Chapter 43
Early in the crisp October morning, the royal chariot approached the outskirts of Ponyville. At Celestia’s request, no grand ceremony was planned for her entrance, nor was she even to be seen coming into the town so conspicuously. Of course the townsfolk had been notified—some would say warned—that she would be coming to live there, but the exact time of her arrival was not made public. “I don’t know what all the fuss is about,” she complained to Luna, “it’s not like I’m a Princess.”
“What is this fuss you refer to?” Luna wondered innocently. Celestia leaned back against the edge of the shining golden chariot and gave her sister a doubtful look. As the two alicorns stared at each other in silence, the only sound that could be heard was the flapping of the wings of the two formations of pegasus guards that flanked the chariot. The leader of the known world blinked and contemplated the statement from the shade of the giant banner of the Republic of Equestria.
Celestia sighed at her sister, and thought, “That’s it, we’ve been royal way too long.”
“After all that has occurred, it would be irresponsible for me to travel without an escort,” Luna explained with conviction. Another moment’s thought and she looked down, adding sorrowfully, “Unless you wish you had not come with royal accompaniment.”
“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” Celestia quickly reassured her, “Of course I’m glad you came, sister. You were the one who was having a hard time processing me, remember?”
“I’m learning,” Luna offered. “I hope that is not why you are leaving the capitol.”
Celestia returned in a sweetly consoling tone, “Of course not, I know it’s been hard for you to forget everything I did, but you’ve accepted me now and it’s been a joy to get to know you as a friend again.”
She tried not to show her sudden anxiety. “Shit,” she thought, “I hope it’s not still creepy when I use that voice.”
“For me as well,” Luna affirmed first, before addressing the new tension. Luna was nothing if not perceptive, and they had been through this before. “It is all right, thank you. If we do not act like it is unsettling, eventually it will not be. It is really quite good, since you mean it.”
They shared a quick reassuring smile before the white alicorn finally gave voice to her original concern. “I just want to be normal now, and to get away from politics and the capitol and just be a pony.”
“Very well,” Luna conceded. A playful twinkle entered her eye. “But I AM a Princess, and this is—how do ponies say these days?” She tossed her glittering mane and finished blithely, “How I roll.” Celestia laughed.
Too soon they were landed outside the town, and she hopped down onto the grass. “I hope you will visit soon,” Luna said.
Celestia turned one eye to her sister—come to think of it, why did she always do that?—and quipped, “Better yet, you visit me, you never take a break! Honestly, part of what’s so great about the night is sleep.”
The Princess answered seriously, “I will rest when the world does not require my attention.”
Celestia knew she would never beat her little sis in a straight-face competition. “Come here,” she invited, turning back to the chariot. They rested their heads fondly on each other’s shoulders.
“I will feel you every sunrise,” the night Princess said in farewell.
“And every sunset,” returned the sunlight mare.
Celestia pulled back and the chariot rose up to join the hovering squadrons on its way back to Canterlot.
She walked into town as unobtrusively as a great alicorn can, but the mayor still managed to intercept her before she could find her home. The long-time ruler had learned the tells and mannerisms of politicians, and could usually spot empty formality. It DIDN'T take her trained eye to see the fear behind the mayor’s cheerful greeting. The well-intentioned mare’s hastily assembled posse hid behind their leader, except for one colt whose scowl was quite genuine.
“Welcome to Ponyville! We are honored to have such a distinguished figure join our little community,” she claimed. “If there is anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable, please let me know. You can usually find me in the new town hall, but if I’m not there any of these ponies will know where I am.” She gestured to them, and immediately they began to sweat.
“I hope you can do one thing for me,” Celestia remarked.
“Yes?” the mayor piped.
“Try to relax,” the vaunted newcomer requested. With effort, she eliminated any hint of sarcasm and vowed, “I promise not to destroy the town.”
“Again,” the surly colt snapped. The mayor’s jaw dropped and her eyes bugged out over her glasses.
The regretful harbinger nodded to the bold one. Everyone knew that the Empress’s war machine had burned most of the place, but no pony was aware that Celestia had aided in the evacuation. Luna had asked the Senate to use army engineers and weapons funding to rebuild the ravaged areas, and Ponyville was back on its hooves again. With the newly united state, the town was no longer under the curse of the border.
“I’m not here to cause trouble,” she said, “and I won’t require much. Really, I can help any time you need.”
There was nowhere for the conversation to go, thankfully. Taking her leave, she found Peaceful Way and moved down the homely but pleasant row of houses. Inevitably, there were a few frightened eyes peering out at her through blinds and shutters. She followed the street to the end of the row, where one yellow house stood a space apart from the rest. It was an average home aside from the size of the doors and windows.
