Celestia plodded across the drawbridge and into Canterlot. Her head bore a horrid ache that set her to wincing as she took in the city. It was huge, too huge.
This castle had been built...
Pain raced from her horn down to her teeth, and she shook her head.
Regardless of what else was wrong, it was clear that Discord had been right. Ponies were disobeying her edicts. Perhaps they were not outright thumbing their snouts at her, but they certainly moving with far too much leisure to maintain a settlement of this size.
Lunch hour was nearing its end, but none of the ponies on the streets were moving as if they had anywhere to go. Surely, they at least had some labor to be about!
What could possess them to be so lazy while such a large city would need many hooves and horns working to keep everything moving?
Pressing her eyes shut at the pain, she did her best to ride the wave of agony that ran from her teeth back up to her horn.
Their lackadaisical pace would be punished, she decided firmly.
Raising her horn skyward, she urged the sun closer.
The ponies seemed to have infected it with lethargy as it obeyed slowly, instead only granting the least of its true warmth to her. Her mane smoldered pleasantly, though it failed to rise to flame.
The Sun Queen's true power, of course, was mastery of the sun beyond the ken of even unicorns. Unlike so many others, it had simply been emblazoned upon her flank from birth.
These ponies would know her wrath, but it would come so slowly that it would embrace them and hold them tight. She was content in this, of course. A subtle reminder might be enough. If it was not, they would have time to suffer her full displeasure as it would be allowed to grow from this small kernel of punishment.
They had better have the sense to not require more blatant reminders.
She decided, in all of her wisdom and mercy, that she would survey Canterlot in the mean time. So much seemed to have changed, and she would correct her faulty knowledge.
Ponies paid her no mind as she strode along. Perhaps that was best, though it was disgusting in its own way. It allowed her to inventory them.
The rich ponies laughing at a dapper stallion's joke were the first to get her attention. It was laughter that was fake, tainted with the nervousness all too common in those who had judged themselves powerless. I will laugh at this joke even if I don't like it, or he'll send me away from my only chance at having any value, they would surely think.
Those who feared such things would eventually find them coming to pass.
Celestia smirked at that. Negotiating, even with a more powerful creature, was done by projecting power. A smaller creature could scare away a larger with ferocity, but such ponies could just as well be cattle!
She giggled as she looked past those insignificant souls. They would die alone, insipid, ignorant, and unloved by the ponies who they only pretended to be friends with.
Another pony was howling at an earth pony servant, who was doing her best to ignore him and keep working.
Celestia's face fixed itself into a frown as she stepped over toward the stallion with her horn glowing gold. Her magic lanced outward, and slapped the noble right on his ass.
He whirled around, looking utterly scandalized but also so weak as she raised her voice.
“Sir, if thou will continue behaving so within my sight, I'll see worse done than that. Apologize to the mare!”
His eyes went wide as he looked at her. He briefly and meekly nodded, before turning to the earth pony and muttering something.
“On thy knees! Show us thy sincerity! And do so loudly so our subjects will know that no pony is above being treated with respect! That mare's cleaning job makes it possible for you to do your labor in peace!” Celestia spread her wings.
“Oh, forgive me, Spring Duster!”
Her voice softened as she turned her attention to the mare. “Do you accept his apology, fair mare?"
Spring Duster's head was bowed as she said, “I do...thank you, ma'am.”
The Sun Queen could only smile as she nodded and trotted along. “Remember this lesson, unicorn, or the punishment will be more severe next time!”
The murmuring that followed her did not give her any pause as she found a rather extravagant store that was labeled 'Canterlot Carousel'.
The appearance, blending white roof and light purple walls, struck her as so fancy that it should not exist. Though a little pain ran through her head, she assured herself that the other buildings too were too fancy. There was too much here that just did not make sense.
She steeled herself and headed inside, sure that she would find more ponies in need of reminding of their place in obeying her edicts.
The front door rang as she stepped through it, and she was graced by the sight of far too many wondrous garments. A purple dress that showed entirely too much flank, a pink one that sparkled, a rainbow colored one with a gap to show one's cutie mark, and-
“Oh hello, young filly, welcome to the Canterlot Carousel!” A tall and slender blue unicorn mare with a fiery, straight mane. “I am Sassy Saddles, how may I help you?”
Compared to the pony outside, this one was polite, so she pardoned the 'filly' comment. “These are some of the finest garments I have seen,” she admitted as she paced around a little bit. “Perhaps some of the designs are of ill taste, but I cannot complain about quality. I assume these are quite popular?”
