Thoughts of Not a Gramophone
“When I said that I thought I had tasted it all, I may have been wrong. At least, I haven’t had anything like this recently,” Celestia said, giving the pink mass a skeptical look and another delicate munch. Once past the gate and amidst the trees and banner-cordoned makeshift walkways, Pinkie Pie had beelined for a stall that sold cones full of something sticky and sickly sweet. Conspicuously sweet, in fact. “This is nothing but spun sugar, is it?”
“Nopers! Or yeppers!” Pinkie said, grinning up at Celestia before devouring the last of her own. The earth mare smacked her lips and cast a hungry look at the cone Spike carried. “The one that means ‘yes, it totally is just spun sugar.’ Isn’t it great? You gonna finish that?”
“Hardly the most healthy of things,” Rarity added, giving her own treat a pout and another nip regardless.
“I don’t recall it being pink last time I had one,” Celestia mused, shaking her head. The group’s journey down the main path of the amusement park was a slow one, everypony pausing to look at all that surrounded them: Here a carousel for the smaller foals, there the long and growing line to the rollercoaster, and everywhere around them stalls of all shapes and sizes with throngs of ponies buying food and testing their skill and luck. There was even the occasional griffin.
“So, what d’you guys wanna do first?” Applejack asked when they came to a halt in a large and open area. “Reckon we should pick up some real food now or later?”
Pinkie made a noise close to a growl. “Hey, sugar is food! Meanie.”
Dash didn’t even look at Applejack or any of the others as she replied. Her eyes were glued to the wooden tracks that rose high above the treetops nearby, wings slowly spreading of their own accord. “That’s a stupid question. The place has a roller coaster. We’re doing the roller coaster, because not riding the roller coaster is stupid.”
“That’s an idea. A very nice idea, I’m sure,” Fluttershy said, neatly placing Rainbow Dash between herself and said roller coaster as she looked for support. “Um, but, you know, they also have some very lovely and slow-moving carousels over there.”
The only one who looked to Celestia was Twilight, yet still the princess felt she should say something. Princesses and roller coasters didn’t traditionally mix, but it wouldn’t do to be a wet blanket and ruin everypony else’s fun, either. “I think I will remain here, at least for the moment.”
Twilight nodded and smiled. “I suppose everypony wants to try different things anyway. Maybe we can meet back here for something to eat a little later? I saw some magic booths I’d like to give a closer look.”
“That’s cool.” Dash shrugged, grinning down at the baby dragon who immediately ran up to her side. “I’ll head on over to the rollercoaster with Fluttershy and Spike, see you guys in a bit!”
Fluttershy’s eyes were wide, and the yellow mare took a single step back. “I—I’d rather not.”
Dash sighed. “Applejack?”
“The more the merrier, right?” Spike added.
The farmpony tipped her hat back on her head and sought the rollercoaster’s highest point just as a train of cars set out from the top. She let out a low whistle and shook her head. “I think it’s just you two for that one. Maybe later?”
An increasingly dejected Dash turned back to Fluttershy, the barest hint of a pout on her lips. “Come on Fluttershy. Trade you? We’ll ride your stupid carousel afterwards, promise.”
Fluttershy took a deep breath and let it out again, giving Dash a single nod before following in her wake. Dash cheered and took off, flying in little circles before landing again, while Fluttershy’s tail drooped. After she bent down to let Spike hop onto her back, the pegasus’ wings were welded to her sides. Celestia tilted her head, unable to hold back a small smile. She must have missed a million such moments, even if her student sent her regular letters on the goings-on in Ponyville.
“She’s facing her fears, I see,” Celestia said, glancing over at Twilight who now stood at her side.
“Fluttershy? Oh, she really is, but I think mostly, she doesn’t want to disappoint Rainbow Dash.” Twilight grinned when the two pegasi disappeared from view. “And I think she owes her from the recent bunny census anyway. I hear Rainbow was really helpful.”
“So! Wanna go try to win a teddy bear?”
Pinkie was the one to have spoken, and Celestia really wondered when she’d stop being surprised that she was the one being addressed; the pink mare stared right at her. Applejack and Rarity stood a ways off, purchasing a map from a unicorn dressed up as a chimera.
“Pardon?”
“You said you wanted to stay here, and there’s no haunted house or bumper carts or anything, so that must mean you want to try some of the games stalls, right?” Pinkie seemed singularly pleased with this fact, spinning around on her hindhooves. “I see ball games, ring games and lots more!”
Celestia cleared her throat. It took her a few seconds to find words, mostly because she expected Twilight to protest on her behalf. Instead, the unicorn simply smiled up at her, expectant like the rest. Applejack peered over the top of the map she perused, and nopony else spoke.
“I don’t think it would be very proper. Not, ah, for a princess.” She knew they were flimsy words, even before she had uttered them.
“Aw, that’s silly! Who’s going to mind?” Pinkie asked. “I don’t think some big old park will care if you throw a ball. Nopony in all of Equestria will!”
Applejack reached up to scratch at her own snout. “Thought that was the point with the whole disguise thing anyway.”
“It’s not a disguise, it’s a form change,” Twilight added, though her tone didn’t sound much like disagreement.
“Yes. I suppose it was, at that,” Celestia mused, suppressing a chuckle. “You are quite right.”
