Twilight and the Spartan Stallion
Part 20: Tea with Luna

“Your Majesty!” Spartan came to his knees before Princess Celestia, when they’d had a moment to breathe. “I desire thy protégé for my own!” he told her. “Name thy price for her hoof!” he begged her, thrusting his helmet off of himself and pressing the crown of his head against the grass.

“Wh-what?!” Twilight blushed hot. “Is he trying to buy me?!”

“There’s no such thing as dowries anymore, Spartan.” Celestia said gently, smiling in a kind way. He looked up at her, a little pink in the cheeks and unsure of what to say about that. How did one aquire a companion, if not through payment to her master, mentor, or father? This was something else Twilight had not yet taught him about. “You don’t need my permission, I assure you.” She chuckled.

“But she is a Solar Pony! A mage! Her deflowering will strip away her powers, surely that comes with some sort of price!” Spartan was dubious, gesturing at Twilight like she were a statue made of the finest gold.

“My defl-l-l-l-!” Twilight felt woozy, her face was so red and starting to get sweaty. How could he talk about such things so plainly?! And in front of the Princess?!

Celestia saw her look out of the corner of her eye, the glitter of mischief rising up in her gaze. She cleared her throat a little, and rubbed her chin with her hoof. “Hmm, there is that to consider.” She said aloud. Twilight gaped at her, unable to believe she was going along with this. “My protégé’s virtue is certainly nothing to be trifled with, Spartan.” Twilight wanted to die. She wanted her head to explode or to simply drop dead to spare herself the embarrassment and hot-faced suffering.

“I shalt perform labors for you then, like Hoofekles!” Spartan Shield offered right away. “Name thy desire and I shall fetch it for you, Shining Immortal Majesty!” it was a bizarre thing to see a brutal warrior in love, but he meant every word. “Anything to carry Twilight through my doorway!” Twilight felt like she was watching the worst tennis match she could possibly imagine, for words failed her and all she could do was look back and forth as each one spoke.

“Carrying a mare through the archway of your home doesn’t make you married anymore, Spartan.” Celestia chided just a little. “It’s a little more complicated than that.” His face fell, so she quickly amended, “But, if you are so keen for my permission to woo my most faithful student--”

“Yes?” Spartan said, leaning forward eagerly.

“And you spanned the ages, again, just to be with her--” Celestia said thoughtfully.

“Yes?!” Spartan’s eyes were bulging out of his head.

“And you did just mow down a dozen of my guards with the power of love--” she was stroking her chin and looking skyward with a sagely frown on her face, one of deep thought.

“Yes? YES? YES?!” Spartan said, taking one of her massive hooves in his own. “Command me, Princess! Yon beauty is worth any labor thou bequeaths!” Twilight turned a deeper shade of scarlet as he spoke. Wasn’t he laying it on just a liiiiittle thick?

“You will have tea with Luna.” Celestia smiled.

Spartan Shield’s eyebrows LAUNCHED into his mane, vanishing from sight. He dropped the royal hoof, his jaw hanging open. There was silence so deep the breeze could be heard. Twilight chuckled nervously, coming up beside him and patting him a little. “Well, that’s not too hard, huh Spartan?” she smiled encouragingly. “I’ve had tea with Princess Luna before, it’s not bad! She’s very good at brewing her own.” She swallowed a little as she watches his eyes face back and forth. He was deep in terrified, half-angry thought. He was seriously considering, and he looked unsure. “Hey.” She said slowly, poking him a bit in the shoulder. “It’s just tea. You can sit and drink tea, right?”

Spartan Shield looked over at her slowly. He eyed her up and down, then swallowed just once. “She killed… all my brothers in arms.” He said slowly. Twilight’s face fell. Celestia’s ears turned back, something that rarely happened. “But,” he said, slowly coming up and to his hooves. “If it means having Her Shining Immortal Majesty’s blessing,” he leaned into her and nuzzled her mane a bit. “I will go and drink tea. For you.” It was a solemn, though silly, proclamation. Twilight giggled a little, looking up at the Princess with a helpless expression. She smiled in a motherly way.
Celestia smiled. He’d just taken a big step. The Spartan Shield that had clobbered Luna with a serving tray would’ve turned his muzzle up at her and said no. Perhaps Twilight’s lessons on peace and compromise in utopian Equestria had not fallen on deaf ears after all. “I’m proud of you, Spartan Shield.” The Princess praised. He smiled at her painfully. Saying he would do it was the easy part. Actually doing it, on the other hoof, was going to be something else entirely…

=-----=-----=-----=-----=

Spartan had spent most of the afternoon and evening entertaining Twilight Sparkle with the story of his journey into the past. She pressed and pressed to know about Derpy and her companion ‘The Doctor’, but he simply didn’t have a modern way of describing it all that made sense to her so she eventually gave up. She wanted to hear all about old Canterlot, about what the old palace had looked like.

