Flanking Maneuvers Episode 19: Blasty From the Pasty.


                                            =Flanking Maneuvers Episode 19=


                                            >So bored.

                                            >Can't focus.

                                            >You lean back in the chair you're in and balance on the hind legs, wobbling in mid-air for a few seconds before dropping down to the ground again.

                                            >All around you ponies ran to and fro the Arcanium measuring out all things magical for the casting.

                                            "Celly, why did you bring me here?"

                                            >Celestia pops her head up from the desk next to the Grand Magister.

                                            >"You're an important part of this spell casting, dear! You're being here could mean the difference between success and failure!"

                                            >You cock an eyebrow. [spoiler][/spoiler] "Did you forget which human I was again?"

                                            >An apparatus sparks off to the side of the room. "You're here for moral support, Mous!"

                                            >You spin your index finger in mock-cheer.

                                            "Wooo. Go team."

                                            >Celestia gets up from the Magister's desk and levitates some arcane tools over to the circlet she drew up.

                                            >"Alright everypo0ny! Are you all ready?"

                                            >A chorus of "Yes princess!" rings out from the room.

                                            >You whistle.

                                            >Celestia lowers her glowing horn and begins to let her magic flow into the devices which spin and chug and move along in turn.

                                            >Light begins to build and build and build in the center of the circle as Celestia charges the spell, the instruments taking on the same angelic golden glow.

                                            >The light gathers around Celestia and becomes a miniature sun as she prepares to release the energy and then-

                                            >BOOM.

                                            >The light implodes on itself and sends a wave of force out from its center and bowling all of you over.

                                            >HOLY SHIT!

                                            "CELLY!?"

                                            >You roll off your feet and run towards the epicenter of the reaction, waving away the smoke.

                                            "Celly! Answer me, woman!"

                                            >You hear coughing in front of you. "Over here! *coughcough*"

                                            >You head in that direction brushing the smoke away and stop dead in your tracks at what you see.

                                            >Celly was fine, alright.

                                            >But was her hair so...pink?


                                            -Theme Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmGkfWDtv78-


                                            >Pink.

                                            >It was ink.

                                            >Her hair was pink.

                                            >And not the normal level of pink, super ink.

                                            >That was...new.

                                            >Celestia pushes herself off the ground to her hooves and shakes her head. "Uhhhggg...what happened? Did the spell misfire?" she asks.

                                            "Uhh...Celly."

                                            >"I feel like my head is in a vice..."

                                            "Cell."

                                            >"Why do I feel...strange?"

                                            "Celly look in the mirror."

                                            >"Huh?"

                                            >Celestia rights herself on her now smaller hooves and looks in a mirror nearby.

                                            >What she sees causes her eyes to widen. She was shorter now, around Luna's height with smaller wings. Her horn was smaller and her multicolored pastel mane replaced with a solid pink one that did not flow in the ethereal winds.

                                            >Just like Luna said it did when they were younger.

                                            >Celly's jaw practically hits the floor.

                                            "Cell. Come on. Don't scream. We can fix thi-"

                                            >Before immediately shooting up and turning into the widest smile you'd seen.

                                            >"HA! HA! HAHAHA!"

                                            >...Eh?

                                            >"I'm young again! Look at me being so bucking young!" She smacks her hooves to her face. "Aaaaaaahhh I feel like I'm two hundred again!"

                                            >Celestia dances around the room a bit as you grab the Grand Magister.

                                            "You. Fix this. How?"

                                            >He glances this way and that before his eyes eventually fall on the prancing pony princess as she parades around the room.

                                            >Dammit.

                                            "Celly! Stop actin' like a skank ass ho!"

                                            >She runs over to the doors out of the Arcanium. "Sorry dear! But there is no WAY I'm wasting this chance!" she calls back laughing on her way out.

                                            >With a grumble you give chase.

                                            "GODDAMIT CELESTIAAAAA!"


                                            >Who taught this bitch to run?

                                            >You give chase to Celestia out of the Arcanium and find her staring wide eyed in a city square.

                                            "God dammit woman! Hold up!"

                                            >Celestia whirls around to you and looks at you with wide eyed, barely contained glee.

                                            >"Oh Mous it's so incredible! I feel like I'm seeing the city through hole new eyes!"

                                            >You hear her, but don't respond. You're too busy hunched over trying to regain your breath.

                                            "Fucking great! Now let's get inside and get the Magister's to fix you up, kay?"

                                            >Celestia reels. "Fix me!?" But I've only just been changed and it feels GREAT!"

                                            >You look up and cock an eyebrow, she can't be serious.

                                            "You can't be serious. You want to stay like this?"