“If you don’t mind me saying, we all stand at your leisure—” Rarity began.
“No.” Celestia shook her head, immediately putting on the warmest smile she could muster. “That’s not right at all. In my throne room, perhaps, but not here.”
“Very well.” Rarity dipped her head in acknowledgement. “All I mean is that we’re all here to enjoy ourselves. I don’t think I’m presumptuous if I say that should you rather just go sit down somewhere, we’re all happy to do just that.”
Hesitation was not something Celestia was accustomed to, but this was no battle upon which the fate of Equestria rested, nor was it a political decision that would wait for days on end, the effects of which would echo throughout history for centuries to come. It was an everyday decision, a simple question. She’d been asked if she liked sugar in her tea, and she did not know.
As always when she struggled, her thoughts went to her sister. She wasn’t so dense as to fail to realize why Luna had questioned her motives weeks ago; her sister wanted her to enjoy herself for her own sake. To go out and do something for herself, as if a thousand years of servitude to the nation had left her incapable of this. Perhaps it had. Perhaps it hadn’t. Still, she found a smile and an answer somewhere.
“I think that I might try some of these games then,” she said. “It can’t hurt. If you would like to join me, I would be glad of it, but I’m certain there is much to do here for us all. I don’t think it makes for grand spectator sport.” No long gambits. No master plan. A simple answer for a simple evening.
Applejack folded her map and tucked it in under her hat. “If you think you’ll be alright here, I was hankering to give the haunted house a go. Anypony care to go with me?”
Rarity chewed her lip and glanced between Applejack and the others. When Twilight gave a polite shake of her head and Pinkie Pie said nothing, the unicorn spoke up.
“Well. I would hate for you to have to go alone. That is, if you think I’ll be good company. I’m hardly in the mood to be scared, to be honest.”
Applejack grinned and gave Rarity a gentle nudge on the shoulder to set them walking. “It’ll be fun, and don’t you worry. I’ll protect you from whatever nasties they got in store.”
“I’m sure,” Rarity replied, rolling her eyes but smiling despite. “Well, au revoir!”
Thus reduced to three, Celestia became keenly aware of how quiet Pinkie Pie had been, and along with it, and odd sense of triumph in the fact that she hadn’t left along with the others. “Well. I suppose we should try some of these games?” she chanced, flashing a smile. “I think perhaps we’ll skip the magic stalls for the moment in the name of fairness.”
“That’s probably for the best,” Twilight said, giggling as she cast a glance towards a gaudy purple stand whose main features were a large crystal and a plaque with the words “Test your strength - how much of a unicorn are you?”
“Ball games!” Pinkie said, the words a declaration more than a suggestion. Celestia and Twilight both followed as Pinkie bounded and twirled over to the closest unoccupied games stall. Behind a rather bare-bones wooden counter, a bright green unicorn stood at attention, giving them a wave and a grin when they drew near. The stallion gestured to sets of white-painted balls on the counter, and then to bottles, boxes and other objects balanced on pedestals near the back wall of his booth.
“Step right up, ladies! Three bits for three balls and a chance to take home one of these lovely prizes,” he said, beaming brightly. Indeed, hanging from the ceiling were numerous soft plush toys. Celestia barely spared them a glance, remembering something quite a bit more important.
“I did not think to bring any bits,” she said, frowning.
“Aw, s’okay, I got you covered. This trip is my treat, right?” Pinkie said. The pink mare twisted around and dipped her snout into her bushy tail, fishing out the very same sack of bits she’d used to pay for their entrance. Simple as that, she flipped three shiny bits onto the counter, and the unicorn manning the stall happily swept them away.
“Now there’s a gentlemare. Good on you, miss,” the stallion said with a wink and a grin shot Celestia’s way. The princess arched a brow.
“You are very kind, but I insist I repay you from the royal treasury later.”
Pinkie merely shrugged and smiled, but the rather talkative stallion pounded the counter with a hoof. “Ha! That’s what my wife calls her purse, too! ‘The Royal Treasury.’”
“Ah. Yes. A metaphor, certainly,” Celestia agreed. Pinkie Pie giggled and bit onto one of the balls, tossing it Celestia’s way. “Give it a shot!”
Celestia gripped the ball in her magic and peered past the stall-owner to what she presumed were her targets. It wasn’t too hard a concept to grasp. It reminded her of the Prairie-folk’s games, albeit far simpler. With a small shrug and a smaller burst of magic, she launched the ball in a lazy arc towards a stack of three empty bottles—only to have it impact with a dull thud and bounce off.
“Better luck next time, two balls to go!” the green unicorn said. “Would any of you other two lovely ladies like to give it a go as well?”
Celestia bit her lower lip and stared at the resilient bottles. The manager of the game offered no explanation, and that was just as well. Something was amiss, and already she was piecing it together. Far more interesting to engage her student and Pinkie Pie, though. Celestia turned to Twilight and smiled.
“Any theories?” Celestia asked. It took only a second before Twilight leapt into action, squinting and glaring at the bottles, then the prizes each in turn, all before she lit up in a smile.
“Oh. That makes sense, actually. Consider the prizes and the cost of the balls. Three bits? That’s not much at all. The prizes come in two sizes—let’s call them large and small. I assume that they’re for taking down three and two targets, respectively?”
