Anonymous in Celestia 2

AiC 2

>You slowly drift out of sleep, and reflexively start to stretch.
>You are quickly reminded of where you are when you realize the small size of your temporary home.
>You compromise by focusing on each joint individually, stretching them as well as you can in the fetal position.
>A warm chuckle drifts through the steady, constant sound of Celestia's heartbeat.
>"So, sleepypants, you're finally awake again."
>Celestia's voice is muffled, but still clear enough to make out.
>"I've cast a simple illusion spell on myself, so you're my little secret. I've only told my sister Luna and my most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. They would've easily seen through the spell anyway."
>This probably was to be expected; it fit with the goal of not drawing attention.
>However, you can't help the niggling thought that this makes it even more likely that she could get away with not letting you out when the time comes.

>"Hopefully nop0ny notices that my appetite has suddenly doubled. At least now I have an excuse.
>"Anyway…" Celestia says, after a pause.
>"Would you be interested in communicating with me through more than answering yes-or-no questions?"
>You kick once.
>"Great. Unfortunately, a telepathy spell isn't an option; I'm pretty taxed as it is with the transformation spell, the illusion spell, and just supporting you biologically. I could go through the alphabet and stop when you kick, but that would take forever. So, do you know Horse Code?"
>You smirk at the pun, but kick twice.
>Celestia let's out a small sigh.
>"Well, Anonymous, would you like to learn?"

>Weeks pass, and you slowly but surely get the hang of communicating with the mare you call home.
>The first several nights, after she lowers the sun, she reads off the code for each letter, and has you repeat them back.
>Eventually, you could kick the alphabet in your sleep.
>One evening, as she retires to her chambers after a long day of royal duties, you decide to surprise her.
>Kick kick kick kick. Kick. Kick KICK kick kick. Kick KICK kick kick. KICK KICK KICK.
>Kick KICK KICK. KICK KICK KICK. Kick KICK kick. Kick KICK kick kick. KICK kick kick.
>Celestia giggles. "H… E… L… L… O… W… O… R… L… D…"
>"Very clever, Anonymous."

>Having sent your first message, you start anew.
>Celestia interrupts you.
>"Oh, there's more? Can it wait until I can get to my bed?"
>You kick once.
>"'E'?" she asks, with what you can only imagine is her trademark trickster smile. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean by 'E'."
>You roll your eyes. Trollestia at her finest.
>KICK kick KICK. Kick. Kick kick kick.
>"Y-E-S." She says slowly, as if figuring out your message for the first time. "Well, why didn't you just kick so in the first place?"

>The amniotic fluid surrounding you acts as an inertial damper, but your sense of balance tells you when she walks, turns, and eventually settles down.

-:—:-

>Celestia yawned and curled up on her mattress.
>She hadn't been entirely honest with Anon; while it was technically true that a telepathy spell would be taxing, the whole truth, as it usually is, was more complicated.
>A constant telepathic link would no doubt result in a very close, almost familial bond between the two of them, and Anon was to integrate into Equestrian society as your run-of-the-mill citizen.
>While it was inevitable that she would hold a great deal of affection towards him, she tried to make sure it didn't surpass the level of affection she held toward every one of her subjects.
>Celestia already had to constantly remind herself that she was simply the vessel by which Anonymous was entering her world, a mantra she found less and less convincing with every passing day.
>She tried to rationalize this by telling herself that in a way, all of Equestria's citizens were her children. However, she had told herself this so many times throughout the millennia that it had lost almost all meaning to her, reduced to a mere platitude.
>It was best for her to avoid getting too close as well. While becoming a pony would more than triple his life expectancy, it still wouldn't come close to the 4.8 billion years she figured she had left. It already broke her heart that her subjects had to pass on to Hades after a few short centuries, where she was forbidden to tread; she didn't want to get closer to a mortal than she had to.
>This was all moot, however, as there was yet a third reason telepathy was an unworkable solution. The transformation spell would naturally make him pliable and susceptible to magical influences.
>By keeping their minds distinct, she could ensure that the form he ended up with would be the one that best suited him, and more importantly, that his mind (including the knowledge, mindsets, and ideologies he carried from his world) would remain unalt–
>Kick.
>A fluttering within her broke her reverie, reminding her of yet another reason for her to not link their thoughts.
>She'd take any excuse she could get to feel him move around inside of her.