Twilight balked at him angrily when he truthfully told her about his little run-in with Moon Dancer, and had stayed mad for a few hours. She was most certainly the jealous type. But, she soon reminded herself that he hadn’t had his epiphany to go back to the future yet, and had been lonely. He was only pony, after all. Spartan Shield theorized that, through Moon Dancer, and down a convoluted bloodline of who-knew-what, his genes had ended up in Aegis Shield (one of Luna’s private guards). It made sense to Twilight, though she was still angry with him. Then he reminded her that he’d probably impregnated her at a symposium, far before he’d met his current love interest. How had she fared? What had she named the foal, and what was its life like? They may never find out, both of them knew. They doubted history would remember a lowly prostitute and her little foal.

Next he told her all about meeting Celestia and how he’d convinced her to turn him to stone again, so he could come back to Twilight. That seemed to brighten the purple mare’s mood. “I’ve never seen the Princess wearing clothes…” Twilight mumbled, cocking her head and looking at the ceiling. “She was naked at the Grand Galloping Gala as well. Huh.” She wondered why Celestia would attend the event of the decade without a dress or any clothes at all. Prolly had something to do with her being the unchanging symbol of light in Equestria, or some other something like that. It was hard to imagine her with a braided tail and mane though, that must’ve been amazing!

A bell tower chimed not far away, startling them both out of their catching up. Spartan rose slowly, donning his helm with a certain stiffness. “Wait for me until I return.” He bade Twilight. She rose with a ginger smile. This really was a big deal to him, wasn’t it? She couldn’t imagine having tea with a pony that had killed everyone she’d every known, but clearly Princess Celestia wanted him to at least try to make nice. The first attempt hadn’t gone well, maybe this one would be injury-free? It was a little cruel to shove Luna in his face again, but the Princess knew best, right? Right?

“Don’t hurt anypony.” Twilight said gingerly, looking into his face with a painful smile. “And no suplexing any guards. Or throwing tableware. Or--” she stopped when he cupped her cheek with a large and firm hoof, her face coloring.

“With thou as my end goal, I will even try to smile at the beast.” He said lovingly. His words were a little much, but she understood his meaning. She pecked his cheek, and sent him away. Settling on a couch, Twilight pulled a random book from a shelf and tried to concentrate on it.

A few minutes later, a feminine voice touched her ears. “Twilight Sparkle? May I come in?” It was Princess Celestia on the other side of the door. Twilight VAULTED off the couch and went to open the door by magic. “Sorry to intrude, but I must speak with you while Spartan Shield is distracted.” She smiled in that same motherly way. “Just us mares.” She said over her shoulder. Her two guards backed off, and she shut the door behind her. “Twilight, about you and Spartan…” Celestia was looking at the ceiling, trying to find good words for it.

“Y… you’re not about to give me the sex talk are you, Princess?” Twilight’s ears turned back in embarrassment. “I’m a grown mare, I know all about that stuff.” She turned hot in the face as soon as the words left her mouth. “N-NOT that I’ve ever done anything like that before! Spartan is the first. N-NOT that we’ve ever done anything like that either! He’s my first coltfriend, I mean, and--- uhm—oh Faust!” she kept digging her hole deeper and deeper until Celestia rather gracefully shushed her.

“Twilight, stop helping.” Celestia smiled bemusedly, hoof pressed over her protégé’s mouth. Twilight looked to one side in embarrassment, then backed off. Celestia cleared her throat just a little. “What I must speak about is actually about Spartan Shield, not you.” The white alicorn followed Twilight Sparkle to the series of couches near the windows.
“Is something wrong?” Twilight feared the worst as usual.

“You know how he always calls you a mage, a Solar Pony, and rants a bit about your virginity?”

“Yes…” Twilight said uncomfortably, looking to one side.

“In the past, the far past, my student, there was a herd of ponies called Solar Ponies.” Celestia explained. “They sometimes sent their mares to worship me in the ancient times. I granted them powers, and in exchange demanded that they remain pure.” She looked a little sheepish as she spoke, for Twilight Sparkle had absolutely no poker face. Had her mentor really accepted worshippers? Wasn’t that a little egotistical? “Remember, Twilight, this was eons ago. Ponykind was looking for a guiding force, and it was considered an honor for a young mare to come and be near me in that era.” She laid on the couch on her belly, trying to stay on topic. “I couldn’t turn them down. It gave them hope to please their goddess and give me what they thought would make me happy.”

“Isn’t that a little silly? They came to you just to bow and love and be around you?” Twilight said.

“Well, in Spartan’s Era they wanted to give me stallions instead.” Celestia confessed. Twilight BURST into giggles before quickly silencing herself. “I had a harem a thousand years ago thanks to that tradition, tiz true.” She snickered a little. “A-Anyway.” Celestia quickly pressed on. “When Spartan Shield looks at you, a powerful unicorn that he can’t comprehend in levels of magic—he sees a legendary solar pony.”