“But of course!” Her lit up as she trotted along beside her. “Rarity's designs are all originals, so each pony gets something tailored for their desires. She's a genius unlike any I've seen since I first entered the industry a decade and a half ago.”
She giggled, and added, “Sorry to toot her horn, but it is a delight to work for her.”
“No, it's wonderful to hear about any pony who can make such beautiful outfits.” Celestia leaned over to stare at one that was certainly too tall for her. She realized, a little late, that it was also too dark green for her. It wouldn't fit with her mane.
She lightly rubbed the fabric with her face and fondly savored what could never be.
As she did, a terribly loud ripping noise could be heard and Discord smiled as he sprang forth from the dress.
Celestia leaped backwards and glared at the intrusion.
“Oh, excuse me, my Queen,” he said with so much faux politeness.
“Queen?” Sassy Saddles murmured.
A leather bag fell to the ground with the audibly clanking and clinking of enough bits to pay for a small estate.
“Discord!” she resisted the urge to shout at her full volume, though only barely, “we told you to guard the palace!”
“Just wanted to pop in and give you the money you'd need for any of Rarity's designs. I'll be back before the guards know I'm gone!” Discord leaped back into the dress and vanished, causing the tear to seal itself right back up.
As the manager stood there with her mouth agape, the Sun Queen took a breath for calm and smiled, proclaiming, “I would love a dress, for my finest royal moments.”
“Buh-ber...um...of course!” Sassy tried to smile, but it was that fearful smile those nobles had early. “We do have a few suited to your...royal frame, and Rarity will...she...she will be able to make any changes you need, she will, I assure you, your Majesty!”
“Very good. Now, I love red, orange, and similar colors. I want something dazzling that says, the Sun Queen has arrived!”
“Oh, I think I have just the thing!”
Celestia followed, but she nearly fell all over herself when she saw it.
It was a gold dress that shimmered red as she approached, and she quickly stepped over to see how it fit.
Astoundingly, unlike so many others, it was suited just to her. It slipped right onto her and as she glanced toward the nearby mirror, she was astounded.
“That looks p-p-perfect, my Queen, how does it feel?”
The silk was heavenly, and it did not grip her too tightly in any one spot. It was a little short on the flank, but that just gave her room to show her tail without exposing herself. For the Queen, who was to be above all ponies while being born of all three tribes, it was perfection.
“This dress was made for me before the designer had the glory of staring upon me,” she declared, using her magic to muster up the bag of bits, “this payment will be sufficient, yes?”
It was all Sassy Saddles could do to quietly look at the bag and bounce it up and down a few times with her magic.
“This is entirely too much! That dress is priced for...oh I don't have a count, but probably only a fourth of this bag.”
The Sun Queen looked at her. “I confess, I did not count it, but the treasury is unending. Consider it a boon for your respect in the face of your Queen.”
The door opened in the distance.
She turned around to stare upon a white furred unicorn mare with a coiffed dark purple mane.
The pain that ran through her head nearly made her cry out, but she held her silence.
“Oh my!” Rarity exclaimed as she stepped in. “You look marvelous, my dear! I did not think that the Zenith Crimson Burst would find the pony it was meant for so soon. I am Rarity, and I am the owner and designer. Would you like to try anything else, or do you just need adjustments done to this wondrous piece?”
“Rarity? Your second spoke well of you.” She smiled and tried to stretch her wings, only to be constrained by the fabric. “Ah...I do need wing adjustments.”
“Wings?” Rarity looked at her. “Oh my, I am so sorry, I didn't expect to see an alicorn today. What is your name, dear?”
“You do not recognize your Queen, Rarity? I have clearly been doing Canterlot some sort of disservice. The bad ponies act as if I am not always watching, and the good ponies do not know of me.” Celestia shook her head. “I am the Sun Queen, Celestia. I ask you remember the name, and tell your friends, for Canterlot seems to have forgotten that every last building and pony here exists under my domain.”
Rarity's mouth made a few moves, but ultimately it fell open and she flopped over backwards.
Sassy Saddles was there in a flash, sliding a purple couch underneath her with her magic.
“Is she all right?”
Sassy leaned backwards, gave a great gasp, and sank onto the couch with the other mare.
“How odd these ponies are.” Celestia sighed. “Perhaps such an elegant designer can be trusted with a spark of the sun, if only briefly.”