>Kick KICK kick. Kick kick KICK. KICK KICK KICK. KICK kick KICK.
>Somewhat exhausted, you start abbreviating to spare your leg the unnecessary workout.
>"Ruok"? Asks Celestia, her tone indicating a raised eyebrow. "I'm guessing you meant to ask if I'm okay?"
>You indicate the affirmative.
>"Getting a little lazy in there already, eh?" she teases.
>You sigh, and in doing so realize that while you were sleeping you'd inhaled some of the amniotic fluid. You know enough about embryology to deduce that this is probably normal, and good for your lungs, but it still grosses you out a little.
>"Come on, lazybones!" Celestia cheers. "Do you want your new muscles to be all noodly and atrophied? Shake away that sleepiness; there's no 'Z' in 'exercise'!"
Wait, there isn't? That's stupid.
>Rolling your eyes, you kick out your rebuttal.
>"I'm afraid neither 'gtfo' nor 'stfu' are words I'm familiar with, Anonymous." Celestia says. "They're barely even pronounceable."
>Oh, right. Steampunk-level technology.
>You don't respond, and Celestia infers that it mustn't've been that important.
>"Yeah, Anon, I'm fine. It took some getting used to at first, but now I have an excuse when Luna scolds me for eating so much."

>"I really do love the evenings where I can just curl up on my bed and speak to you. You've been with me through all the humdrum of my daily responsibilities, and through all my private moments. You've literally seen inside me."
>She chuckles at her own pun.
>Being a princess can be lonely at times. I'm glad Luna is back, but–"
>She trails off as if interrupted.
>You faintly hear Luna's voice, though you can't make out anything more than her inquisitive tone through the assorted hums and thumps and gurgles of Celestia's body. From her heartbeat, Celestia seems nervous, or at least startled.
>"Hello, Luna. I was just talking to Anonymous about how lonely it can be to be a princess. Come here; I'm sure he'd like to hear from you as well."
>There is a pause, and then you feel Celestia shift.
>"Hello, Anonymous. Art thou enjoying thy stay inside my sister?"
>You kick once, and Celestia translates your affirmation.
>"We are certainly looking forward to seeing how you turn out. Ten months is a long time to wait."
>Wait, has it been a whole month already?

>"Yes, as am I"
>Luna redirects the conversation. "Thou wast speaking of me, sister?"
>Celestia sighs. "Yes. I am overjoyed to have you back after a thousand years, but something's… missing, or at least different."
>There is a pause, and then Luna speaks, sounding almost aghast. "Sister! What art thou saying‽ Art thou replacing me?"
>Celestia sounds hurt. "Lulu, no, I–"
>"And stop calling me Lulu!" Luna snaps. "I'm not 800 anymore!"
>"It's not as if I haven't called you worse things last week, at your request, 'Mistress Selena'." Celestia retorts lasciviously.
>Luna stammers. "Sister! I beg thy pardon, but to be so blunt around someone else about our… private matters?"
>"Do you mean our sexy fun times?"
>Celestia pauses, then continues, audibly chuckling. "Lighten up, Lulu. Mores have evolved a lot over the past millennium. I have to admit I find your prudishness quite adorable at times."
>Luna mutters something you can't quite make out, and Celestia continues.
>"Besides, it's not like I spilled the beans. I didn't mention anything Anon wasn't there for."
>Seemingly desperate to change the subject, Princess Luna backpedals. "So, 'Helia', what were you saying about me before? Not only am I a prude, but also not good enough for you as a sister? As a friend?"
>"No!" insists Celestia, kindly but perhaps a bit too loudly, before catching herself and lowering her voice. "That's not what I meant."

