• Published 30th Sep 2014
  • 17,430 Views, 1,209 Comments

Just Roll With It - sunnypack



Ever had your Dad marry a mythical creature? Ever just wanted a normal life? If this is you and you're not me, then this is exactly what we don't want, right?

  • ...
85
 1,209
 17,430

38 - Envy

Chapter 38: Envy

Celestia glanced up as the door opened slowly, admitting a rather elderly pony.

“Princess? It’s time to— oh I see you’re already attending to your work. Good.”

The quill, which had been scratching idly on the paper, now took on a more focused movement. Equations were written, tallies were done and the columns were checked for discrepancies.

“Princess?”

“Hmm?”

“I said, what do you think of the tax laws? Surely the petition is something to be dismissed.”

The Princess hummed to herself. She read the figures again, but they didn’t seem to be sinking in.

“Princess?”

“Yes?”

“If you don’t mind me being too forward, I believe you are distracted. You’re quite absent, and we’re not getting much done. Go and take a walk. I think that will do you good.”

Princess Celestia smiled at List. Though she spoke with a sharp tongue and a primly tone, Celestia appreciated the mare’s candidness. Nopony would call her simply ‘Celestia’, perhaps excluding Luna, so Celestia made do with the little moments where they showed their familiarity through casual conversation.

She still wished they would call her Celestia.

The Princess title was something that wore off as time flew by.

With measured steps, Celestia entered the garden, her face uplifted, but her gaze pensive.

Among the usual adornments that gilded a garden, roses and hedges and such, there was a small table, with a smooth wooden chair that was most comfortable to Celestia. In her earlier years, she recalled hating this particular spot…


—————

“Tea, Princess?”

“No. Fetch me something sweet. I dislike tea.”

The servant bowed and backed away. Celestia didn’t know the name of the stallion, even though he had served with the castle longer than she remembered. She didn’t remember his name, because she wasn’t required to, and because their name barely registered as something important to the filly. A Princess was supposed to act different around her subjects.

Mother made it clear that there were commoners and there was royalty.

There was people you knew existed, and people you knew.

A very special difference, she had been told.

The servant returned with the drink and set it on the table before her. He gave an elegant bow and stepped to the side, ready to assist Celestia with whatever was required. The Princess sipped at the orange juice and watched the common ponies going about their business.

The sound of wild laughter came from a small corner of the courtyard to her right. Her ears swivelled and her gaze soon followed.

In the corner of the common square, a few foals were sitting together and having a small picnic. They were giggling and laughing and playing around. Enjoying their food, and sharing a general air of mirth that Celestia didn’t feel.

The Princess looked on with carefully veiled interest, her eyes alight with their antics.

“Princess?” A familiar voice called from the inside. “Your break is over.”

Carefully concealing her sigh—for a Princess did not show ugly emotions—Celestia made her way to List, who was waiting patiently at the desk. List was a name Celestia knew because she came here to teach her algebra, history, geography, policy, politics and magic. Celestia knew a great deal about the kingdom. She knew that Equestria was a central state, land-locked and squished between four neighbouring nations. She knew that Equestria dominated in trade and magic. She knew that there were a variety of different cultures and languages. She knew all four of the languages.

Celestia knew a lot.

As List lectured her on the processes of taxation and civics, Celestia dutifully took notes and wondered if there was anything in the world she didn’t know. Surely everything was contained here.

That was what she thought, until she met a bright creature with gentle hands and an easy laugh. Somepony that was not a pony.

But right now she didn’t want to think about him. He had been mean, and she was still angry at him. Why was he angry at her? She had only told him the truth. The truth was good, right? She had been told that in history, lying had made things hard, and it was easier in the long run to be honest.

“Princess?”

“Yes?”

“The lesson is over, please review the contents, there will be a few questions for you tomorrow.”

With a sigh, Celestia pulled away from the desk, leaving the various parchment, scrolls and quills scattered on the desk. Later, some other servant would tsk and clean up the mess. Usually she would order them herself, but right now, she wasn’t feeling up to it.

Again, she was drawn to the balcony. Her eyes sought the corner of the courtyard, where the foals had been playing. She cast around for them, but they were gone, and for some reason, that made Celestia a little sad.

No! she thought angrily. A Princess doesn’t feel this way. She is strong, just like mother. She is proud, and tall, and decisive, and royal.

A quick walk in the gardens would do her good. She would take a walk, just like her mother does when heavy things weighed on her mind. One day, Celestia would be the head of state, and she would have to brush aside these petty, petty feelings like List told her. A ruler was not swayed by her emotions. A ruler must put her nation before herself. A good ruler is strong. A great ruler is stronger still.

Celestia headed out to the gardens. There was a small secluded section that she quite liked, filled with small carvings of birds and cute little animals that Celestia hadn’t learned about yet. Surrounding her were small hedges, and the rose bushes that were recently planted. One day the scene would be very pretty, she knew, but today it was just a part of the gardens that was far away from anypony else.

She sat at the table while her silent servant followed her behind.

“Princess, aren’t you going to visit?” he said, uncharacteristic of him.

Celestia looked at him in surprise, before brushing it aside. She set her head on the table, a lock of her mane falling out of place and hiding her eyes.

“No,” she replied. “I think I’ll have dinner here.”

She sounded calm, with an air of aloofness. To anypony watching, the Princess simply looked tired from her studies.

The servant bowed and left.

He didn’t say anything, it wasn’t his place. But if he could, he would have told the Princess that he didn’t like her returning to that lonely routine of sitting at the garden and eating all alone.

Author's Note:

In this very short arc, we'll come to know a lot more about the Royal Sisters. The main story arc will continue after this short detour. Sorry for the short chapter! There will be another chapter following very shortly, if time permits.

Next Chapter: Will Time be enough to heal? Or has a rift begun to open that both can't close?

As always, my evergreen readers, thanks for reading!