Celestia had a very lavish bedroom. Everything seemed to be seemed to be edged with gold, right down to her carpeting. Her bed had a gold speckled lacey canopy and a thick blanket. The pillows all had suns stitched into them, and looked like they would be softer than clouds. There was an ornate dresser in one corner of the room, presumably filled with clothing of some sort, though I had no idea what she would wear. The only other notable decoration in the room was a big picture hanging on the right wall. It was a framed painting of a pinkish alicorn filly cuddling a tiny dark colored alicorn filly in the lap of a larger dark colored pony. Only side of the largest pony was visible, but the fillies were fully visible.

"Is that you and Luna?" I asked as I reached out to touch the painting. Celestia placed a hoof over my hand before it could reach the picture.

"Don't." she warned softly. "That painting is very old, and my magic is the only thing keeping it from crumbling. Yes, that was Luna and I back when we were very, very young. Luna and this picture are the only things I have left of that time..." Celestia drifted off in her speech slowly and seemed to be staring at nothing in particular.

"You guys used to be so small." I noted silently. "Yes, that tends to happen when you are a CHILD. Moron..." I marveled at the picture of the two young ones, amazed that Celestia had ever been a filly. I had always assumed she had come into being as an adult. I turned to talk to her, but she was staring off into nothing still. With a small nudge, I brought her back to reality.

Celestia shook her head as I nudged her and turned to me. "Sorry, I was just... remembering. Now, what did you want to talk about?"

"Like I said, I just wanna talk. Get to know you a little, maybe. Just like a normal conversation between normal ponies would be."

Celestia chuckled at me. "I do believe we would be the last things anypony would consider normal. I do appreciate the sentiment though, and I think I would rather enjoy a small chat."

I frowned a little, but tried not to show it. Celestia walked to a large, large by pony standards anyway, table in the corner of the room that I hadn't seen when I walked in. Her movements were too rigid, too fake. Her words were too controlled, almost like she had rehearsed this. "Good, glad you can make some time for me."

"Please, join me. I'll have some of my favorite tea brought in for us to enjoy while we chat." Celestia waved to the table as a sign for me to sit with her. I did so cautiously, but smiled at her as I walked. Something was up with her, but I had no idea what.

"Sounds great! So, how've things been for you lately?" I asked cheerily as I took my seat. I cradled Unity against my chest protectively.

"Very busy recently. I've still yet to finish preparations for the events of next week." Celestia paused and her horn glowed for a moment, presumably a sort of magic message to somepony on the staff to bring us tea. "How has life in this world been to you of late?"

I nodded as if I had a clue what was special about next week. I had lost all track of time, odds are it was just some holiday I hadn't remembered. "Busy, same as you. Monsters don't seem to want to leave the world alone, and I happen to be pretty good at getting rid of them. Luna calls me a lot as a result." Celestia and I hadn't broken eye contact since we sat at the table, hadn't even blinked. I got the odd feeling this was another one of her tests.

"Ah yes, I'd like to thank you on the behalf of Equestrians everywhere for your valiant efforts, by the way." Celestia leaned in a little, still not looking away.

"Bitch, step down. We will win this." I didn't lean in, but kept up the little staring contest. "No thanks really necessary, Celestia. I love being able to help the citizens. Gives my life lots of meaning, a purpose I didn't get to enjoy on my old world."

The corners of Celestia's mouth curled into a small smile. "What was life like on your old world, anyway? I've never been told why you have no interest in returning."

I leaned back against the wall behind me, realizing too late that she had me sitting in a corner, as I thought about how to respond. I formed my answer at the same time as I did a few calculations in my head. Celestia acting weird, me thinking she didn't like me, the picture of her and her sister, the fact that she had put me in a corner, and now was having this little contest. "To be honest, my old world isn't a miserable place. I just happened to get a lot of bad stuff tossed onto me at the same time. My parents died, my significant other cheated on me right before I proposed to her, I got kicked out of a prestigious school, and my house was burnt down. I don't want to go back because I have nothing to go back to." I kept all emotion out of my voice and held my stare defiantly, daring Celestia to challenge me further. I wasn't entirely done piecing everything together, but I didn't like this challenge.

Celestia too didn't react to my story. "Ah, I apologize for your loss." she stated robotically. "It must have been hard on you. Losing so much at once like that."

"Here's that tea you requested, Celestia!" somepony shouted from outside the door. Celestia looked away for a brief moment, enough for me to put on a smug smile and claim my victory. Unity sleepily swiped at my chin as Celestia opened the door with magic, levitated two cups and a teapot off a silver tray held by a white stallion, and closed the door. She carried them over to the table and poured some steamy tea into the cups.

"Thanks for the tea." I said slowly as I reached out and grabbed one of the cups.

"It's no trouble. Please, enjoy it." Celestia sipped at her own cup as I set mine down in front of me.

She did a good job of making her words sound like she meant: 'Please choke and die.'

I was hopelessly confused. It was obvious Celestia was pissed at me, but I had no idea why she would be. I'd never wronged her in any way, so far as I knew. The clues she was giving me didn't add up to anything. The only possibility they led to was something involving Luna, since she had seemed so absorbed in the picture earlier. As soon as Luna entered my thoughts, everything snapped into place.

Celestia was claiming property! She was trying to stare me down, had me backed into a corner, and was lost in memories when she looked at the picture of them as fillies. Whatever this was, it had something to do with Luna and I being close friends. Celestia wanted us apart to keep Luna to herself.

"So, what do you think of me working for Luna?" I asked lightly, feigning disinterest.