Twilight stared straight at the suddenly discomfited stallion who nodded at that. “Yes, that’s correct. Uh. Right. These lovely companions can be yours if only—”
“Very well,” Celestia agreed. “And considering the relatively short distance, this isn’t very hard. They’d run at a loss even if only one in three managed two targets.”
“Exactly!” Twilight said.
“It’s not uncommon business practice to have individual businesses have favorable rates for the customer if the overall establishment is profitable, though,” Celestia said. “I understand you’ve read a few volumes on business economics.”
“Oh. Right,” Twilight said, her ears flat against her head. “Then—wait. Considering the entrance fee, the free rides and the cost of moving this park, hm. Do you have paper?”
Celestia chuckled. “No, you are correct. I’m simply completing the model, but you have the right of it. These stalls will be running at a profit. Well done.”
While Twilight brightened and straightened up, practically glowing at the praise, the unicorn stallion cleared his throat. “Excuse me? You’re holding up the line. Could you please be done with it?”
Pinkie Pie, Twilight and Celestia all cast a quick glance behind to confirm that there was exactly zero ponies in line behind them.
“Anyway. The question then is how they manipulate the odds,” Twilight said.
Pinkie Pie giggled. “Silly, all the games cheat here. That’s just how they work!”
“A little louder, could you?” the stallion groaned. “Please, just leave!”
“This is standard practice?” Twilight asked, eyes flitting between Celestia and Pinkie Pie.
Celestia rolled her jaw. “It’s not illegal. Not under the law as it’s written now, and I should know. I wrote it.”
Pinkie nodded so quickly her head was a blur. “Yuh-huh! They use magnets or glue or something, so you have to be really strong and accurate to win. It’s still tons of fun unless you’re a total grump.”
The princess frowned, giving the targets a severe look. “Well, obviously force would solve the issue, but I’ve no desire to accidentally blow the back wall of the stall down, or make a crater.”
The game owner’s eyes widened slowly, his head sinking down to hide behind the counter. Pinkie Pie, for her part, leaned over the counter and sniffed.
“It’s not glue! I don’t think it is. Not any glue I know anyway. But I do smell some yummy popcorn down the road.”
Twilight tilted her head. “Do you think demagnetizing spells are against the rules?”
Celestia laughed. “I should think so. If not, it’s certainly against the spirit of the game. Still, there are limits to how strong small, concealed magnets can be.” Hovering up her remaining balls, Celestia focused the barest hint of her magic to shoot them towards two of the many arrayed targets. With a muffled clatter, two stacks of plastic boxes toppled over.
“Yay! We win!” Pinkie cheered, hopping up to stand on top of the stall’s counter and peering past it. “Can we have a prize now? Do we get a prize?”
“I’d still like to know we played by the rules,” Twilight hummed. “This place really should have some sort of rule book.”
“I don’t think it’s right for me to collect winnings from a game like this,” Celestia said, shaking her head, but as soon as she’d spoken, Pinkie stretched up and tied loose an orange cuddly toy of some description.
“I’m sure he won’t mind us taking this little fox thingy home. Right Mr. Ball Game Guy?”
“Take anything you want and go away!”
Tossing colorful items at other, even more colorful items certainly had its charm, at least in good company. When they also treated each of the stalls as a challenge to be solved, however, time seemed to positively disappear.
It was easy to appreciate the smile on Twilight’s face when Celestia guided her to discover how a particular stall operated, and Pinkie’s insight was always helpful—and oft-times uncanny. The pink mare trotted after them from stall to stall, always nibbling on some snack or other or loudly slurping her way to the bottom of another soft drink.
Presently, she’d guided them to a ‘game’ that didn’t seem much of a game at all. The long stall was lined with a dozen little stations where ponies could pay bits for small water guns that let them squirt targets that danced along behind the counter. Most of the water guns were wielded by younger ponies or foals with their parents, and there was neither much to discuss nor prizes to be had. Twilight stifled a yawn with the nook of a foreleg, and Pinkie Pie sipped away at some drink or other, the plush fox toy resting on top of her head.
Celestia shot Pinkie another covert look. While they were hardly close, she knew Pinkie Pie well enough to know that the perky mare wasn’t always an explosion of action and talk even if most tended to define her by her loudest moments. She’d seen Pinkie Pie act in a manner others would probably call an imitation of normalcy, and Twilight had sent her letters detailing theories that Pinkie even slept sometimes—though her student had been careful to label these ‘hypotheses’.
Now, she was neither of those things. The earth pony was neither obnoxiously loud, nor merely sedate. Rather, she looked bothered—no, Celestia corrected herself, she looked contemplative. It wasn’t so much unsettling as it felt wrong. It was only natural that the princess would want things to be in order, surely? She spent all day making sure Equestria was healthy as a nation. It wasn’t all that odd that she wanted Pinkie to perk up and smile. The problem was, she could hardly make such a decree.
Of course, she could manipulate the odds in a far more direct manner. Celestia wasn’t quite sure it was an entirely conscious action, but still she directed her magic just so. Ever so slowly, the bright pink squirt gun turned away from the merry plastic targets and their little dance. Instead, Celestia brought the thin, luke-warm jet of water to bear on Pinkie Pie.