>"I love you more than anything on this world or in the heavens above, or the underworld below. The time you were Nightmare Moon was the worst millennium of my life. Nopony could ever replace you, and you know that."
>Luna seems upset. "Then what did you mean when you–"
>"Luna, before you fell, the two of us worked in perfect harmony. We were two pieces of a puzzle; you were the yin to my yang. But since we've been apart for so long, and I've ruled alone for so long…"
>"Oh." Luna seems concerned, her indignation evaporating as her sister starts to tear up.
>"Luna, it's not your fault. I don't know if you've changed, or if you stayed the same over the past thousand years while I and everything else changed. Maybe we both did." Celestia sniffles, and continues. "All those centuries, every night when I raised the moon, I had to look up at the Mare in the Moon, a constant reminder of the day I failed to save you. Every year I bought a new calendar, on the front, in a huge, elaborate font, was the number of years you'd been gone."
>"Celestia, we…"
>"It was like the Equestrian calendar system was one big sick joke, mocking me, counting the years from that fateful night. Every night I'd stare at the moon for hours and think 'I want my old Luna back!', and maybe I did. But it's like my wish was granted by a genie; I got back the old Luna, not the one I would have today if none of this had ever happened, and I'm not the old Celestia anymore!"

>"Celestia, we are so sorry. We were foolish, and we let our emotions get the best of us. If only we had seen that by sleeping our subjects weren't shunning our night, but embracing it. That the frolicking they did in their dreams was just as enjoyable."
>"Luna, I told you it wasn't your fault. You weren't yourself; your emotions were exaggerated by dark magic."
>"Yes, Sister, and whose foalish jealousy was it that allowed that dark force to take hold, to corrupt us? If we hadn't been so blind, if–"
>"Shh…" Celestia shushes. "Let's not dwell on the past. What's done is done, and no amount of magic can rewrite history. But we can change the future."
>"What dost thou mean, 'Tia?"
>"We can get things back to how they were. It may not be quick, but it will be worth it. To start, I want you by my side at as many royal events as possible, when I sleep at night, you will handle royal affairs, and vice versa when you sleep at day."
>"'During the day'." corrects Luna. "And what does that have to d–"
>"It was an intentional literary device to emphasize the complementarity of our roles. And I ask this of you because since your return, I feel that the old status quo has not returned. We're co-princesses, Luna, but now you're more of a Vice Princess. So many times I have heard ponies call me 'the Princess', and every time I have to hold my tongue to not remind them that I am *a* princess, that you and I are equals."
>"Thank thee, Sister. It means so much to us to know that thou thinkest of us as equals."
>"Of course, my dear, sweet, Luna. Both day and night are needed in balance for the land to run smoothly. Why do you think the Equinoxes are so celebrated?"
>"We suppose thou art correct, Sister. We apologize for being so rash with thee earlier."
>"Apology accepted, but I don't mind having somepony to point out if they think I've made a mistake. One of the perils of power is a lack of constructive criticism."
>"We shall keep that in mind, Celestia. Dost thou mind if we stay with you for the moment?"
>"Don't you mean 'with thee'?" Celestia kids.
>"No, you. Plural. Anonymous and thou. We shall never understand why Equestria dropped the singular second person pronoun; it seems such a change would cause quite a deal of confusion."
>"The Equestrian language, like everything, evolves with time. It is counterintuitive, but you'll have to learn to accept change if things are to return to normal."
>"We see thy… er, I see 'your' point, Celestia. It shall take some getting used to."
>"Good. And yes, curl up here if you wish. I'm sure Anon would enjoy the company."
>You kick in the affirmative.

Part 1: http://pastebin.com/GzC2VR09
Part 2: http://pastebin.com/VG9GiS1V
Part 3: http://pastebin.com/6R4gEVwh
Part 4: http://pastebin.com/S12rzr7e
Part 5Ⓐ: http://pastebin.com/7pQ0hvKW
Part 5Ⓒ: http://pastebin.com/yZ2g1JSU