                                            >She leans down with that still enormous grin on her face. "Are you kidding, of course! I feel like I act now!"

                                            >You let out a heaving sigh.

                                            "Celly, we gotta change you back eventually, the kingdom needs you! C'mon, let's go get this fixed before it becomes permanent."

                                            >Something happens to Celestia then, something rare. Her eyes lose the inferno of excitement they once held just a moment ago and her lips turn down into a frown.

                                            >She lowers her head and lets it hang low and her wagging tail slows to a crawl.


                                            >"Alright dear..." she says with a higher pitched sigh as she walks past you dragging her hooves. "Let's get this over with..."

                                            >You watch her sulk past you and just have to ask.

                                            "Uh...what?"

                                            >She stops and sighs again. "Remember at that carnival where I said I felt...old?"

                                            >You nod.

                                            >"Well...this happened and I just feel so YOUNG! I feel like...a Princess instead of a Queen."

                                            >Her face hardens. "But no, you're right. We have to for the good  of the kingdom." With that she starts back towards the tower.

                                            >You sigh. You knew you were gonna regret this but...

                                            "I guess..."

                                            >She pauses.

                                            "One day can't hurt."

                                            >The ensuing "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" was so loud you swear Anon could hear it in Ponyville. You would have said something too but you now found that you were laying flat on the ground, had soft velvety lips against yours, and that there was a tongue down your throat.

                                            >"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmpah! Thank you sweetheart!" Celestia squees as she hops off you and leaves you laying there.

                                            >...What the fuck was that.


                                            >Even if she was young now, Celestia was still herself and that meant her first instinct was to go find the nearest eatery and stuff herself silly.

                                            >Explaining to the owner wasn't too terribly hard, just saying that it was a royal matter and to not worry about it was enough.

                                            >The two of you now sit in the VIP section next to the window overlooking the street below. Celestia was alternating between gobbling up her food before going back to plastering her face on the window to look at the ponies below with starry eyed enthusiasm.

                                            >You chew on your foot as Celly shovels even more of her own into her mouth and goes back to the window.

                                            "If you keep that up you're going to make yourself sick."

                                            >"But I'm hungry!" she cries.

                                            "You're always hungry, pace yourself."

                                            >"But that's boring!"

                                            "Oh come on, don't tell me you're not used to it."

                                            >Celestia makes...some sound, something that sounds like a laugh-snort through her nose. "Hehe. Good one."


                                            >You cock an eyebrow.

                                            "You alright?"

                                            >She turns back to you smiling. "Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?"

                                            "You're acting...weird."

                                            >Celestia laughs and sits back down at the table. "Dear, I'm having an excellent meal on a gorgeous day with my wonderful husband, why could I not be alright?"

                                            >You point your fork at her.[spoiler][/spoiler] "See? That right there. You've never called me "wonderful" before in all the time I've known you."

                                            >"You make it sound like I never say anything nice about you!" she says.

                                            "Uh...yeah? That's kinda how this whole thing of ours works."

                                            >Celestia puts her fork down. "Very well. I find your exploits interesting and you have never failed to make me laugh when you apply yourself. You are a proficient lover and I know that you -do- care underneath your exterior."

                                            >You sit there blinking rapidly. Your cheeks aren't supposed to be hot.

                                            >"How was that, dear?" she asks.

                                            "Uhhhh..." you clear your throat. "Interesting."

                                            >She leans over and kisses your forehead. "Only the best for you, dear."

                                            >Celestia hops off her seat and trots to the door. "Come on! Let's go see more of the city!"

                                            >...What the hell is going on?


                                            >Celestia runs and you follow to another town square, this one with a fountain in the middle.

                                            >The weather is getting warmer now and there are fillies and colts frolicking in the fountains waters while their parents watch from the sidelines.

                                            >Celestia wastes zero time in bounding into the square and leaping into the fountain with a resounding "WAHOOOOOOOOOO!"

                                            >You enter the plaza shortly after her and just watch as she splashes around in the clear waters.

                                            >"Now there's a sight I haven't seen in ages..." a voice says.

                                            "GAHFUCKWHAT."

                                            >You trip and stumble on your feet and see Discord hovering a few feet away looking at his nails.

                                            "Jesus do you EVER announce when you're going to do that?"

                                            >He flicks a hangnail away and looks back at the fountain. "Where's the fun in that?"

                                            >You follow his eyes and see Celestia laughing and falling over as six foals cling to her body.

                                            >"Well I'll be a monkey's uncle...I had to see it to believe it." he says.

                                            "See what? Celestia all chipper and shit?"

                                            >He shakes his head. "The Celestia I knew this chipper...I thought she'd forgotten how."

                                            >You right yourself.[spoiler][/spoiler] "How the hell do you -forget- to be chipper."