Celestia wasn’t quite sure what she’d expected. Pinkie Pie stared down at where the water streamed against her belly where she sat, trickling down to pool next to the soft drink she cradled with her hindlegs. The earth mare looked almost as nonplussed as Celestia felt, and the princess could see out of the corner of her eye that Twilight’s head tilted at an angle.
“You’re squirting me with water,” Pinkie said.
“It appears that I am,” Celestia agreed. She held the little squirt gun quite steady, and for a moment the only noise was the steady low hum of the tiny electric generator that pumped water to the plastic toy.
“You’re squirting me with water,” Pinkie repeated, a grin slowly spreading across her face. A second later, a giggle bubbled up, followed by a snort and another giggle. Celestia couldn’t hold back a grin of her own.
Twilight made a small noise, a strangled snort. “I don’t think you get points for shooting—”
Celestia turned the gun on her, aiming straight for her student’s face. Twilight yelped and skidded backwards, holding up a warding hoof in protest for all of two seconds before she found the presence of mind to erect a simple magical shield.
“And I think that’s against the rules,” Celestia countered, only now aware that Pinkie’s giggling had stopped. Twice as ominous was the clink of a bit slipping into a coin slot. A second later, Pinkie’s laughter redoubled and Celestia felt a thin trickle of water against her flank.
Celestia’s horn took on a soft glow as she called upon her magic to clear the moisture off her mane, depositing a neat globe of water over the back of the bench while Twilight hopped on to grab a seat on the other side. It seemed as good a place to rest as any; a solitary park bench resting by a path’s end, a pocket of relative silence in the otherwise noisy park. Twilight let out a giggle as she enacted a simple heat spell to dry herself, and Pinkie elected to negate both their efforts by shaking her entire body violently.
“That was great!” Pinkie declared, but her grin disappeared a second later. “Oh. Oops. Be right back! Where’s the little fillies’ room? Soda pop emergency!”
Celestia smiled and shook her head and closed her eyes, leaning back and rolling her neck while the Pinkie Pie raced down the path.
“Well, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked to leave any shop or even a stand before,” Twilight said, her mirth slowly petering out, giving way to a relaxed smile. “Why didn’t you just drop your body change spell?”
Celestia raised a brow. “Why would I do that? They were right. We were being rather disruptive.”
“I suppose. Power and responsibility,” Twilight said. She licked her lips, mouth half-open for a second as if she meant to go on, but in the end she simply looked away, her eyes skimming the treetops. As they watched, a train of cars came into view riding one of the many hills of the roller coaster that criss-crossed the park, and Celestia could have sworn she saw a set of blue wings frantically flapping in the front car, a cry of “faster” on the wind.
“Would you rather I didn’t visit as often?”
Celestia waited and watched Twilight’s reaction. Her student frowned, as if she didn’t understand the question, then gaped, sputtered, covered her mouth, and finally settled for staring at her own hooves. Having never mastered the fine art of scooting closer, Celestia rose to stand and took two simple steps towards her, sitting down at her prized pupil’s side.
“Let me rephrase, then. Do you find it strange to see me interacting with your friends? I wonder if it’s a little sudden, and if I’ve made you uncomfortable. I have no qualms dropping challenges in your lap when the fate of Equestria hangs in the balance, but this is not, ah.” Celestia frowned. “It’s not strictly necessary, I suppose. I wonder if I’m worse at social grace than I thought I was.”
Twilight took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and stuck out one of her forelegs. Celestia hid a small smile at the little exercise she’d once taught Cadance, but it seemed to work. Twilight looked up at her and shook her head, resolute.
“I think they’re your friends, too. You don’t have to ask. Everypony’s having a lot of fun.”
Celestia nodded slowly at the rather enticing thought. “Perhaps. Maybe I didn’t have to, but I believe I regret I didn’t ask, regardless.” It was as close as she could get to an honest apology with Twilight, she knew. Even as it was, Twilight fumbled with her tongue for a moment before she found an answer.
“I—well. Right. Okay. Maybe I was a tiny bit jealous at first,” Twilight said, her cheeks lighting up with a faint blush. “I remember all the things we used to do, well. When I grew up—”
“You’ve seen a different side of me, and me sharing it isn’t easy for you,” Celestia said, sighing. “Of course. I should have seen that. Please do not doubt that you are special to me, Twilight.”
“No! I mean, okay. Maybe. Maybe at first, a tiny bit, like I said. At first I thought it was some kind of test, but I guess it wasn’t about me at all.” Twilight turned away for a moment to rub at her face, but when she turned back, she wore the tentative beginnings of a smile. “I think I got a handle on that. Everypony’s happy now. And wet, apparently.”
“Yes. I’m not quite sure whether that was a lapse in judgment or not,” Celestia admitted.
“Still. That’s okay. Now, I just worry about—I mean, everything’s okay now,” Twilight said, her words trailing off into nothingness. The unicorn leaned against her and said no more, but Celestia noticed the glance she sent down the path.
Celestia said nothing, leaning her unfamiliar body back against Twilight. Neither of them offered further comment, but Celestia never did think herself particularly slow on the uptake. If Pinkie Pie was indeed behaving differently—if only slightly—it was a worrying thought that she was somehow the cause. Had she been unnecessarily harsh in how she communicated her confusion with Twilight? Had Twilight shared the letter with Pinkie Pie? Had they misinterpreted it?
