A Royal Outing

by Mod On Death

The Way Things Were

The Way Things Were

An hour after leaving the restaurant Celestia finally broke the uneasy silence. “Well, that was horrifying. I don’t know what the next royal get-together will be like, but it certainly won’t be very comfortable.” Luna mumbled something in agreement, but didn’t seem to be focusing much on what she said. “Hey, Luna, are you okay?” Celestia was getting worried that her sister was so silent about what had just happened. She didn’t even laugh at the absurdness of the situation or anything. It was then that she realized that they had taken a different route through the city than the one they came through and were now in the historical district of Canterlot. This part of the city contained very old buildings, much of it now tourist destination rather than a place to reside. Here time seemed to be ingrained in the very stone of the buildings.

“Remember the baker that used to work in that little cottage that’s now a gift shop Tia?” Luna said, breaking her silence. “I remember that he would always make cakes that were never to fancy, but were always so delicious to eat. His favorite thing to bake was bread, mainly because of the way it make everything smell after it had been baked and how it was able to cool down just quickly enough that you could eat it soon after taking it out of the stove and it’d taste so delicious while warm.” Memories started flooding back to Celestia. It had been so long since she’d thought back to those times with all those other ponies if the past. So much had change. So much would always change.

“His name was Bread Bringer, an appropriate name for someone who loved his craft so much. I remember how he would hang out with Butcher Barry during their lunches and share some of their foods with each other. Barry was one of the few minotaur I ever met in Equestria. Bread would give him some of his bread and he’d use that with his meat wares to make a sandwich while Barry would give him some of his fine oats that he kept on himself that was usually used to feed the animals he would use for his food. He was always one to look past the obvious differences and focus on the being inside that mattered. Why, I remember that he would always give us a free muffin or other baked specialty he had for the day whenever we came to visit.” Celestia could feel the memories pouring out of her as she recounted those days gone by. They could never return, but it seemed like they would neither vanish as well.

“Well it’s obvious that he would give us something for free. After all, we are the princesses. To him giving us free food earned him popularity and publicity for his shop,” responded the Lunar Princess, remembering the past with trying to sugar coat it. To her the past was something that you never needed to say you were sad to see gone, but merely an event that happened. An event that would still haunt you through your life though and make you yearns for it in times of sadness.

“But that’s the thing; Bread never actually knew that we were royalty. I once asked him why he still gave us free food even though we could afford it and he said that he couldn’t help but give two very pretty mares something for spending the effort to always visit an old man. I said that I was pretty sure it was because we were royalty and his response was asking who we were related to and if we could put in a good word for him since a royal family member eating his food would probably boost his sales.” Celestia and Luna both laughed at the memory recalling that Bread wasn’t exactly the brightest coal in the stove.

“Tia,” Luna said in a serious tone, “what happened to Bread?”

“Well, from what I remember he married a Pegasus, Summer Skies if I’m correct, and they had three foals. One of those foals would end up being an ancestor of Donut Joe actually. Funny how things change and yet never really do.” Celestia pondered her own words as she realized that Luna would obviously be better to decide if that statement were true or not.

“Tia, am I necessary?” Celestia was confused by her sister’s statement.

“What do you mean ‘are you necessary’? Luna, I’m confused.”

“I mean, what am I doing here?! In Canterlot, in Equestria, in this time?! I’m a relic Tia! I feel like I’m always stuck in the past and feel like I won’t be able to move forward in time for everypony else and when I finally reach there they’ll all be gone!” Luna started breaking down at the sight of the familiar sights of what she considered her true home from a thousand years ago. The castle was merely where she lived, while here she was in her proper place in time.

Celestia knew that this would come at some point. She knew that her sister still had things to work out after her ordeal. What she went through isn’t something you can just blow off. She knew what to say for this moment. “Well, Luna, that’s not something you need to always worry about. I mean, look at me; I’m over a thousand years old and have barely been able to figure out what’s going on with all these celebrities and fashions and whatever else is popular these days. Some say that’s living in your own world while I would say it’s making your own life. You’re Luna, that’s who you are. You don’t need to be up to date on everything at every single moment. Why, I know of at least ten times where I asked my subjects how a musician was doing these days and if they’d released something new only to be told that they’ve been dead for over fifty years. THAT’S what not being up to date on things is. You get a fresh start and have the opportunity to see this new world with open eyes. That’s something I’d like in my times of doubt when it comes to ruling. Sure, you may sometimes say something that would now be considered incredibly racist like the infamous Zebra Dinner I had where I somehow managed to include every single racial slur into a single sentence and create several new ones while talking, but we all have to learn from them and change whenever it’s needed. That’s simply what life is; the only difference is that you felt it all at once.” Luna heard her sister’s words and knew at once that she was not alone in her struggle to fit into society, to be able to move along with the times. This brought a smile to her face. “And besides,” she continued, “you know much more about current fashion than I ever could. Imagine how shocked I was when I found out that you knew all these designers from modern day while I couldn’t figure out what clothing would clash. Hay, that’s one of the reasons why I’m always naked!” Luna couldn’t help but laugh at her sister’s statement. She always wondered why she never wore clothing, even when the elite of Equestria decided that it was the ‘proper’ thing for ponies of their stature. “Come on sister. Let’s not stick around here much longer. We still have a big day ahead of us and we shouldn’t spend the entire time stuck in the past.” Luna galloped to her sister’s side and they wordlessly wondered off, looking for a new adventure for the day.

Author's Note:

So sad when you try to remember times that have gone by, never to return. If you think the emotional roller coaster is through, you've obviously received some sort of trauma and should seek help immediately. Don't take too long though for our next chapter involves the lovely ladies trying to woo some colts in a competition. Be ready for "Tales of the Broken Heart"!