Angling her head skyward, she reached outward. Perceptions expanded, she felt the sun's warmth even through the walls of this building.
It surged its energy into her, and she took just a dash of that before letting it back out. Bending down, she prodded Rarity with her horn. “Arise, designer. This is not your time to rest, and I've need of your service.”
Rarity exploded out from under her employee, eyes flashing red a moment as her body shook even as she danced from hoof to hoof. It took a moment for this to subside, but subside it did.
“Now, Rarity, I need the alterations done to my dress, and your payment for both the dress and your services is here.” She summoned the bag of bits again.
The mare moved, hurriedly, using magic to strip the dress from her body. “Yo-you are really?”
“Yes, I am. Now no questions. I need holes cut for the wings. You can keep all of the payment, regardless of how far in excess of the charge.” Celestia glared with a red eyed gaze.
“But I-” Rarity turned back toward her and stared her down for a moment. Her mouth moved a few times, as if she might be saying something, but no sound came. She tried again, and then once more.
At last, she sighed. “I'll need a few minutes.”
“I'll be waiting.” She smirked as Rarity ran into the other room.
Seeing someone resist her orders was so amusing. Rarity was clearly a powerful mare. Pain seized her once more as if her horn might shear clear of her skull.
She let out the smallest whimper before gritting her teeth and powering through it. Pain was not new to her, surely, but most often it was pain from being struck or strain from a powerful spell.
This new pain irked her endlessly, just as the lack of obedience from the ponies around.
Once she was properly dressed, she would bring order to this chaos. Bringing the sun's gaze closer had not been enough. She would need to make a point, even if some ponies might need a little bit more teaching than most.
“Thank you kindly, Rarity,” she said as she saw the dress returning through the door in front of the mare.
Taking it with her own magic, she donned it again and slipped her wings through the newly cut holes.
“This is absolutely perfect,” she declared.
“Prin-” Rarity stopped herself. “Queen Celestia, what will you do now?”
Raising an eyebrow, the Sun Queen said, “I'm going to make sure the rest of this city shows as much respect as you just did.”
Spreading her wings, she shouted, “fare thee well!”
She trotted out of the front door and quickly ascended to the sky.
She perched on top of the Canterlot Carousel and called, “UNICORNS OF CANTERLOT! YOUR QUEEN IS DISAPPOINTED!”
Celestia scanned around as ponies below gathered and pointed. “YOU ARE LAZY AND COWARDLY, AND YOUR DISRESPECT TOWARD EARTH PONIES AND PEGASI WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN! KNOW THAT YOU DISRESPECT YOUR VERY QUEEN, WHO BEARS THE BLOOD OF THE THREE TRIBES, WHEN YOU LOOK AT ANOTHER PONY AND THINK THEM LESSER.”
Turning her back on them, she faced the sun and basked in its warmth before continuing, “IT WILL REMAIN RIGHT HERE UNTIL EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU HAS KNELT BEFORE ME AND RENEWED YOUR OATHS OF FEALTY TO THE QUEEN OF EQUESTRIA!”
And then she turned to survey the sights around her. Around, some ponies did indeed kneel. Others ran. Some were screaming or even calling out in disapproval.
They would be punished, surely, until they all knelt.
Focusing her magic on the sun, she grasped it with all of her might and began to-
That was when a shout broke her concentration, “hey!”
She turned to see a cyan pegasus pony flying around her at a lazy clip. Her rainbow mane was simultaneously fabulous and cut far more like a stallion than it really should have been.
With a snort, Celestia called out, “who are you?”
“I'm Rainbow Dash!” she answered, “what in the world are you doing, Princess Celestia? Snap out of it! Discord did this to you!”
As the pony's name crossed her ears, her head throbbed. She shook it off and growled. “Discord kneels before me, little pony, not the other way around.”
“I don't kneel for anypony, especially not a filly on a power trip!” Rainbow Dash called back.
Rage urged her to shout back, but she held back. Her body trembled a little with excitement she hadn't felt in a while.
“Oh, so that's how it is?” Celestia smirked. Though she had to make an example of this pony, she regretted that they could only fight just once. A pony with this much spirit would have to be a fearsome warrior.
Rainbow Dash stuck her tongue out at her.
“Then I'll make you kneel, as an example to any pony who would dare cross me.” And she ascended, lowering her horn as she prepared to swoop in. “ON GUARD, RAINBOW DASH!”