Follows A Little Spark 31&32

>”So Anon’s working her over, and she sounds like she’s having the time of her life, but then it sorta trails off. I say something about Cadance just to see if she’s still with us, but wouldn’t you know, Raven, the poor mare just fell asleep again. With Anon sitting on top of her and everything.”
>You can’t help but smile at that, as bad as you feel. Luna missed out on so much excitement, due to her sleep cycle. Figures she’d miss out even when she was right in the middle of it.
“What happened then?”
>”Well he’d got me all heavy-lidded by then too, so I thought I’d do the same. And he must have gotten over himself a little, because he joined in.”
“Ah! An interesting change of pace.”
>”He’s so sweet, just too easy to play with. It’s been wonderful, though. I’m going to miss it when those two start monopolizing his time.”
“So Your Majesty remains resolute about staying distant?”
>Celestia looks away from you, then shakes her head. “I’m not so sure anymore. I should. Luna deserves some happiness without me screwing it up for her. But I surprised myself with how much his obliviousness hurt.”
“Your Majesty may have raised the issue too subtly.”
>”I meant to, and the way I approached it was part of that. I could bring it up without making it a challenge, and gauge his response. Even still, part of me hoped he’d catch on. I never know what he’ll pick up on; sometimes he’s dense as stone, other times he seems to intuitively grasp things.”
“Quirks from his home, surely.”
>”Perhaps. Unfortunately, that only makes him more interesting.”
>You suddenly feel a deep contentment, as if what Celestia just said was a transcendent realization about the nature of the world.
>”That would be Cadance,” Celestia says, looking to the door.
“Her Highness usually tries harder than washing us away. She likes to crush us.”
>”Her husband might not be with her.”
“I suppose I can let her in, then.”
>You open the door telekinetically without getting up from behind your desk.
>Cadance is indeed standing outside. She takes two steps in, looks at Celestia, and then takes a half step back. “Oh gosh.”
>Celestia smiles at her, but it’s a weak smile.
“As you may have surmised, we discuss matters of your domain, Your Imperial Highness.”
>Cadance wrinkles her nose “Stop making me feel old.”
“Never.”
>This gets some humor back into Celestia’s expression. “Hello, my dear niece. As Raven says, we were speaking on your area of expertise, so forgive my emotional turmoil.”
>Cadance walks in far enough for you to close the door and raise your soundproof barrier again, then perches on a chair opposite her adoptive aunt. “Well, I was going to talk to you about it, but you’ve already answered my first question.”
>Celestia glances at you, then back to Cadance. “Humor me, and ask it anyway.”
>”What do you feel for Anon?”
>Celestia dips her head a fraction. “I may be better served hearing your answer than you hearing mine.”
>”Ignoring the obvious? Fear. What are you afraid of missing out on?”
>After a slight flick of her tail across her seat, Celestia replies, “You well know what a sense of awe and novelty can turn into. I fear losing what I’ve spent all this time looking for, now that it’s finally arrived. Now let me ask you; what did you want to talk to us about?”
>Cadance glances at you, prompting a flat look from Celestia.
>”You know how much I trust Raven. You were as much under her guidance as mine.”
“I still have not recovered from the ordeal.”
>But you’re smiling at her, and you feel a ping of bright warmth wash over you in return.
>”Fine. Anon thinks you’re teasing him.”
>”I am.”
>Cadance gives Celestia a dirty look. “You’re just adding to his confusion.”
>”He seemed to be taking it quite well.”
>”He’s putting on a show of being laid back. I don’t know why, but he feels a need to downplay all his emotions.”
>”That’s what stallions are like, where he’s from, he’s told me.”
>”In the end he’s just a lost colt, Aunt!” Cadance leans forward as she says this, and a faint sizzle of irritation lashes out from her towards you. “And you know your aloof act never worked on me. I knew how you felt about him the moment I walked into the room. So lets talk about this like mares.”
>Celestia’s pulled her posture back and up in her seat, stunned by the rebuke.
>Or stunned due to a more focused assault on Cadance’s part, but that’d achieve the same end anyway.
>Maybe just stunned because she dropped the whimsy for once.