“When we first met, he thought I was a whore because I wasn’t wearing clothes. Then he decided I was a solar pony, so I could…” Twilight trailed off for a bit, remembering the details. “Absorb the power of the sun through my skin?” it came out like a question.

“That’s pretty close to the legend, yes.” Celestia said. “A pony from the Solar Herd could lay in the sun and absorb its rays to grow stronger, more magically potent, or any number of other things.”

“Am I the descendant of a Solar Pony?” Twilight said with big eyes and a great big smile. “Is Spartan right?”

“I’m sorry, no.” Celestia said gently. Twilight wilted. “Truth be told, my faithful student, Spartan Shield is a Solar Pony, not you.” The purple mare stared at her mentor, mouth agape. There was a long silence while the Princess let this sink in. What was this supposed to mean? Spartan was no virgin, were his extra solar powers already gone? He’d been very vocal that… ‘deflowering’, a solar mare meant she would lose her powers. What did it mean to a stallion, much less an earth pony stallion? Celestia seemed to have read Twilight’s mind when she spoke, “Spartan is not a pure-blood Solar Pony, obviously. The herd was long gone before his great-great-grandfather was a foal. But now and then, a little glimmer of the bloodline shows up.”

“How do you know he is one? I mean, he’s… uhm…” Twilight looked to one side, red in the cheeks. “He’s had… mares… before…”

“Luna and I have been watching him in Ponyville, now and then.” Celestia said, gesturing. “At first, we thought it was his armor, bleeding solar magic all over the place from some unknown enchantment. Some sort of sloppy spell, you know? Then, when it stopped while he was without his armor, I knew. With his body completely exposed he began to take in solar energy again.”

“Like a mana battery?” Twilight asked helpfully.

Celestia nodded. “Exactly. And when he reached capacity--”

“He got stronger and broke Big Mac’s neck!” Twilight was on her hooves, eyes huge. “It all makes sense now! He was wandering around with no clothes on for days before the match! He said it was some sort of ancient tradition for an athlete to show off his body before competing!” Celestia smiled as her protégé put all the facts together. “But he was absorbing sunlight the whole time, wow!” Twilight sat down hard. “I wonder if he knows…” she said thoughtfully.

“No, I think not.” Celestia said, smiling and coming to sit by Twilight Sparkle.

“But wait, you said that you traded extra magic to the Solar Herd for the mares that were virgins. Spartan’s not a virgin, or a mare.” Twilight complained, balking at the flaw in logic.

“Perhaps Spartan’s diluted blood has gone around that drawback, or evolved away from it. Remember, Twilight, we’re talking about thousands of years and hundreds of generations. Evolution is a slow thing, but it does happen.” Celestia reminded her. “The story of needing to stay pure remained, but the actual rule must’ve vanished.” The white alicorn marveled at the mortal pony genes. “Not to mention, he’s a stallion. Maybe the rule doesn’t apply to stallions.”

“But… but… that’s stupid.” Twilight said foalishly, wilting and looking at the tiles. “And sexist.”

Celestia fought down a laugh and surrendered a light chuckle. “W-well, Twilight, it was only meant for mares originally. After the Solar Herd vanished, the fact that it popped up again in a stallion may have just been irony.” The Princess smiled as Twilight scowled over the sexist laws of shapeless virginity-oriented solar-powered magic. This was so complicated and convoluted not even her scholar’s mind could wrap around it.

“So… he’s a walking mana battery that gets stronger when he stays in the sunshine.” Twilight said. “Up to a point, at least.”

“Yes, every pony has their mortal limits.”

“Are YOU a solar pony? Is he related to you?!” Twilight blurted wildly.

“No no!” Celestia chuckled a little. “I’ve never had children, Twilight. Not even back then. Solar Ponies merely got an imprint of what my magic can do. It’s why I’m so powerful.” She lowered her voice, telling her the great secret. “My capacity for storing sunshine is infinite, and I have thousands of years of it stored away.” She whispered. Twilight gasped in appreciation for such power. “But back to Spartan.” She lifted herself regally again, eyeing Twilight.

“Are you going to tell him? About his lineage?” Twilight asked curiously.

“I’m… not sure yet.” Celestia admitted. “Perhaps someday, when the time is right.” She gave a motherly smile that gently told Twilight to drop that particular line of questioning.

“What should I do in the meantime?” Twilight asked. Celestia gave her a rather broad smile. She said aaaaaabsolutely nothing, just stood there and smiled with all of her teeth showing. “PRINCESS!” Twilight shouted, turning scarlet.

“I didn’t say a thing, my most faithful student.” Celestia rolled her eyes playfully. “What you do with this knowledge is entirely up to you.”