She was surprised to see two strange pegasi drop down to meet her. The blue-maned colt addressed her solemnly. “You may have noticed that some ponies don’t want you here. I just wanted to let you know, we don’t all feel that way. If Luna forgives you, so do I.” His purple and green mate forced a smile and nodded.
Celestia could only reply with a sincere “Thank you,” and the pair was on their way. “Perhaps,” she thought, “It wasn’t a mistake to come here after all.”
She opened her freshly-painted blue door and took a second look at its size. It was comfortably high and unnecessarily wide. “I’m big, not fat,” she complained. She entered and examined her new living arrangements. It was not luxurious but she would get used to it. The country fashion of the décor did not particularly appeal to her, but all of the furniture was adequately proportioned.
She looked out the broad front window, suddenly realizing she was still being watched. Who thought this was a good idea? It was probably so she could see the sun, but privacy was her greatest luxury at this point, and she quickly closed the drapes. She took a deep breath, finally relieved.
She turned and her relief disintegrated at the sight of another window, of sorts. A terrible creature stared intensely at her from a polished silver surface. She looked down, shying away from her own face in the mirror. What she had just seen was not only her body, but a symbol that meant so many things to so many ponies. To many it meant fear, greed, and abuse.
She wondered what it meant to her now. Those two pegasi were willing to see her differently because of Luna. Her sister, and those friends she had encountered, forgave her because she had really changed. There was one who forgave her first; he was the reason she had changed. Before she was better he drew her, and liked what he saw. With that thought, she looked up again and smiled at herself.
She caught herself before she went further down a road that led to foolish emotions that might mess up her new life. Luna was right, she should move on. She should not have made such a rash suggestion to Trixie. Celestia made up her mind to apologize to the stage magician for puffing her up with false and reckless hopes. The alicorn slowly understood that she should use mail, paper mail that would be physically carried to Canterlot, just like any normal pony would use. Looking around, she found a quill and paper, but the inkwell was empty. She would have to send a servant—no, she would have to send herself to go get ink.
“Mail! I have a mail box,” she blurted to no one. She stepped back outside and approached the first mailbox she had ever used. Her anticipation rose. Could there be anything for her? She opened it, and there were several envelopes, as if they had just been waiting for her.
She opened them on the spot, one after the other. She groaned as she sifted through several ads for public relations firms. Worse, there was an offer for an advertising deal. She buried her hoof in her face as she read, “Buy Celestia?!” What were they trying to sell, anyway?
Sunscreen, apparently. “I’m sure all the hairless ponies are dying to get their hooves on some politically charged, ironic sunblock,” she mocked.
Such garbage never made it through royal communications. Then again, there was a note that also would be filtered out that she would not wish to miss. It had colorful hearts and smiles around the large, sloppy words:
“Dear Princess Celecita—”
“Celecita?” she repeated, and an image forced its way into her mind’s eye. An alicorn mamacita wearing a huge sombrero was shaking a pair of maracas and began to belly dance—thought deleted. Back to the letter:
“I am happy you are coming to Ponyville. Swats says you are bad, but I think you are pretty. I want to be a Princess. Maybe we could be Princesseses together.
love Buttercup”
Well, that was sweet. There was another letter, maybe it would also be sweet. She read:
“Dear Celestia,
Welcome to Ponyville. I hope you can enjoy your stay and work out your problems. On behalf of the parents I must ask that you not interact with fillies. Please avoid the area of the school. Also avoid going out around 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. when students are walking to and from school. Enclosed is a map on which the school, playgrounds, and other areas of young pony activity are clearly marked so that you can plan your routes around them. Thanks in advance for your cooperation. I am sure that the signed petition in my office will not have to be used.
Thanks,
Cheerilee
P.S. I know a good psychiatrist if you need one.”
Celestia blushed as she took it in, and when she was done she glanced around furtively. Across the street a few houses down, a door stood open. A little yellow face, probably Buttercup, smiled cheerfully from behind her mother’s legs. A protective hoof shoved the foal back inside. Celestia looked back at her mail but could still feel the parent’s withering glare boring into her. When she couldn’t stand it any longer she galloped for the door of her new house, leaving a cloud of correspondence behind her. She slammed the door and leaned back against the wood.
It was inevitable that she would still have to deal with her past here, though she had been hoping to forget that part in particular. She panted, unable to run from the memories that pursued her. But then that warm, fresh sensation, that newness, washed over her again and reassured her that she was no longer the monster they thought she was.
It was only natural that she would have to gain their confidence and show them, through patient and consistent actions, what was now true about her on the inside
She gave a near-inaudible whimper as she realized she would have to go back out to retrieve the map. She would need the map.