//------------------------------// // Littly Filly, Big Handful // Story: Luna's Daughter // by KayeStar //------------------------------// Selene chatted excitedly on the phone to Melodía and Ivory, telling them all about her life in the castle thus far. They could barely get a word in as she talked endlessly about how big the castle was, the family dinner, how much she loved her room, and how much she had fun with Luna, Celestia, and Sombra. They were glad to hear she was so happy and having fun. Then, like whiplash, she sank their hearts with one question: "Are you going to visit soon? I miss you." "We miss you too, Selene," Ivory assured her. "Maybe soon." "I know!" Selene exclaimed, instantly back to her joyful self. "Princess Twilight is going to come! You can come too and we can all have fun! I'll ask Luna!" Melodía and Ivory were uncertain about that idea. Luna had given them permission to visit Selene whenever they pleased with reasonably timed notice, but they still felt shy, and in disbelief, about taking advantage of the princess's generosity. Before they could reply, they heard another voice join Selene's in the background. "I'm sure Luna and Twilight would agree to that." "Princess Celestia!" they heard Selene squeal, sounding surprised by the appearance of the sun princess behind her. "We can ask Luna when she wakes up this afternoon," Celestia promised Selene. "If she says yes, we'll ask Twilight if she'll meet up with Melodía and Ivory, and all three of them can visit you." Selene's eyes lit up like stars as her mouth grew into the widest smile it could. "But no promises until we get Luna's answer," Celestia quickly added. "Understand?" Selene nodded and relayed the information to her former caregivers, but they heard everything Celestia said in the background. They were besides themselves, but of course, very grateful. Melodía told Selene to give the phone to Celestia. "Thank you so much, Your Majesty! We really appreciate you and your sister would think of us!" Melodía told her. Celestia chuckled a bit. "Luna has only respect for the two of you. I can't make a promise, but she wouldn't dare exclude you from Selene's life. If it can't be this visit, I can promise she'll make time for another." Celestia returned the phone, and Selene talked for a few more minutes before finally saying goodbye and hanging up. "Come along, Selene," Celestia urged the young pony. "I'm going to take you on a little trip." Selene hopped off the chair she was sitting on and followed Celestia along. "Where are we going, Celesta?" "Celestia," Celestia corrected. "You'll see for yourself." The large pony and little pony walked together, heading outside of the castle. Selene assumed they were going to play in the gardens until Celestia lied down and told her to climb on her back. Curious, Selene obeyed and Celestia took off in flight, though she was gentle so as not to give Selene whiplash. She smiled as she heard the little filly squeal in delight. "I can't wait to tell Luna you took me flying!" Selene cried with joy as she bounced on Celestia's back. "Selene, please hold on to me," Celestia said firmly. "I don't want you to fall." "Sorry." Selene grabbed hold of her neck. "I really like flying! I can't fly yet." To Selene's disappointment, the flight wasn't a long one, but her disappointment was quickly replaced with wonder when she saw where they landed. "Another castle? Is this Princess Twilight's? But I thought she lived in the one in Ponyville!" Celestia chuckled. "She does. This is not any princess's castle. This castle is a schoolhouse," Celestia explained. "School? You mean you and Luna are teachers? I'm going to go to school here?!" The bright, excited smile that lit her up her face when she asked that question nearly sank Celestia's heart, knowing she couldn't give the answer Selene hoped to hear. Maybe she could still let her down gently. After all, the last thing Celestia wanted to do was ruin any young pony's excitement about learning. "This is The School for Gifted Unicorns," Celestia stated. The joy in Selene's eyes quickly dimmed, but returned when Celestia added, "but you will be somewhat of an exception." "What does that mean?" she asked in a tone that was obviously hopeful to Celestia. "When it's time for you to begin schooling again, you will come here to have lunch and recess with the other students." Selene tried to imagine herself having lunch and playing with a school of unicorns. The fantasy wasn't as nice as she wished it would be. She could make friends, but what