=-----=-----=-----=-----=

Spartan Shield sat awkwardly on the floor across from Princess Luna. They had nice little pillows to lay or sit on, and a very short table between them. To his left and right were Aegis Shield and Stalwart Hide, her two personal guards. All around them? Every single Lunar Stallion that was working the night shift in the palace. They had ALL crammed into the white room to provide security for her Majesty. Fifty would’ve been a reasonable guess. Word had travelled like wildfire that Spartan Shield had trounced four guards by himself, and then played body bowling with a dozen more recently. Needless to say, the room was very tense. Whenever the Spartan Stallion made a quick movement, coughed, or spoke, at least one Lunar Stallion would flinch or bristle anxiously.

“Ahem,” Spartan said, sitting on his haunches. Very, very awkward indeed. Princess Luna had had hours to prepare for a simple session of tea and chatting, and her response was to conjure up all the guards she could possibly find and cram them into a single room? Well… ehhhh, that was sort of his fault anyway. Spartan sat as regally as he could, knowing all eyes were on him.

Princess Luna eyed him a bit, reaching with her magic. Tea powder levitated, and a filter placed itself in a kettle. She made slow, deliberate motions as she poured the hot water, set down the little scoop, and closed her eyes when she bowed forward to inhale the scent. Thinking it part of some ritual, Spartan bent forward too. Their foreheads clocked together a little painfully. Spears JUMPED out of holsters and wing swords sprouted out of their sheaths! The Princess of the Night glared at her forces, rubbing her forehead a little. They relaxed back, panting a little. Spartan swallowed a little, rubbing his forehead and heaving a great sigh. “Er,” Luna said awkwardly, pouring his cup of tea, then his. Why had her sister insisted on this? It was obvious they didn’t like each other, and being near one another was not a good idea either. Why, the poor stallion had a shiver of tension to him that even made her nervous. It was like… well… was he trying to smile? The dark alicorn thought the warrior looked constipated, to be honest, as strangely as his face was set into a position that showed his teeth. Sort-of-maybe-smiling was a weird expression. The two cups of tea steamed gingerly between them, touching the air with a sickly, herbal scent. Luna could see his nostrils flexing idly, and studied his face. Perhaps there was ground to be made here. “Hm?” she said with one syllable, conjuring a little sugar bowl for him.

“Err…” he leaned to peer at it curiously, then nodded. She heaped sugar into his tea to make it more bearable for him. She got a more genuine smile from him while she stirred.

Aegis Shield and Stalwart Hide, Luna’s main two guards, wanted to moan loudly. This was just painful to watch. Usually only THEY were allowed to participate in Princess Luna’s tea ceremonies. An air of jealousy was touching both of them, but even they could see the rather awkward olive branches that were being extended before them.

Everypony flinched eagerly when Spartan Shield spoke. “Twilight Sparkle doth say thy teas are exemplary.” It was a careful, neutral sentence.

“That is kind of her.” Luna said in a mild whisper. The formality of the situation had stifled both of their powerful voices. Spartan was there to be tested, Luna there to face the survivor of her past sins. It was not fun. Not at all. But, they could get through this one way or another. Surely being in the same room together for a little bit wouldn’t kill them both. The room felt like a museum, so quiet and cold and filled with an air of supremacy. Spartan gently took his teacup, studying it. The green liquid within stirred with the sugar that had been thrown in. At least it wouldn’t taste like it smelled, perhaps. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he tried it. The sugar punched him in the head and he winced, but said nothing. Luna took a careful sip, not wanting to take her eyes off him for more than few moments. “We are sorry.” The Princess said to him at last. The sentence hung between them. There was a long and terrible silence as the two ponies stared at each other with rather haunted expressions. Many Lunar Stallions perked their ears, looking back and forth between the two intimidating figures.

“… I know.” Is what the Spartan Stallion decided to say after much careful thought. The normal response would’ve been ‘it’s okay’, but it wasn’t okay. It would never be okay. But… twas better to be at an uneasy peace with five ponies than it was to be at war with just one. He didn’t offer forgiveness, but acceptance that he knew she knew she’d done wrong. It was something, at least. Something to at least bridge the gap between them. He pushed his mane awkwardly behind his ear, trying to think of something of substance to say. “Er,” was all that penetrated the silence for awhile, then, “How is thy nose?” his ears turned sideways into a rather sheepish expression.

Luna chuckled just a little, touching her face like a foal might to say ‘here is my nose!’. “Fine, thank thee.” She said quietly. The dozens of guards in the room relaxed by a few hairs. There was another long silence, five minutes or so, as they sat there awkwardly sipping at their cups. Luna went through identical motions to prepare another pot of the stuff. The pot was tiny, Spartan saw. It really was for ceremony and important meetings, not symposium or regular social gatherings. Spartan supposed the tea set was pretty. A good color.

End of Part 20