The princess frowned. How would one misinterpret it? How would one interpret it right? Suddenly she herself wasn’t quite certain.
“There you are!” Pinkie called when she bounced into view, approaching from the exact opposite angle she’d left. “It took forever to find the bathrooms, and at least twice as many forevers to find you guys again!”
Celestia and Twilight both waved at Pinkie and exchanged smiles. For a moment it looked like Pinkie meant to join them on the bench despite the fact that there was precious little space for three ponies. Celestia tilted her head and arched a brow while Pinkie raised a foreleg, awkwardly stuck between a hug and a step up. Her legs tensed and un-tensed, her eyes slipping to the ground for a moment. In the end, she simply backed up and offered a more muted smile.
“Hey, wanna go find the others and go get something to eat? I’m starving.”
Celestia gave an incredulous chuckle, stretching and rising to stand. “As far as I’ve seen, you’ve been eating non stop since we arrived.”
“You bet! You know me,” Pinkie said, turning on the spot and setting them off down the path though her voice didn’t hold half the energy of her gait. “Silly, silly Pinkie Pie.”
When the sun set, more artificial lights flooded to fill the void. Day gave way to night, and rather than quiet down, the park seemed to get even noisier. The amusement park cared nothing for the cycle of day and night. Today, Celestia dictated and decreed nothing. She simply happened to be along for the ride.
The ride, in this case, was a huge ferris wheel. As if it were an apology for the park’s defiance, the steel construct was littered with lights and decorations painted yellow and orange. A strange and cacophonous tribute in the form of a replacement sun, some might say. Celestia decided against sharing this particular little thought with Twilight and their friends, but it brought a grin to her face nevertheless. Again, a pair of ponies were let out of one of the ferris wheel’s cars, and again the queue moved. Celestia stepped onto the small platform, the last of the group to join the staging area where a bearded pony removed the cordon to admit the first of them.
“My tummy hurts,” Spike groaned, waddling inside the car. The little dragon only barely managed to climb atop his seat with a little help from a bemused Twilight.
“That’s what happens when you eat two double portions of ice cream after a big meal,” she said, sighing and taking a seat, waving at the six remaining ponies.
“I thought it was your job to keep me from doing that,” Spike muttered, triggering a giggle from Twilight and the others. The safety bars closed off the car, and the unicorn stallion managing the ride pushed a button. The great wheel slowly rotated to lift their car up, halting a moment later to let the next set of passengers off.
Chuckles, giggles, grins and laughter. All these things had defined the day through rides, stalls and chatter, all the way through their dinner at the amusement park’s restaurant. Celestia’s cheeks hurt from smiling in a way they never did after a day of palace duties. She would have said she felt content, but the word felt insufficient. She felt good.
“Aboard you go,” the stallion announced, holding up the cordon to admit Applejack and Rarity into the next car. Applejack stood aside and let Rarity take her seat first, and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash moved up to the line. Rainbow Dash leaned against the railing, resting her head on her hooves.
“Hey, so you guys checked out the haunted house earlier, right?” Dash asked. “Any fun?”
Applejack pulled her hat down in front of her eyes and shrunk into her seat. “The less said about that the better.”
“Quite,” Rarity agreed, inspecting one of her forehooves. “I’ve never seen such terribly mismatched décor.”
“And monsters?” Fluttershy suggested.
“Oh, yes, I suppose there was that, too.” Rarity shrugged. “Monsters of all kinds, sure.”
Rainbow Dash snickered, reaching across to poke Applejack on the shoulder. “What’s the matter, AJ? Bet you got scared.”
Pinkie Pie giggled, squeezing in between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash to lean over the cordon. “That’s silly, and you’re silly. You fight big bad icky monsters all the time!”
Applejack snorted, glowering at Rainbow, then Pinkie. “Yeah, well, difference is, you kick a timber wolf, it runs off. You kick some mare in a monster costume ‘cause she startles you, she tells you to get the hay out.”
Rainbow Dash’s peals of laughter went on and on until the operator pushed her and Pinkie away from the line and set the wheel moving again. Celestia covered a smile of her own, noticing that the harried unicorn didn’t let the ride rest before he’d brought down the next car, nor did he seem pleased until he had sent Dash and Fluttershy off as well. Soon, an empty steel car with a padded bench waited for the last two members of the group. Pinkie hopped inside and planted her tush down with a minimum of ceremony, and Celestia followed, nodding her thanks to the operator. Celestia closed her eyes and breathed deep. All around, there was quiet and content chatter.
“So, when does this thing start moving faster?” asked Rainbow Dash from the car ahead and above, followed by a groan twice as loud after a murmured few words from Fluttershy.
All around, mostly content chatter. A perfect conclusion to a day that she’d never want to be without. It no longer felt presumptuous that these companions she guided and relied upon could also be called friends. She could feel the wheel continuing its slow turn, and she imagined that if she opened her eyes, the park below would be an ocean of multicolored lights, a pool of chaotic, glittering madness in an otherwise dark countryside. Over the hills to the west, a soft glow would betray Ponyville’s proximity, and in the far distance, Mount Canterlot would shine like a beacon.
And when she opened her eyes, Pinkie Pie would look away and pretend she hadn’t stared at Celestia whenever the princess looked away. Celestia had never thought herself particularly stupid, nor was she ignorant. She should have pinned Pinkie Pie about it sooner, she just needed some time to decide how to approach it. What would she say? Pinkie had committed no crime.