if the ponies didn't like her because she was a pegasus? What if they decided she didn't belong? What if they said they didn't want her there? "Selene?" Celestia asked, nudging her a bit. Selene broke out of her thoughts. "Umm, Celestia, can I just do lunch and recess with Luna instead?" The change in her expression and tone didn't go unnoticed and Celestia wasn't going to pretend it did. "What's wrong, Selene? Did you not have friends when you were in school?" "I did, but... but some ponies were really mean to me too," Selene answered. "Luna showed me how to stand up to bullies once." "Did it work?" "Kind of, for a while. But I just... I hoped being with Luna meant I didn't have to go to school," Selene confessed. "You seemed so excited when you thought I'd you'd enroll here," Celestia pointed out, confused, but only briefly as she suddenly pieced things together. "But... oh, I understand. You really just want to be with Luna, don't you?" Selene gave a shy smile and nodded. Celestia wished Luna was awake, so she could be here to hear this. She had to remember to tell Luna later on. "Selene," Celestia said gently, kneeling down to be close to the filly, "I'm so sorry school wasn't good for you, but I promise if any of my students give you trouble, you can tell me. Or you can tell Luna, or Sombra." "I would tell the grown-ups in school, but it never worked," Selene lamented. "They said they can't do anything if they don't see it." "Let's just say I have ways of verifying somepony's story," Celestia tried to assure her. "If anypony bullies you and standing up for yourself doesn't work, you can come to me, or have Luna or Sombra bring it to me. I promise I'll see to it being resolved." A few moments passed with neither pony saying a word. Selene looked the school castle up and down several times before looking back to Celestia, who was patient for a response. Luna hadn't lied to her yet, and if Luna didn't lie, her big sister wouldn't either, right? "Okay," Selene finally said. Celestia smiled and stood up. "Come with me. Let me show you what the playground looks like." Feeling a little reassured, Selene followed Celestia around to the back of the school castle. That same excitement she had when she first saw the castle resurfaced, and before Celestia could stop her, she made a beeline for the playground. She ran across the seesaw, jumped over the swings of the swingset, slide down the slide, spun around the merry-go-round, and climbed through and to the top of the jungle gym. "I'm on top of the world!" she declared playfully. She scurried down, right in front of Celestia next to the jungle gym. "Let me show you the cafeteria next." "Wait! I want to play more on the playground! I didn't try to monkey bars yet!" "Selene, I didn't---" But the hyper filly darted off before Celestia could finish, making a mad dash for the monkey bars. Before she could so much as step foot on it, she felt herself be pulled back. She struggled, but she couldn't move until she was released by what she realized was Celestia's magic's grasp. "Selene!" Celestia's voice was stern, a tone Selene had only heard from Luna until now. "I didn't bring you to the school to play right now. I wanted to show you the playground and cafeteria, but we are going home after. Don't run off." "But why come to the playground if we can't play?" "I suppose she's not entirely wrong about that," Celestia thought. "You'll come here for recess. You'll have lots of time to play then. Now, I'm going to show you the cafeteria." "But I want to play now!" Selene whined. "You can't not play at the playground!" "Selene---" "Can't we come back after the cafeteria?" Selene pleaded. "Please?' "Selene, not---" "I'm not ready to go yet! Let's just stay for a while! Pleeeeeease? Pleeeeeeeeeeeease?!" "I said no!" Celestia replied sternly, now a bit cross. "I will show you the cafeteria another time! We are going home this instant!" "But---" Celestia teleported both herself and Selene back home before Selene could whine any more, specifically right outside of Selene's bedroom. Just as they did, Luna walked out of the room. "Ah, Selene, there you are," Luna said with a smile. "Sister, did you take her to the school already?" "Yes, but it did not go as planned," Celestia answered, looking down at Selene, who was now shying away and refusing to look at either of the celestial ponies. Luna's smile vanished and she looked worried instead. "What happened, Sister? Was she dismayed at the idea of being at the school for recess?" "No, she was very excited," Celestia