Tiger Stripes

by sunnypack

5 - Year 22-34: Don't be Filly, Silly

Celestia pondered the next course of action.

Luna hadn't made it easy of course, she was an expert in finding and tracking with one eye on Celestia as she entered and left the castle. The land was her domain and she knew every bit of it. It had made such moments frustrating when Luna found the striped tiger doll on a mountain peak, in a dragon’s horde, at the bottom of a lake, in the middle of a wild forest, hidden underground and even in the newly formed cloud-city, Cloudsdale.

Somewhat at a loss in how to proceed, Celestia decided a trap would be the best bet to succeed. She had cleverly disguised a simple trap with a larger, more complex mechanical trap. The mechanical trap itself served only as a distraction to a more sinister magical trap. In fact Celestia felt confident that Luna would not be able to detect the magical residue of the hidden spell she had weaved around the doll. What basis did she found her confidence on? She herself had invented the spell and delighted in its esoteric effects.

Celestia couldn't wait to see her sister try and ultimately fail. Today would possibly be the first year she would win the doll outright and the tension curdled with her excitement in a bubbling cauldron of anticipation. No more would Luna smirk and toss her the doll as a sympathy gift to ‘provide us with at least a suitable challenge’ and no more would she bow in a humiliating kowtow to acknowledge her sister’s superiority in this thrice cursed game.

No! This time would be different. Celestia would emerge victorious over the bastions of her enemy, washing in the sugary waters of her sister’s favourite beverage and laughing as she dined on her sister’s daily-allocated portion of the royal cake servings.

She had it all planned out. Painstakingly laying the groundwork. A simple pitfall trap would be surrounded by nets and the like, which in turn would be party to a two stage drop mechanism triggered by pressure-sensitive plates around the doll. Light sensitive spells were set to sound the alarm if a dark shadow around the size of an alicorn tried to slip past and finally, the sinister original spell conceived by the Princess of the Sun lay waiting as the last line of defence.

Celestia clopped her hooves in glee as she thought of this and couldn't help but hum a pleasant tune as she waited at her tower of the castle. Below, in the courtyard the doll sat innocently, surrounded by infernal contraptions.

Celestia did not have to wait long before she spotted Luna, peeking around.

Luna unfortunately, immediately spotted Celestia observing and waved a merry hoof before diving into the task of avoiding her traps, unfazed.

Celestia gasped as she watched her sister turn into a dark mist and drift over the majority of her traps. THAT WAS CHEATING! She stomped a hoof in frustration but calmed herself. No matter there was still the pitfall, oh for the love of- okay at least there was the press- oh really?! No matter how many times Celestia saw it, she could never understand how her sister was so good at dodging traps and obstacles, while Celestia tended to disable physical traps with her magic, her sister preferred acrobatics or some physical transformation.

For now, all of Celestia’s traps lay in disarray, disarmed and impotent.

With a flash, she teleported in front of Luna and stared her down.

“Doth thou want to begin a trial of arms?” her sister asked innocently, even going so far as to batter her eyelashes.

Celestia opted to snort and rub it in later.

“Luna you are only making this hard on yourself, give up now and you will suffer no repercussions,” Celestia declared a smug grin plastered on her muzzle.

Luna rolled her eyes, “If thou is as proficient in traps and the like than thou is with our language, then we have nothing to fear.”

She touched the doll and the spell instantly activated doing two things that neither of the princess expected.

As Celestia had expected but Luna had not, the age regression spell activated and turned Luna into a filly alicorn.

Unfortunately before Celestia could say anything witty in the form of a victory speech, the spell due to being of a fundamentally different nature to known magic bounced back from the dispelling enchantment that Luna had erected before-hoof, which Luna expected but Celestia had definitely not.

The result was Celestia joining her sister Luna as another little alicorn filly.

Unfortunately for both of them the bouncing interaction between the dispelling spell and the age regression transformation spell had resulted in a very loud sound, akin to an explosion and guards had rushed outside to see the commotion.

Of course the guards had a rough idea what had gone on, seeing the tiger plushie and they decided to have some fun, much to the chagrin of the two princesses.

“Excuse mineself, young missus but thou hast trespassed on royal grounds, where are thine guardians?” one of them sniggered, barely containing his mirth.

Celestia pouted which looked absolutely adorable on her small face.

One of the guards reached out and pet her until she swatted his hoof away.

“You should know my name is Celez- Celestri- Say-lex- ack-“, she replied but almost bit her tongue with the difficulty in pronouncing her own name.

Luna gave a severe scowl, which was intended to intimidate but just made the guards coo at her.

“And we are Woo-Wo-W-WOONA!” she yelped, also unable to say her own name properly. She sat cradling her head in embarrassment as the guards hooted and broke out into laughter.

Celestia leaped in front of Luna facing off the guards.

“Don't bully my little sister!”

The guards were in hysterics.

Celestia and Luna crossed their hooves and glowered at the guards.

The guards fell to the ground clutching their sides.

At until Celestia casually reminded them that if they did not cease and desist immediately, some payments to some guard-ponies may somehow be reduced, mysteriously. The guards were all business after that.

As they made their way through the castle, enduring the fawning of the maids and nobles alike, Luna leant towards her sister.

“We are never to speak of this again,” she whispered intensely.

Celestia nodded.

“Not even after a thousand years,” she replied solemnly.

-----

Over a thousand years later…

“Luna do you remember the ti-“

“No.”

“But I haven't eve-“

“NO.”

“Bu-“

“NO!”

“Luna-“

“NO! You promised! No!”

“WOOOONAAAA!”

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

-----

That year they both agreed that no pony really won the doll.

Author's Note:

There are probably some shocking errors as I haven't proofread much but it is out and I loved making this chapter!

Awww Luna and Celestia are adorable fillies and the reaction of the castle staff are always a plus.

What situation will Luna or Celestia get into next time?

Find out in the next chapter and as always, thanks for reading!

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