>You would be stunned too, if you hadn’t half a mind to chew out Celestia yourself – more politely phrased, of course – if she’d gone on long enough before Cadance arrived.
>Since that’s not on you, now, you can play the diplomat.
“Perhaps we should reflect on this matter a moment, then begin anew when cooler heads prevail.”
>You feel numbed, and Celestia stiffens, as Cadance sucks the emotion out of the room.
“Cool, Your Highness, not cold.”
>She returns feeling to the room, but slowly.
“Now, Her Majesty  told me of her conflict on this subject just before you arrived. We can begin there.”
>You look at Celestia expectantly.
>She shakes her head and sighs. “I shouldn’t take this from my sister, niece. I’ve put her through enough already, without ruining her love life now that she’s back.”
>Cadance glances at you – no, out the window behind you – then returns her attention to Celestia. ”If you love her, trust her to work things out on her own.”
>”I should put her first.”
>”Not like this. Your feelings matter too. If you deny yourself this on her account, you’re going to grow to resent her for it. Are you willing to sacrifice your relationship with your sister for her relationship with this stallion? When he’ll eventually be gone, and you two are stuck with each other forever?”
>Celestia winced at that, but you didn’t feel any emotional outburst from Cadance. ”I don’t even know if he reciprocates.”
>Cadance’s expression softens. You get a distinct feeling of being enveloped in a warm blanket, soothing away worries and concerns in favor of a quiet peace. “He respects you, and is concerned about your well-being and how you feel. He cares a great deal about you. Is that romantic love? Not quite. But right now he’s too confused about what you’re doing, and too worried about what that’ll do to Twilight and your sister. We didn’t talk about you at great length, but when you came up, those are the impressions I got.”
>She glances out your office’s window again as Celestia dips her head, wearing a sad smile.
>”I’ve already lost my chance, haven’t I?”
>The blanket’s peace turns into the comfort of a mother’s caressing touch as Cadance stands, walks over to her aunt, then sits on the floor in front of her, looking up at her.
>She stays like this for almost a minute, examining Celestia’s features.
>The princess regnant remains composed during this, but adjusts her wings a couple times.
>”For someone with such power,” Cadance mumbles, “and prone to such mischief...”
>”Have you reached a verdict?”
>”If you’re worried about missing out, Auntie, then why not take a page from your own book? Once the other two figure everything out, just… jump in. Maybe he’ll recognize the potential and let you closer. Maybe that’ll turn into what you’re looking for.
>”That’s a lot of ‘maybes’ for a consolation prize.”
“Your Majesty, please, do not think of it like that.”
>The two of them look at you, and when you meet Cadance’s eyes for a brief moment, you’re buoyed by a burst of conviction.
“He still must learn what it means to be a stallion, here. He misses some pieces of that puzzle, cannot see the full picture. He will not learn if not taught, and Her Majesty’s exile has rendered her out of practice, on a subject where Her Highness may fare even worse. Your Majesty must act soon, before he believes his learning concluded. Become a teacher once again.”
>You glace at Cadance again, this time tilting your head towards her a sliver.
>You know she’ll pass this on.
>You try to put all the awe and respect you feel for your sovereign after years of serving her, and years of happiness she’d given you as you shared your closest thoughts and leaned on each other, to the front of your mind.
”Please act for your own benefit on a matter of import, Your Majesty, just this once. If not for yourself, then for me, as your dear friend and faithful servant. Your happiness means more to me than my own, and I cannot bear to see you suffer as you surely will if you let this pass you by. If he rejects you, then you sit no worse than the present. If he accepts you, you may realize all you desire. Your choice seems clear to me.”
>Celestia’s eyes flick to Cadance, but she stands from her chair and walks over to your desk. “You know, he lectured me before about believing my path was fixed. Raven, I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve somepony like you at my side, but I must be doing something right.”
>She leans down to brush your cheek with hers. With that contact, you feel an intense contentment bloom in your mind. It’s similar to how Cadance announced her presence, but where that was raw, this feeling is richly textured, containing layers of trust and appreciation and compassion, all part of a supreme and sublime peace with life itself.
>Cadance is reversing what you asked her, directing towards you how Celestia feels about you.