replied honestly. "She couldn't contain herself." "That sounds great. If that is the case, why do neither of you appear happy? What went wrong?" Luna asked. "Go on, Selene. Tell Luna what happened on the playground." Celestia's tone had lost its sternness, but it didn't matter. Selene only looked down, brushing her hoof back and forth across the floor. The sisters waited for her to speak, and Selene silently swore she could feel their eyes on her. Her silence made Luna suspicious, but she wasn't going to give it away. Luna and Celestia waited a minute. Then, two. Then, three. Throughout that time, Selene glanced at them once or twice, but still said nothing. She was too embarrassed. Without breaking the silence, Luna walked behind Selene and gently nudged her into her bedroom. With her magic, she pulled the chair from Selene's craft table and placed it in an empty corner. A gesture of Luna's hoof toward the chair was all that was needed for Selene to know what Luna was telling her, and she silently walked over to the chair. She glanced at Luna one time, who returned it with nothing more than a serious stare, before she climbed onto the chair. With a spell, Luna encased all of Selene's toys, including the bookcase, and locked Selene's door from the inside as she left. No words were needed. Selene knew she was in trouble, and if she didn't want to be in more, she'd best not move. At least, Luna had placed the chair forward-facing, so Selene didn't have to face the corner. Outside the room, Luna finally broke the silence, now between her and her sister, though they didn't remain outside Selene's bedroom to talk. "I suppose I can assume she misbehaved at the playground?" Luna asked, though it was hardly a question now. "Yes. Granted, I should've known better than to expect anything else from taking an excitable filly to the playground," Celestia sighed, "but I didn't think she'd have a tantrum. I didn't show her the cafeteria. When she would not stop whining, I brought her back instead." "Did she play with anything on the playground, or did you stop her before she could?" "She ran off almost as soon as she saw it. I did let her play around for a while," Celestia admitted. "Her tantrum came when I insisted it was time to stop and we didn't come to play to begin with." Luna sighed sadly, appearing more downtrodden than angry. "Perhaps she's not ready to be there." "Now, wait a minute, Luna," Celestia quickly interjected. "Don't give up so easily." "What do you mean?" "I wish it hadn't happened, but remember, she's only a foal. She's acting her age. You or I or Sombra can always take her back to the school another time. None of my students have ever been perfect." "You... you are right," Luna agreed. "But it is your school. You have the right to change your mind about permitting me to have her be there." "And I haven't changed my mind one bit," Celestia assured her. "She expressed concern about dealing with bullying. I think it's more of a sign she needs to begin schooling, not less. Homeschooling her lets her spend time with you and allowing her to have lunch and recess at the school allows her to be with other ponies. Isn't that what you want?" Luna nodded. "It is. I want to wait until she meets Twilight and they are acquainted." "Oh! You just jogged my memory! I have something important to ask you and Twilight!" "I'm listening." Selene had tears running down her face. She'd never get to go to Celestia's school now! She had gotten so excited, and she just ruined it! All she could do was ruin things. She only wanted to be perfect for her new family, especially Luna, but she kept messing up. Maybe she was just a--- "Selene?" Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard her name, though the voice was familiar enough she didn't have to look up to see who said it. She did look up, however, when she felt a hoof on her back. "Please tell me what happened earlier." Selene sniffled a bit, but finally gave in. "Celesta... Celestia took me flying and we went to her school castle and I got excited about the playground and I went to play and I got mad when she said we had to stop." Despite how much of a mashed-together, run-on sentence it was, Luna understood. "What did you do?" "I argued and I whined and I made your sister mad at me and she took me back home and didn't show me the cafeteria." "Is that appropriate?" "No," Selene answered, biting her lip to not cry again, an attempt that was slowly proving to be futile. "I'm sorry." "You owe that apology to Celestia, not me. Why didn't