The air was still, tension throughout the entire banquet hall. Princess Celestia could only stare at the pony she faced. Confusion, mixed with genuine shock adorned her face. Her muzzle wrinkled as she struggled to find the words. Her eyes darted around as all the other eyes of the hall were cast upon the pair.
The tan pony only stared back at the alicorn of the sun. It was a simple question from the Princess, a question that she didn’t expect vitriol from. This banquet was put together to celebrate the efforts of the palace staff. Here was the groundskeeper looking up at her. “C-Could you repeat that my little pony?” The princess asked the groundskeeper, the tan stallion with the graying mane accompanied by an incredibly rare stutter coming from the mouth of the solar diarch.
“I said, I hate you.” The tan stallion replied, his brow deepening as he continued to speak.
Princess Celestia looked around, to her fellow royals. Luna, her sister, was in the same amount of shock as Celestia was. Cadence was just as confused as her husband Shining Armor, and finally Twilight, her former student turned princess couldn’t comprehend what she just heard.
Luna was the second to regain her bearings and was quick to jump to rage. “YOU UNGRATEFUL-” She was quickly cut off by her sister’s hoof.
“Luna,” Celestia began, her attention turned toward her navy blue counterpart. “Rage will not solve this problem.”
“It ain’t a fucking problem.” The groundskeeper swore, which caused the entire banquet hall to experience another shock.
Princess Celestia, ever the peacekeeper. Turned back to the tan earth pony, with the patience of a mother began to speak. “My little pony-”
“Stop that.” The groundskeeper interrupted the princess. If it were the olden days, he would have already been thrown into the dungeon. However, it wasn’t and Princess Celestia was focused on the present.
“Stop what?” The princess of the sun asked with sincerity.
“That ‘my little pony’ shit. It’s condescending, because I’m only little to you.” The groundskeeper replied, “To everypony else, I’m of average size. I’m above average in some cases.”
Princess Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but the words failed to reveal themselves. She looked around as her ears swiveled and saw ponies murmuring, mostly in agreement. Her jaw snapped shut, she had to consider her words very carefully. She bowed her head, “I apologize.” She said to the tan pony. “What would you like me to address you as?” She asked him.
“How about by my fuckin’ name? I’ve been working here for about 12 years now. You’ve seen me daily, working in and tending to your gardens. You should know my name by now.” The pony replied.
“Of course I do.” Princess Celestia started, “It’s…” She faltered, she couldn’t come up with an answer, surely after all this time. She must have known the name of her groundskeeper. She looked down at him, the expression on his face whilst it was originally anger, it now turned to disappointment and sadness. She scanned his face, the wrinkles of age started to form around it. Something she envied at times, her eyes traveled down to his cutie mark. Surely that would give her a hint?
However the event was black tie, and he had shown up in a full three piece suit. Cadence looked to her adoptive aunt, “Auntie?” The princess of love broke Princess Celestia’s train of thought. “Are you okay?”
“No.” The princess of the sun turned her attention to Cadence and answered her niece.
“Yeah, that’s about what I fuckin’ thought.” The tan stallion looked to the ground. “We’re all important enough as a group to have our efforts celebrated. But I’m not important enough for you to know my name.” The groundskeeper looked back up at the rulers of the country he made his residence in.
His weathered blue eyes, locking with Princess Celestia’s purple eyes. Guilt wracking her violet orbs, while his. Only conveyed tiredness, and disappointment. He sighed, and turned away. Slowly walking to the table of drinks, grabbing himself a glass of punch with careful dexterity from his mouth. The red liquid filling the flimsy, ice-filled plastic cup. Grabbing the cup with one of his hooves after returning the ladle to its original position. He made his way out into the garden.
Hours had passed, the party had came and went. The rest of the staff left before the clock struck midnight. Princess Celestia, still rooted to the spot where she was confronted. Her mind still turning like a wheel to a wagon. The other royals to their credit helped facilitate the party afterwards.
“Sister?” A voice of concern was raised from the princess of the night. Celestia turned to see Luna, her younger sister out of her formal dress and now in her regalia. Luna’s attention however was not focused on Celestia, but instead on the garden. “He’s still out there.”