"Moona..." Unity echoed back from my arms. Coils of dark smoke curled off his paw as he batted at the air.

"I think she must think quite highly of you for her to allow you to work so closely with her." Celestia countered me with an equal amount of apathy.

"Yes, it's quite an honor." I coughed to clear my throat quickly. Celestia's magic presence was starting to affect me and before long I would be in pain from the sheer amount of magic. I still had a while though. "I hope it doesn't bother you that we're close." I continued, making sure she could hear the jab in my question.

"Why would that bother me?" Celestia asked with an amazingly real looking smile. I wasn't buying it.

"Well, you know. She tells me it's not exactly common, or socially normal for us to be together like we are." I explained simply, smiling right back at her. I wasn't much paying attention to the black smoke coming from Unity.

"Well..." Celestia paused and took another sip of tea before returning her overly happy smile to me. "There are those who would consider what you two have wrong... Even those who would look at you negatively for having such a relationship with a princess. Your employer, no less." Celestia's smile dropped for the smallest of moments.

"I knew it!" I declared, leaping to my feet as I shouted. The dark smoke was rather thick around me, but not anywhere else in the room. "You don't like me because of my relationship with Luna!"

Celestia set her cup down calmly and looked up to me as if she were about to give me some: 'Let me tell you why that's bullshit' speech. Her gaze froze on me though, and she slowly began to look angry. I couldn't see it, but the dark smoke from Unity had formed a wispy copy of Luna with her forelegs drooped around my shoulders in a hug... and her tongue stuck out at Celestia.

Celestia rose to her hooves slowly and paced over to me. She tried to stand over me and look down at me, but I was taller than her now. She was forced to try and be intimidating while looking up at me. "I will say this once, so listen well." she nearly hissed. "Leave my sister be, and don't you dare think about hurting her or I will lock you in darker hells than you can imagine."

I didn't move. "I will not leave my friends, no matter WHO you think you are to ask me." I placed my free hand on her chest below her long neck and pushed her back. She looked shocked and beyond furious. "And how dare you have the audacity to accuse me of thinking to hurt her. I came here to speak civilly and be friends. I will not stand for anypony accusing me of wishing to hurt my friends, even you, princess." I turned and stalked towards her door angrily.

"H-hey! You don't just walk away from me! I order you to come back at once!" Celestia shouted.

"Fuck you and your royalty, bitch. We ain't gonna be part of your system." I threw open the door and slammed it behind me, causing loud booms to echo through the hallway.

".... W-Waaaaaaahhhhhh!" Unity cried, likely upset by the slamming. I sighed and cooed to him softly while I stroked his mane. A cloud of dark smoke fell away from me and dissipated shortly after slightly clouding the area around me. It worried me for a moment, but only a brief moment. I began walking back through the halls to return to the girls so we could head back home. While I could soothe Unity from the booms, he would undoubtedly be hungry soon. I did my best to forget the mess with Celestia as quickly as possible, and hoped quietly that I didn't suddenly appear on the moon.

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Celestia stood there for a few moments, breathing heavily. She nearly screamed and followed him in blind rage, until something finally connected to her. She sat down as a cold sweat broke out on her spine.

"Oh dear..." she muttered. Sharky's main issue with her at the end was that she had said he would even think of hurting Luna. She had been around too long to know when someone was faking an emotion, and Sharky's anger at her suggestion that he would hurt Luna was 100% real.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Sharky meant never to hurt her sister if he could help it.

Celestia had gotten so wrapped up in the idea that he was after something, that he was mortal and flawed, that it was her job to protect Luna, and that nopony could live forever and be perfect for her sister that she had failed to even look at Sharky. Now she knew for sure, he was a good stallion. Even if he could never live forever...

"Unless he can..." Celestia mused to herself as she had a sudden realization. There were rites, rituals only the strongest could overcome that would have to be done. Perhaps instead of focusing on how flawed she thought Sharky was, she could make him perfect for her sister and ensure Luna's eternal happiness.

Celestia nodded firmly to herself. "There may never be another like him. This could be my one and only chance to truly ensure she never has to suffer heartbreak..."

----------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy took a deep breath before explaining her plan with surprising clarity.

"Alright girls, here's how I see it. Sharky, no matter how different, is still a stallion at his core. A stallion with needs like any other male. Those of us who have slept next to him know exactly what I mean." she started out. Her face was already bright red, but she kept going firmly.

A few of the other girls smiled eagerly as they recalled what Fluttershy was talking about with the mornings thing.

"Well, it's simple when you look at it that way. While he may be able to turn us away while he's clear-headed... he'd never be able to say no while he's hard and has five willing mares in front of him." immediately after finishing her speech, Fluttershy fell to the ground and shivered uncontrollably as her embarrassment at her own words settled in.

The rest of the girls opened their mouths to offer some form of argument, but they closed one by one as they all realized the basic intelligence of the plan. Sharky, no matter how heroic, was still a male. If they appealed to his basic, instinctual, physical side, he would have little time to actually think about it and let his mental quirks get in the way. RD shook Fluttershy's shoulder and she stopped quivering. She looked up to see the grinning faces of her friends and Esmerelda.

"We're in. We'll do it during the heat cycle that way we can blame that if it backfires." RD informed her with a grin. Fluttershy nodded slowly.

"I-I got first dibs..." She proclaimed weakly. The girls burst into laughter at this, and their master plan was set in place. Sharky would fall for it for sure, no problem.

"I r-really mean it..."

Author's Notes:

I said I was going to post the next chapter in my blog, but now this thing is working again! So... yeah.