Nevertheless, something was amiss, and Celestia needed to ask what. That was precisely why she had asked Pinkie to share a car with her. Exactly because of the fact that Pinkie Pie looked conflicted before she accepted with a chipper “sure!” where before, Celestia would have expected Pinkie to be the one to suggest it.
Celestia let out a sigh and opened her eyes, barely catching Pinkie Pie’s gaze shifting in the corner of her eye. When she looked, Pinkie Pie stared ahead with a tranquil smile. They were at the top of the wheel now, and Equestria lay splayed out below them just as Celestia had expected. What she hadn’t expected was that the winds up here would set Pinkie Pie’s mane rustling, or how different the earth mare looked with her face in shadow. It was equal parts wrong and fascinating to see her so quiet.
“Have I offended you?” Celestia asked. Subtlety and whispers were best reserved for diplomacy, anyway.
Pinkie Pie giggled and shook her head, leaning forward to place her forelegs on the railing and rest her head atop. “Nopey! Why would you ask that, silly?”
Celestia frowned. The mirth was genuine enough, and for a moment, she wondered if she had it all wrong. If her only concern was that in a day for laughter, very little of that laughter had been for her alone. It seemed oddly possessive, and the realization was a frustrating one because it made little sense.
Then again, Pinkie Pie still looked straight ahead, and gut feeling, instinct—whatever one chose to call it, in Princess Celestia, millenia had honed those things to perfection. Second guessing herself was never a good idea. She had to believe.
“Did the letter offend you? I presume Twilight relayed that you’ve, ah, confused me.”
“Nuh-uh. No offense-taken-ness,” Pinkie said, rubbing her snout against the nook of a leg.
“I see.” Celestia rolled her neck and gave a small sigh. “I think what I mean to say is, usually, you spend half these outings behaving in a manner that, well. Poking, prodding, and generally talking my head off, I suppose. If you’ve taken my actions or words to mean that I’ve been annoyed, then you may have misunderstood me.”
Celestia raised a brow at her own words. At some point, she’d lost control of her own mouth, but if Pinkie noticed, she gave no indication. Still Pinkie did not meet her eyes. Instead, she simply shook her head.
“I guess you’d have told me if I was really being a bother, so nope, didn’t think so. Or, I didn’t think I thought you wanted me to go away.” A muted giggle. “Wow, that’s confusing and silly.”
“Yet you act reserved with regards to me.” Celestia felt a smile threaten. “Relatively speaking, at any rate. If I’m not mistaken, I believe I’ve caught Twilight acting odd around you as well, though I’m willing to chalk that up to my lack of experience with watching her around you.”
That caught Pinkie’s attention. It began as a glance so quick, Celestia nearly missed it, but finally Pinkie turned around to look at her. Her lips quivered ominously for a moment before she steeled herself, but the pain in her eyes was evident. Celestia flinched at the mere idea that she might somehow be the cause.
“I... I made a promise,” Pinkie said, each word slow and measured. “I promised somepony very important to me that I’d do something, but I think it’s the kind of thing that’s sort of a secret, and I really really don’t want to let her down.”
“Secrets,” Celestia echoed, leaning back. “Nations have been toppled by secrets. I would have you tell me how I can help. I like seeing you—well, seeing all my subjects happy.”
Pinkie tilted her head sideways and bit her lip before shaking her head and giggling. “I don’t think this is really a help-y thing. Helpable? S’okay anyway.”
An uncomfortable silence settled. Pinkie’s gaze slipped, and all Celestia could think was that she wanted to hold on to it. What to say next? What did Celestia, in fact, truly want? To demand Pinkie Pie do something silly? She was no court jester, and if Celestia desired something amusing and random, she had other sources for just that. There was something missing, and the frustration of not knowing grew and grew, but Celestia resolved not to let it taint her voice. She took a deep breath to center herself.
“Maybe I could offer a hug? Very few things are not improved by a hug, I am certain.” Celestia put forth her most convincing smile, one that had placated dragons and secured borders on numerous occasions.
Pinkie opened her mouth and closed it again, case unresolved. She raised a leg and reached out for Celestia, but before she’d even come close, she jammed her forelegs under her own tail and sat on them. Those big blue orbs slipped to rest on her own hooves, and she briskly shook her head.
Celestia blinked. “I’m not sure I understand.”
Pinkie shook her head again, twice as animated this time. “I’m pretty sure this is something that’s not hug-improvable. It’s like sugar! Sugar goes with everything, or at least that’s what I thought, but if you pour it inside your gramophone, the silly thing stops working, right? I’m sure you’ve done that tons of times too.”
“Not quite, but very well,” Celestia said, stretching and rolling her shoulders. Finally, their car was coming down to the ground level again. “I believe you are quite a bit more confusing than any gramophone I’ve ever seen.”
Pinkie Pie giggled. “Silly. I’m not a gramophone at all.”
“No, you most certainly are not a gramophone,” Celestia agreed with a chuckle. “Nor are you a train, a punch bowl or a chimney.”
“I bet I could be a train if I really tried,” Pinkie said, hopping out of the car and setting the pair moving towards their friends who waited nearby. “I love coal!”