“I live to serve Your Majesty. In my eyes, you do more right than words can describe.”
>Cadance walks past your desk, to stand by the window.
>This time, Celestia follows her attention. “Is something bothering you, my niece?”
>She flicks her tail ”My husband distracts me.”
>”You can feel him from all the way over there?”
>”I could feel him across all of Canterlot, if I had to. It’s like how a familiar voice carries over a crowd.”
>The two of you join her by the window.
>”It turns out,” Cadance continues, “it’s just stallions being stallions.”
>Down near the parade grounds, a ways off but not too distant the three of you couldn’t see clearly, Anon and Shining Armor stand side-by-side. The latter is wearing a ridiculous contraption that’s about the same size, shape, and arrangement to be pegasus wings, but a bit too bulky, and joined by a strange elongated hump running down his spine.
>Twilight’s a ways off, watching with Flurry Heart.
>Shining’s wings are limp at his sides. You can see occasional movement from them, sometimes considerable distances, but he can’t seem to hold them in place.
>Anon’s picking one of the wings up from time to time and inspecting it, flexing it in his hands. From the way he’s handling it and gesturing every time Shining moves the unsupported one, he’s explaining something.
>Eventually, the human darts back inside his embassy-workshop, leaving Shining to his efforts with the wings.
>Flurry tries to scamper towards her father, but Twilight picks her up magically and pulls her back.
>That’s odd.
“How does Shining feel, to distract Your Highness so?”
>”He’s confused, but excited for something. Are those supposed to be wings?”
>”That must be Anon’s current project. He wants to help injured pegasi fly again.”
>”It doesn’t look like it’s working.”
>Anon returns, then, carrying some sort of brace that he places on Shining’s back. After some fiddling, Shining’s ersatz wings are fully spread. Its wingspan is a little larger than that of a pegasi’s, though the three feathers on each wing stick straight out to the sides, rather than in a rearward arc.
>The two stallions talk for a bit more, Anon gesturing while Shining nods along.
>Suddenly, what you thought were supposed to be feathers spread far wider than reasonable.
>That’s more like a fan.
>Anon’s gesturing is much more exited. Shining’s looking back over his shoulder, tilting his body slightly in different directions.
>Then the fans start slowly spinning.
>Anon jogs clear, while Twilight drags Flurry a bit further back as well.
>Soon the twin fans are spinning too fast to see.
>And then Shining, ever so slightly, begins to rise.
>He looks around, astonished.
>The action tilts his body, and he drifts sideways, catching himself on two hooves and doing a few awkward side-steps before he’s stable again.
>Beside you, Cadance snorts.
>And down on the grounds, Shining suddenly straightens.
>When you look to the pink alicorn, she’s wearing a big grin.
“What did Your Highness do?”
>”Oh, just gave him a bit of encouragement.”
>Anon’s standing back, waving his arms. You’re not sure what the patterns mean. You don’t think Shining knows either, because he isn’t paying a lot of attention to the man.
>He rises more steadily this time. Not straight up; he wobbles minute amounts in different directions, which sends him gently drifting to and fro, but he’s definitely ascending more than moving in any given direction. Eventually he gets the wobbling under control, compensating for it by drifting in roughly the other direction, trying to rise straight up.
>It’s not long, in fact, until he’s on your level.
>Cadance takes a step forward, to put her head almost against the window. Her horn flashes with a bright cyan burst, causing you and Celestia to flinch away.
>”Please warn us next time, niece.”
>She looks to Celestia, then you, with an apologetic glance, before returning her attention to her husband.
>The unicorn hasn’t moved, but has his head turned towards you.
>The next wobble causes a bright pink spark to arc off from near his head, and he recoils from it.
>”Oh!” Cadance exclaims. “Shock, then relief. He’s got himself and the wings shielded.”
>His flinch tilts his whole body considerably, causing him to dart off away from the palace, but he gets it under control easily enough.
>Anon’s sprinting to try to stay under him.
>You’re not sure what he hopes to achieve with this; Shining’s easily three times as heavy as his sister, lightened as she is by pegasi magic as part of her transformation.
>You really hope Anon doesn’t think he could catch her brother.