                                            >"Oh I'm sure that banishing two ex-lovers with your sister, then banishing your sister and ending up alone would have something to do with it."

                                            "Yeah yeah..."

                                            >The two of you watch as Celestia plays with the kids as if she were one of their own. You remember you had been here less than a week ago with Celestia as she normally was and watched her just...sit on the sidelines watching the kids play.

                                            >"This is good..." Discord says.


                                            "Hmm?"

                                            >He points to her. "Celestia...changed over the years, as we all do. She used to be like that all the time and I'm sure that attracted some of her early suitors. But...all that changed after she was alone. It's good to see her like this again..."

                                            >You watch Celestia haul herself out of the fountain and hug each of the kids latching onto her, laughing the entire time.

                                            "Yeah...it really is."

                                            >Discord turns around and starts to float away. "She looks like she's about to come over here, so I'll leave you to it...Prince."

                                            >You'd have cocked an eyebrow but Celestia trots up to you still dripping wet. "Dear did you see what Orion did! It was so funny!"

                                            >You can't help but smile.

                                            "Yeah, I saw, you gonna dry off?"

                                            >Celestia swishes her hair and walks past. "Let the air get it! Daylight's burning!"

                                            >You chuckle and follow along.

                                            "You missed Discord.

                                            >"Oh? What did he have to say?"


                                            "Just that he liked seeing you like this. You know, happy."

                                            >Celestia stops and sighs contentedly. "He can be a dear when he wants to be...I think the last time I looked like this was right before the two of us got together..."

                                            "Yeah...can see why he'd like that sight."

                                            >Celestia turns around and gallops over to you, putting her head on your shoulder and nuzzling your head. "Ah, but he is not who I am with now, sweetheart. Never forget that."

                                            >You reach up and run a hand through her damp mane.

                                            "Yeah yeah...I know."

                                            >Celestia chuckles and starts planting kisses on your neck.

                                            "Whoa! Hey! Not in the middle of the street, eh?"

                                            >Celly leans up and whipsers into your ear. "Perhaps we should get off the street, then~"

                                            >You should have a response to this, your normally do.

                                            >Normally.

                                            "Uh...what?"

                                            >Celly laughs. "Don't think I didn't see you looking at my flank~...Come on, there has to be someplace I can steal you away to for a while~"

                                            >You look this way and that and find a small alcove hidden off to the side of the street.

                                            "Uh..."

                                            >"Perfect~!" Celestia says before trotting in there with considerably more sway to her hips than before.


                                            >It's later in the afternoon now. You're laying down on the ground with Celestia laying next to you, rubbing her hooves down your chest and planting kisses on the underside of your chin.

                                            >"Mhmmm~ You were fantastic as always, dear~" she says before setting down next to you.

                                            "Heh...yeah. That was...actually pretty awesome. You were pretty into it."

                                            >She nuzzles you again. "Hard not to be~"

                                            >You both lay there under the shade of a nearby tree watching the clouds go by.

                                            "Today was...good."

                                            >"Yes." Celestia says stretching out. "Very good indeed."

                                            "You enjoy being like this, don't you?"

                                            >She sighs contentedly. "So much...I'm reminded of how everything used to be if only for a day."

                                            "Heh. I doubt I'd live through older you."

                                            >"I think you'd have managed well enough." Celestia says planting a kiss on your lips. "Thank you for letting my stay this way for a while, dear."

                                            >You reach up and scratch her ears.

                                            "Yeah well...you're pretty cool like this."

                                            >Celestia closes her eyes and smiles wistfully as the springtime breeze starts to lull you both to sleep...

                                            >"SISTER ARE YOU OUT HERE?!"

                                            >RIGHT BEFORE THE SHOUTING WAKES YOU BACK UP.

                                            >The two of you spring up and look around, spotting Luna flying over in the distance.

                                            "LUNA WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PLAYIN' AT? WE WERE RELAXING!"

                                            >Luna balks in the sky and flutters over, landing a few feet away. "Oh stars! It's worse than I feared!"

                                            >She grips Celestia's face with both hooves. "Sister! Sister we have to change you back post haste!"

                                            >You bat Luna's hooves away.

                                            "Why? We're enjoying ourselves like this, can't we just wait for it to wear off?"

                                            >"No we most certianly cannot!" she shouts.

                                            "Oh come on! She raised the moon for you for a thousand years, you're telling me you can't raise the sun for her for a few days?"

                                            >"It's not that, Brother-in-law!"

                                            >You both cock an eyebrow.

                                            >"Mother and Father are coming to visit!"

                                            >The fun and joy of the day promptly melted away.

                                            >And was replaced with mind numbing terror.