“I’m sure,” Celestia laughed, but it was a short-lived thing. She could list any number of things Pinkie Pie wasn’t, most of them with conviction, but it dawned on her that she’d struggle to say exactly what Pinkie was to her.
Stats
Page generated in 0.043 seconds
Total duration
1,137 users online
2,403,853 hits today, 2,571,732 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Kiss her, god damn it!
And here we finally see Celestia start to realize her feelings in regards to Pinkie. I wonder how the rest of the Mane 6 will react to this...
Great chapters, Skies!
Dude like...I need this updated! Loved it.
Dude like...I need this updated! Loved it.
Poor Twilight!
Darnit! I was promised smooching! There is a distinct lack of smooching here, smooch-hoarder!
assets.diylol.com/hfs/281/d4b/881/resized/mlpfim-meme-generator-omg-squee-7adacb.jpg
Well, when they do kiss, I might actually explode from cuteness overload. And yet I am opposed to delaying the kiss. How odd.
NOW KISS
2263147
I know! x_X
Oh, damn... Both of them are headed for the same conclusions, but due to promises and inexperience it might take a while. A long, frustrating while. Great chapters, though. Celestia's being adorable.
I never would have pegged Celestia to be the dense and unobservant one. I wonder how long it will take her to get the hint. Can't wait for more though.
*Drops monocle and splutters* Preposterous! Such a ridiculous notion!
The chapter in which:
-- Rainbow Dash gets a wingboner for a rollercoaster
-- Celestia learns how to have fun some time after her socially awkward, millenia-displaced sister does
-- AJ's warrior instincts betray her
-- Celestia gets Pinkie wet in a non-cloppy way
Really good chapter here. Still not entirely sure how you got this ship to float, but the ferris wheel scene is just awesome and d'aww-worthy.
Incidentally, which is the better term for this pairing? Pinklestia or Celinkie (pronounced 'slinky')?
2264001
Think about how Celestia is. Her denseness makes perfect sense. Even though she has not been in total isolation like her sister Luna, Celestia still is pretty much out of touch with romantic social cues or anything. It is often lonely at the top many would say.
Damn, I know that you're making the love go slow but this is a little to slow for my taste, it's honestly starting to get a bit annoying, either Pinkie Pie tells her or Celestia finds out...still, supense really does wonders to people
Poor Celestia, even she is confused by Pinkie Pie's actions
What a fail, wish I could have read of Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash's and Spike's jourany to the rollercoster
That sounds so fun to hear about as well as the Haunted house, very impressive job, for the entertainment and the humor if not for the romance right now, things don't honestly need to get serious until after the fun has died down a bit, you know?
Slow romance can be a fickle and difficult thing to read, but I do like how Pinkie Pie is letting things go at their own pace. She's trying to get Celestia to actually have fun which is difficult at the best of times..yet we know shes a little prankster when the occasion calls for it.
Still, I like how you have it set up, even if some don't like how slow it is..romance can go as slow or as fast as one wants it to. The only thing that needs be really said for romance?
Are they ready? The journey can be the greatest gift they have, so taking it slow may just mean, it's going to be something cherished and long.
This was a really fun and enjoyable set of chapters. More I say, more!
Story, why you leave me hanging ALL THE TIME?!
I know this will come off as gushy, but I really love the way you're handling and writing this story. The story itself, your writing, your characterizations, and the pacing are all superb, making this a really fun and interesting read. I'm fascinated by how you took such a potentially difficult premise and just ran with it and made it work so well.
A few things I liked about these chapters:
- Celestia wanted to make Pinkie smile. That's awesome.
- Giving a voice to Twilight for her concerns, also awesome (it seemed like that was missing in the earlier chapters, just a little bit)
- Pinkie Pie being self-restrained and introspective... surprising, but also a little sad. Maybe somepony will learn to lay off on her in the future...
- Last but not least, two chapters at once!
Thanks so much for the excellent read.
PS: You have one grammophone in there with two m's instead of one. ;)
Faster!
Write faster! Please!
I keep hitting the next chapter button but it wont go.... DAMNIT I NEED MORE OF THIS. I need this like I need air.
Though it pains me whenever I get to the end of the most recent chapter and have to resign myself to waiting for more, I must say that the pacing for this story is simply excellent. The slow progression of Celestia's thoughts on Pinkie and Pinkie's behavior just being the slightest bit "off" makes the rather unusual pairing feel completely believable.
Thanks for the two new chapters; I've been having one hell of a week and this was exactly what I needed to make the endless presentations and team meetings bearable.
Silly spell-check doesn't work when the typo ends up being a real word.
Love the story. Its a totally great idea and I love the pacing. Pinkie is totally the only pony in Equestria who's not intimidated by the princess / goddess of the sun.
I vote Celinkie
I have no new words to add, only that you would please continue to update this story with increasing frequency, it's wonderful.
Ciao darling
"She's really is" doesn't parse -- it should probably be just "She really is".
Not sure if this is an intentional malapropism (as is common with proper names in the MLP universe), but "praire" is traditionally spelled "prairie".
Should this be "once taught Cadance"? "Once thought Cadance" doesn't make any sense.
I think the pacing is working perfectly. With such an unlikely ship like this, a faster pace wouldn't feel right. The slow progression and gradual realizations are much more believable.