>Eventually, Shining figures out how to turn around, not without a few further minor mishaps.
>Slowly, he starts drifting towards the palace, and the window you three stand at.
>The sound his artificial wings make is very strange; it’s not a constant drone like you’d expect from a fan, but instead a very rapid and soft snapping or thumping sound.
>Cadance is grinning like an idiot, and you feel a small smile creep to your own lips as her pride and enthusiasm is quite literally infectious.
>Shining tilts backwards, like rearing in mid-air, when he finally arrives at the window. This is apparently enough to arrest his forward motion.
>Cadance takes a step back from the window and half-spreads her wings. Then she tilts them down, followed by kneeling with the front half of her body, in a very regal bow to her husband.
>He tries to return the gesture, but when he tilts his wings downward, it angles the big propellers on the end of them as well.
>This kicks him down and forward at considerable speed.
>Celestia gasps, but Cadance just smiles as she watches a pink bubble appear around him, bouncing him off the wall below the window with a soft thump you can hear from inside.
>Beside you, his wife giggles.
>”You think you can send him back down?”
>”Come on, Auntie, I know you’re old, but can’t you appreciate a glimpse of the future?”
>Celestia laughs. “It’s not my husband looking to rival Discord as the avatar of whimsy.”
>Cadance looks at her aunt as her husband drifts away from the window, descending in fits and starts back down to the field. “Not unless you get what you want, out of this.”
>The three of you look down to where Shining’s heading, at the silly human doing his best to sprint towards the flying unicorn with his arms waving wildly.
>Celestia’s smile rivals Cadance’s own.

* * *

>Long after the two princesses left to get a debriefing on today’s miraculous flight test, you’re still coasting off the happiness Cadance had left you on.
>A knock at your door is followed by an earth pony with a sandy coat.
>She looks nervous.
>Several rolled up pages line her saddlebags.
“Ah, welcome, Ms. Craft. Thank you again for your cooperation to date.”
>”Uh, yeah, hi. You told me to come to you if any problems come up?”
>You put down your quill and the page you were inspecting. “Yes. Come in.”
>The mare closes the door behind her and walks to your desk. “I’m not sure if it really is a problem, but I thought you might want to see it. I’ve made copies of the last several orders Anon placed, and, well...”
>You levitate the pages out of her saddlebags yourself, looking each over in turn.
“Ms. Craft, I work as a secretary, not a draftsmare. I admire the work you have put into these reproductions, but they tell me little.”
>”Well, uh, here, then. I drew up what they’d look like all put together. Anon tried to hide it by spacing the orders out over a couple weeks, but I finally have the whole picture.”
>She fishes a neatly folded up paper out of the bottom of her bag, then tosses it on your desk.
>You unfold it carefully.
>Your eyes go wide when you see what it depicts.
>It’s just a framework, a multilayered lattice of thin, delicate curving metal struts. Some expected features are missing, and others either exaggerated or minimized.
>There’s no mistaking, however, that this structure is in the shape of a mare’s head.
>”It’s all to the proper scale, too, Ms. Inkwell. Anon really did his homework on this one. I thought it might be some sort of helmet, before we got the following orders for internal pieces. But even then, the dimensions are too accurate. It’s not fitted to go over a mare’s head. It’s fitted to be one.”
>Suspicions: Confirmed.
>The crazedcolt is actually going to do it. You don’t know how, but he’s going to build Celestia a companion.
>You fold the paper just as gently as you unfolded it, but you don’t return it.
“Ms. Craft, may I keep this excellent work of yours?”
>The mare nods quickly.
“Thank you. And please, tell nopony about this. I believe this depicts a most special gift for Her Majesty. Make sure nopony can spoil the surprise, or get the wrong ideas.”
>”Yes’m. That’s all I had to say. Sorry to bother you.”
“You came after closing, correct? You may go home, Ms. Craft. Thank you again, and have a wonderful evening.”
>The earth pony smiles, then backs out of your office.
>You place the paper in one of your desk’s drawers that lock, alongside several other personal documents relating to Celestia.
>Even if Celestia can’t get her way with Anon, it looks like she’ll still have something to hold on to.
>That makes all this effort and heartache worth it.