Celestia’s head raised, her brow furrowed. She was positive that he was gone by now, she wordlessly moved to join her sister. She gazed out the window to see that the stallion that proclaimed his hatred for her had in fact never left the garden. He sat on a stone bench, a plastic cup now empty nestled next to the tan stallion, who just looked as sullen as the gargoyles that accompanied one of the prizes of the palace.
Without another word spoken between the sisters, Celestia moved to the door that separated the inside from the out. Luna spoke, “Sister-” She was cut off with a look from her elder sister. One of sadness, Luna gently closed her mouth and nodded slightly.
Celestia continued outside, the comforts of shelter departing her. The night was cool, the sky painted wonderfully by her sister. Her focus wasn’t on the night, but on the stallion of the garden. Slowly but surely she put one hoof in front of the other, until she reached the stone bench he found himself on. She paused, looking at the stallion, he looked defeated. She gently cleared her throat, “May I sit?”
His eyes acknowledged her for a moment before he spoke, the rudeness of his previous tones all but gone. When he finally found his voice, it sounded so hollow. “It’s your country.”
However he meant it didn’t matter, she still felt a sting from those words. A cold chill emanating from her chest. Celestia swallowed, and with the softest tone she could muster, “It’s your garden.”
That gained her more acknowledgement from the stallion with a head tilt upwards. He said nothing as he moved the diminutive plastic cup out of the way. Celestia turned her back towards him and sat next to him, the chill of the stone and accumulation of condensation breaking through the thin formal dress she still adorned. The silence remained between them for several moments before he broke it, “I think I kinda know why I did that.”
She turned her attention toward the aging stallion, Celestia couldn’t muster anything other than a, “Why?”
“I guess I just wanted to hurt you, even if it was just a little bit. At least that way, you would finally remember who I am.” The stallion confessed, staring at the molded plastic in his possession. “I remember every single interaction we’ve had, even if it was for a brief moment. But in all those interactions, not once did you ask my name.”
Celestia looked down, feeling a sting in the corner of her eyes. She swallowed hard, and with a fragile voice just asked. “I didn’t?”
“No ma’am.” The stallion replied.
With that simple response, all of their interactions came flooding to the solar princess as if a dam had broken in her mind. He was always respectful, cheery, hard working, and most of all dedicated. But throughout all their interactions, she had never once asked the stallion his name. She was disappointed, mostly if not entirely in herself. Finally the tears she so desperately fought to keep hidden away, flowed.
He looked up at her, and noticed her crying. He opened his mouth, “I’m sorry.” His words once again hollow against the tamed greens and stone masonry.
She looked down at him to see him offering a handkerchief, with his gaze averted. She ignited her horn, and brought the proffered cloth to her eyes. Dabbing away the moisture, “No, it’s nothing you’ve done. In fact, I don’t blame you at all. It’s me being disappointed in myself.” The stallion looked upon the princess. “Your hard work is incredibly praise worthy, keeping these grounds looking immaculate day in and day out. Only for your name, the acknowledgement of your identity to be cast aside with the same frequency. I can only offer my apologies.”
“I just…I don’t know how I got to the point of wanting to hurt somepony, even if it was just emotionally. Especially you.” The stallion admitted.
“Excitement and happiness can turn to sadness and disappointment incredibly easy with carelessness.” Celestia advised, “Repeated moments of sadness and disappointment, turns to pain. And those in pain, want others to feel that pain. Sometimes a small amount.” Her gaze turned to the moon before she finished her thought. “Sometimes tenfold.” She turned her attention back to the stallion sitting next to her. “What is it?”
The stallion looked up at the princess, “What is what?”
“Your name.” Celestia asked him.
He looked away for a moment then back at her. “It’s Helianthus. Helianthus Annuus.”
The gears in Celestia’s mind turned and then the lightbulb ignited in her head. “Sunflower. Your name means Sunflower.”
“Yes ma’am it does.” Helianthus replied.
“The sunflower that confronted the sun.” She smiled.
“I guess so.” He concluded.