you tell me what happened when she told you to?" "I didn't want you to be mad at me too." Selene huffed a little. Trying to hold in her tears was starting to hurt. "I'm sorry I am a bad pony, Luna." Just like that, Luna's heart shattered into a thousand pieces. Selene bit her lip harder and let out a whimper. "Stop that," Luna told her, not losing her gentle tone. She then remembered Selene's toybox and bookcase were enclosed, and she lifted the spell restricting them, also unlocking the door from the inside. Luna stroked her back a few times, something that was usually soothing, but Selene stayed put like she was frozen in place, minus the tears still falling down her cheeks. "Your punishment is over. You can get up now." Luna pulled Selene into a hug, and Selene returned it by grabbing Luna and crying into her neck. She wasn't loud. It was a lot of hiccups and huffing rather than outright sobbing. Luna returned the chair to Selene's craft table, and continued holding Selene until the filly cried herself out in a few minutes. "I love you, Selene." After Selene calmed enough for Luna to put her down, she replied, "I love you too, Luna. I'm sorry I am a bad pony." "Don't call yourself that. You are not a bad pony." "But I ruined the trip! Celestia won't let me go to her school now!" "That's not true," Luna told her, lying down for Selene to climb on her back. "Let's talk about it and go see Celestia." Selene climbed on Luna's back, and Luna carried her out of her room and down the hall, walking slowly to give them time to talk before they reached Celestia. "You aren't a bad pony. Never call yourself that," Luna told her. "You are a good pony who made a mistake. All ponies make mistakes. You do, I do, Celestia does. Everypony." "Okay." "Your visit to the school was cut short, but we can try again. Of course, that's up to Celestia. Let's hear what she says." "Okay." "I also know there is something you want to ask me. You were on the phone earlier when I was sleeping, weren't you?" Selene became anxious. "Yes." "So, what would you like to ask me?" It took some hesitance, but Selene forced the question out of her mouth. "Can... can Melodía and Ivory come with Princess Twilight so they can visit me too?" "Of course." "Huh?" "Of course," Luna repeated. "They are welcome to visit the castle with Twilight. I would love to see the four of you together." "Really, Luna?" Selene asked with a noticeable lift in her spirits. "You'll let them visit? After I ruined the school visit?" "Dear Selene, I will never punish you by disallowing you to see your foster parents," Luna promised. "We don't have to tell them what happened today. We can sweep it under the rug. You need to apologize to Celestia - sincerely - and this can be over." A bright smile showed on Selene's face and she joyfully hugged Luna. Luna began walk faster until she was galloping down the hallway, much to Selene's enjoyment. She carried Selene out to the gardens, where they found Celestia enjoying some moments of peace. Upon hearing them coming, Celestia picked her head up. "Sister, are you taking a break from court?" Luna asked. "I needed to re-discover my sanity," Celestia half-joked. "What do you need?" Luna lowered herself for Selene to climb off her back. Selene did and, despite her nervousness creeping back, stood directly in front of Celestia. "Yes, Selene?" Celestia said in her gentlest voice. Selene glanced at Luna, who was, surprisingly, sporting a small smile instead of a serious frown. She turned her attention back to Celestia and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for ruining the trip to your school. And I'm sorry for having a tantrum." "That is a good apology, Selene, and I accept it." Selene looked at the ground and began brushing her hoof back and forth again. "Selene, if you would like to ask Celestia a question, you should let her have your attention," Luna reminded her. Selene uttered a low sound and brought her eyes back to Celestia. "What is it, little one?" "Can I still come to your school? And see the cafeteria?" "Another day, yes." "Do you... do you... do you... still love me?" Selene asked softly, though audibly enough for both sisters to hear. Celestia nodded. "I do. Luna and I love you a lot." Selene finally smiled again, and it stayed this time. Luna was going to return with Selene inside the castle, but Celestia insisted they relax with her. Luna lied next to her sister and Selene rested under Luna's wing on the opposite side. She quickly fell asleep as the older ponies watched her fondly.