What We Want

by MissPegasis

What We Knew

Luna looked around trying to look as confident as she could. A post-celebration of the solstice was in progress. Ponies crowded around her sister. They would probably surround her if she weren’t hiding on a cloud with an invisibility spell.

Buildings had become much more complex and larger. Judging by the city hall, the older style was an aesthetic choice rather than true representation of the era’s abilities. Or perhaps the fact they were using the older style efficiently represented the progress she had missed. Ponies themselves have changed as well. New objects and symbols appeared on ponies’ flanks she’d never seen and not once did she see any common ones from her time like anvils, swords, or even a few cauldrons. Her citizens also gained a bit more weight (for the better) and a lot more joy. It also seemed royal etiquette was lost somewhere. The ponies surrounding Celestia bowed, but then spoke immediately without permission to speak, they came within the Royal Circle of six feet, and they rarely addressed her as “your royal highness”. And when Celestia spoke, she did not use the Royal Canterlot Voice or offer her hoof to be kissed by her subjects. How could Celestia let such traditions fall out of practice? Luna decided only to study the new behaviors then ask Celestia about the loss of tradition.

Luna looked towards the morning sun. It had been one thousand years since she saw the sun. So many painful feelings were suddenly resurrected. It hurt her just thinking of them all. She suddenly fell.

“Aaaaaahhhh!!!!” Her invisibility spell shattered. Too spooked to flap, she fell.

“Gotcha!” Luna looked around. There was a pulling pain in her shoulders; probably caused by the gray hooves under her front legs. The pegasus pony flew over another cloud and gently set her there. Then she landed in front of Luna with a bashful smile. Luna looked at her subject. She was a gray pegasus with bright yellow eyes and a messy blonde mane. She had a large satchel strung over her neck with sweet smells coming from it. However, Luna could not look away from her eyes. Each was looking around independent of the other. When the left one finally focused on her, the right would move to the side

“I’m so sorry, miss,” she said, “I was told by my weather pony friend today was supposed to be cloudless. I know they get yelled at when they mess up so I busted that cloud so they wouldn’t get in trouble. Sorry I didn’t see you there; my eyes can trick me sometimes.”

“We would think it so,” Luna had completely forgotten being upset and was more concerned with her subject’s eyes. “Your eyes move about free of your control.” The gray mare lowered her ears and head in shame.

“Um, I know,” she immediately looked up and smiled, “But it’s okay! I’m just happy I saved you in time! My name is Ditzy by the way!” She held her hoof for a hoofshake, but Luna glared. How dare her subject ask for her to submit?! Luna flared up her wings in aggression. “Wait, you have pegasus wings too?” The anger in Luna immediately dispelled for confusion.

“What? Of course we do. How could we sit on a cloud without them?”

“That’s a good point,” Ditzy said with a hoof to her chin and a quizzical look on her face. An imaginary light bulb sprung up over her head as she grinned. Out of her bag came a white box. She broke the string binding it with her teeth and opened it. “Do you want a muffin?”

“Muffin?” Luna took the object in her magic and sniffed it. It seemed edible enough. The Princess of the Moon took a bite. Her eyes widened. “This…is amazing.”

“I’d love to stay, but I have to deliver some more things! Good bye!” With that, Ditzy left Luna smiling.

“I see you’ve made a friend,” Luna swallowed hard and turned around. Her sister was hovering by the cloud. “Tell me, would you like to meet my protégé? She’s a talented unicorn who I believe will do great things in this world.”

“Protégé? Since when hast thou taken in youths to be tutored by a goddess?” Luna asked. Celestia’s smiled twitched just a bit; only some pony as close as her sister could see that.

“Just recently,” Celestia nodded toward the ground then landed. Luna understood the signal and glided to solid ground. Celestia began walking with a high head and gentle smile. Luna followed just as regally but with a confused frown. “You see, I opened a school for gifted unicorns. Twilight, my apprentice, managed to do something in her entrance exam only a hoofful of ponies in any given century can do; hatch a dragon egg with magic.” Luna gasped. The last pony she knew who could do that was-

“Starswirl the Bearded, I know,” Celestia said, “I took her under my wing to teach her to control herself.”

“Oh my, it sounds to me this pony could even-”

“Shh,” Celestia genuinely smiled, “I know.”

Luna remembered something that boiled her blood.

“Sister,” Luna ground her teeth in an attempt to rein in her fury, “That mare I met, she presented me her hoof. I demand she be locked away for treating royalty like some commoner!”

“Luna,” Celestia sighed, “Times have changed. I do not ask for my hooves to be kissed anymore. I don’t use the Royal Canterlot voice, the Royal Farewell, the Royal Greeting, the Royal Speaking Protocols, the-”

“But it is tradition sister!” Luna spoke sternly. The older sister sighed again. Her smile faded away.

“Traditions have changed, sister. I’m sorry for changing them, but I promise to inform you of all things that have changed when we return to the castle,”

“But I want to know NOW!” Luna yelled and stopped walking. Celestia bowed her head and ears and looked at Luna with a look meant only for her sister; an expression of total exhaustion. The younger princess took a step back. “Sorry, I-”

“It’s okay, Luna,” Celestia smiled despite her tiredness, “Simply put, MANY things have changed and I promise to tell you, but here and now are not the right times.” Luna nodded as they continued on their way. Celestia stood tall and important with a gentle smile and not a hint of impatience as they made their way to the library.

Author's Note:

Hello everyone who reads this! Thank you so much for reading and commenting and liking and favoriting! On a slightly unrelated note, I always believed Ditzy's special talent (bubbles) is sudden obliviousness or forgetfulness. Luna, a princess in her own kingdom, was being treated (to her at least) in the most disrespectful and rudest way by her, but her anger 'popped' like a bubble when Ditzy asked about her pegasus wings. Caught off guard by the question, her anger was immediately forgotten.

Comments

[TheifofZ]

The core idea... isn't bad. I like where you're taking this, but it's very possible for something like this to jump the shark early, and ruin everything.

Also be careful about how you implement dramatic and dangerous moments. You're actually really good at making scenes emotive without telling us how we should feel, but you need to practice your pacing as well as your ... well, settings, really. Alittle extra time to set the scene or build up the setting you use can make a lot of difference.
Keep reading, and keep practicing your writing.

[MissPegasis]

4548497 Thank you I could be biased and say my writing is great, why change perfection? But I realize there are flaws. and to be honest, I can't see them myself most of the time so thank you for the constructive criticism

[TheifofZ]

I'd still like to see where you take this. It's a refreshing idea, really.

I mean, the way it was started felt too easy. "oh hey, everything is fixed after a thousand years" doesn't feel right, but with the resulting change in everything else, it's going to be interesting from here on out for sure.

And the butterfly of chaos flaps it's wings.