I was quite hesitant to start reading these updates. Why? Because I just recently started to write my own little piece of pony fiction, and it doesn't compare at all. While I was already aware that you are an amazing writer, expieriencing how hard it is to write in person has raised my respect for how well you do it even more.
KISS HER FILLY.
Clowww-deeeee! You updated, Clowwww-deeee! Hoorayyyyyy!
In addition to the obvious (and heartwarming) reversal of Celestia now trying to get Pinkie to smile, really smile, I like how seriously Pinkie is taking her promise to Twilight. It actually reminds me of one of those fics where their Elemental compulsions end up in conflict and they go crazy (like Rainbow trying to be loyal to Twilight and Cloudsdale both in the Discord episode), except without being extreme enough to make Rarity a meth addict or something (why do those stories always end up this way? I do not know). At any rate, we don't usually see Pinkie as anything like considerate, so it's a welcome change. Of course, she isn't very good at thinking before acting, so it's coming off weird, but that only makes sense.
I don't know if I just have Shipper's Eye or something, but I keep seeing Rarity x Applejack, and maybe a bit of Dash x Fluttershy too... I may have a problem.
(TVTropes informs me this condition is properly referred to as Shipping Goggles)
Keep 'em coming! Shipping is fuel! Om nom nom.
Ha! I love it. Celestia can make the decision to gamble the lives of millions on a nerdy academic gaining some friends. But if she wants to play ring toss? How could she decide?!
Also, dat informed debate on the economics of crooked carnival games.
And the slow... sedate... considered... weighed... measured... water-gun fight(!).
I'll echo what others have said in liking the pacing. It's not as if anything momentous happens, but, the time doesn't feel wasted at all. Basically, it's a series of great slice-of-life moments, and it reminds me why I like those.
Though that Celestia/Pinkie talk on the Ferris Wheel is just about the most awkward thing ever. So painful to watch. But I wager that was the intent!
Finally, I'm still not sure what to think about Twilight, for which I'm not complaining. I like that uncertainty. But drat it, the way they act together seems so much more natural. I admit that I actually find myself hoping there'll be a love triangle.
2264193
I think the term Cloudy's been using is "CellyPie." Might be misremembering, though.
Golly, I just love your stuff. Happy π day sucka! this story rocks!
I loved the totally serious discussion on the economics of rigged carnival games between Not!Celestia, Twilight, and Pinkie.
2263147
I'm going to kil you Twilight you made pinkie promice not to share her feeling with Celestia, may fluttershy have mercy on your soul!
...and then they ki- dang it!
Nice to see a story with no true antagonist or anti-hero. It allows for excellent characterization which is near perfect. I'm impressed.
Celestia.... don't even try to figure out Pinkie Pie^^ It's impossible even for Alicorns^^
I believe a pony can become so confused that everything starts to make sense before it is really necessary to really understand the actual message of a situation or action.
Excellent chapters. I feel comfortable retracting any previously mentioned concerns.
This latest chapter very much exemplifies why I love this story. You've got lively characters that feel believable, a ship that isn't being forced or rushed, and one of the best Celestia's I've had the pleasure of reading in a fic. I'm so glad you didn't jump straight to the kiss. As I said before, the slower pacing is one of the things I love about this story. It's giving everything a chance to build and develop naturally. For me, the buildup is one of the best things about a burgeoning romance. The buildup is the real meat of the action, it is the story, unless the story is going to deal with the challenges that come after the big "Hey we should be together" moment.
Please keep up the amazing work. Totally can't wait for the next chapters.
Stupid Pinks, stupid Celly...just hurry up and SHIP!
If I'm not mistaken, they are still on the roller coaster? Then next chapter comes the drop, riiiight?
Or did I miss something...
Wow...had to repost tis when fimfic crashed. Oh well.
I've been neglecting my duties as a grammar nazi recently. Time to catch up.
Great chapter once again. I'm still waiting for the ship to start, though.
Start dat ship.
fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/109/8/6/let_the_shipping_begin_by_katangaroo-d4wxuxl.jpg
Shit takes time man. Here try this,
Princess Celestia walks into the bakery. Pinkie Pie immediately rushes her and starts making out.
You can't rush it man. It comes out wrong.
This story has made PinkieXCelestia My OTP, I didn't even know Pinklestia existed until this came out. I need more
I can't think of much to say about these last two chapters, other than thankyou. Your terrific writing has brightened up my day to no end.
This is quickly become one of my favorite ship stories. The pacing is coming along nicely and I like how you are writing both Pinkie and Celestia. And I'm a fan of slightly off the wall ships, and this one works very well for that. :) Keep up the good work!
My stars, this fic is such an outstanding tease
.
Yeah, Pinkie in a game that involves breaking the laws of physics? That just wouldn't be fair to the others.
“That’s a stupid question. The place has a roller coaster. We’re doing the roller coaster, because not riding the roller coaster is stupid.”. So much love for this line.
Dash is just... I don't know; she's not QUITE stealing the show, but she's putting in a good effort. Something in her lines in this story feel unusual, but awesome. So good job on that.
Also, I don't know why it's only just now occurred to me, but how would Twi react to Pinkie and Celestia if she had no forewarning? Like she just happens upon them making out. I kinda think she'd break.
I really can't imagine it.
Anyhow, great fic. It's past six AM, but I swear I'ma finish it! 'Tis that good.