixed on the figure in the centre.

>Well that's very odd.
>It's got claws that aren't really claws.
>They could still be a threat though.
>If it speaks, it's probably intelligent.
>It's clothes cover nearly it's entire body too.
>Maybe it's trying to hide it's power.
>It could be cunning.
>I'll have to be on guard.

Luna entered the circle and stood a little behind Celestia.

"Do you know what it is?"
"No. I've seen similar creatures in the southern jungles, but they were much smaller and hairier. They couldn't speak either."

Celestia reached out a hoof towards the figure's shoulder.

"Sister, no! It might me a trick."
"Don't worry Luna, I'm sure it will be fine."

As soon as the princess made contact, the figure sat up.


"AAAAAAAAAA!"

Three screams pierced the air of the throne room, reverberating from the hard walls and vaulted ceiling until it seemed like the room was full of terror. Guardes burst through the door and levelled their spears, blocking the only exit. The sound echoed on long after the source of the noise died out. The figure on the floor turned to look at two glowing horns protruding from two determined but frightened faces.

"What are you?"

The figure looked down at it's hands and body.

"I'm still human, I think"

>So it can talk.
>And it's self aware.
>And... was that humour?
>Either Way it claims to be human.
>Whatever that is.
>I've never heard of one.
>It could still be dangerous.

The figure put it's face in it's hands and rubbed at it's eyes.

"Who sent you? Are you alone?"
"I'm alone. I think. And I sent myself. I still can't believe that worked."
"You can't believe what worked? What are you talking about?"

It laughed.

"You know what, I can't even remember now!"
"Why did you come here?"
"Oh, I don't know, I think I just needed a change. You know what I mean?"

>I do.
>I understand more than you could know.

"Guards, take him to the dungeon, but make sure he's comfortable. Clean, soft bedding please, and good food. You can call off the alarm, but I want double watch tonight."

The princess turned to the figure.

"We'll decide what to do with you tomorrow, but before I go, what should I call you?"
"Well, I didn't have much of a standing where I came from, and even less here apparently. So I guess you can call me Anon."