One Mare's Worth

by Bookish Delight

3: Preparation

Moondancer paced nervously outside of Canterlot Castle's waiting area. While it was filled with other ponies besides herself, they might as well have been invisible, so little did she pay attention to them.

Instead, she focused on the two gigantic double doors which led to the throne room. Before the day was over, she and all the others would have an audience with Princess Celestia. Such was the Princess's open-door policy: to willingly and personally field any requests that only the crown could fill.

Given the nature of her request, Moondancer didn't feel very confident about her chances. But she had to try. In a way, the rest of her life depended on it.

She looked at her watch. It was a few seconds to four o'clock, which was when she'd made her appointment. She looked to the doors again, prepared to wait a few minutes longer. After all, the creaky cogs of bureaucracy couldn't possibly function as punctually as she did.

The double doors opened, forcing Moondancer to back up a step to avoid being hit, and a disgruntled pegasus flew out. Seconds later, a bespectacled white brunette unicorn stepped into the waiting room, rolling her eyes.

"Ugh, honestly. We already give them the sky, what else do they want?" the unicorn muttered, low enough that even Moondancer barely heard her. More loudly, the unicorn then said, "Alright, next up, four o'clock appointment. Miss..." She looked at her clipboard. "Miss Moondancer?"

"Oh! Yes, that's me," Moondancer said, stepping forward.

"Follow me."

Moondancer did so. As soon as she passed the double doors, she exhaled in awe. The throne room was even bigger, more beautiful, and far cleaner than she'd ever imagined. The stained glass windows, which brought much-needed color amidst the bright white walls, struck her fancy the most. Oddly, some bore pictures of ponies and various creatures, while others were plain and lacked design.

She wondered if Twilight had ever been in here. Perhaps she could shed some light on the peculiarity. It'd make for a good friendship conversation point—

The unicorn attendant cleared her throat, snapping Moondancer's attention forward. "I'm Raven, Celestia's aide," she said, "and I will be handling your request to the crown. Please, state your business."

That was when Moondancer noticed the biggest disappointment the throne room could have possibly offered: the throne itself was empty. She shivered. "W-... wh-where's Princess Celestia?"

Raven didn't skip a beat. "Her Royal Highness is a very busy mare, and sometimes requires personal time to rest. During this time, matters are vetted through me."

No. Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, wrong, wrong, wrong! This was all wrong! "But... but I was really hoping to talk to her!" Moondancer squeaked.

"Then I'm sorry, but you'll have to make your appointment earlier in the day next time," Raven said, paying more attention to her clipboard than Moondancer.

Moondancer could feel the familiar, tight grip of disappointment closing around her heart. "But I have class during that time!"

"Class?" Raven peered closer at Moondancer, then flipped through her clipboard's papers. She stopped on a page near the bottom, and her expression softened very slightly. "Oh! You're one of the students from our Gifted School."

"Yes, Miss Raven," Moondancer said, nodding emphatically. "Which is why she'll know me if she sees me, and this will go a lot faster!"

Raven 'hmm'ed. "You may be right. But my statements—and our rules—stand. I am not waking her up. You also signed up for a fifteen-minute appointment, of which we've now burned through half. So, I ask one last time: what is your request?"

Moondancer took a deep breath. "Well, okay. I... I just... I was hoping... I wanted to know..." Curses. She'd had a perfectly coherent set of sentences all planned out. Why did they have to flee her now? "I need to use part of the castle!" she finally blurted.

Raven raised a skeptical eyebrow. "For what purpose?"

"I... I want to have a party," Moondancer said, hating the words the second they left her lips. 'Host a gathering', 'have a social event', even 'sanction a school picnic'—anything would've been better than what she'd actually gone with.

Cringing, she looked at Raven. Raven met her with a deadpan stare. Moondancer swallowed audibly and tried to smile.

"Let me get this straight," Raven said, adjusting her glasses with one hoof. "We have taken ten whole minutes for you to ask me to use royal property to host an unsanctioned get-together that you could easily hold at your own house."

Moondancer's head drooped. "Y-Yes, ma'am."

Raven sighed. "In the name of diplomacy, I have been working on controlling my urges to say insulting things in response to… certain requests." She glared at Moondancer over her glasses. "Be grateful."

Moondancer didn't reply.

Adjusting her glasses again, Raven went on. "Needless to say, however, I am afraid I cannot grant yours. The royal wings are not for non-royal... parties." Dryly, she added, "Slumber or otherwise," before scratching Moondancer's name off of the list on her clipboard. "Good day, Miss Moondancer."

"But—"

"I said 'good day,'" Raven said, her voice tightening. She cleared her throat and gestured to the double doors. "Follow me out so that I can call for the next appointment."

"No need," Moondancer said, turning around to hide the droplets under her eyes. "The exit's pretty obvious." She walked slowly through the throne room, doing her best to hold back her tears until she was out of sight.

Halfway to the doors, she heard faint voices behind her.

"I leave for an hour, and I already see sadness in my throne room?" an all-too-familiar royal voice said. "Raven, what have I told you about—"

"But Princess, she—"

"I heard everything," Princess Celestia replied, her tone very close to sharp. Moondancer slowed her already trudging pace, trying to hear more. "She specifically asked for me, and not only did you not let her down easy, you made her feel terrible for it. When today is over, Raven, we're going to have a little talk about compassion."

Raven snorted. "Overrated, Princess."

"Perhaps. But surprisingly effective nonetheless."

Just as Moondancer was about to push the doors, the Princess's voice called out to her. "Moondancer, please, come back to us."

Moondancer froze.

"Moondancer?" the Princess called again, sounding closer.

Swallowing loudly, Moondancer turned around. "P-P-P-P-Princess Celestia? I… I...."

She was so close. And so… big. Not… big big. But… larger than life in some way Moondancer couldn't place. It was as if she took up the whole room. Which was of course scientifically impossible, as Moondancer could see the Princess was just a few feet away; a slightly larger than average pony with wings and a horn.

And yet, Celestia still towered.

She couldn't cope, she couldn't process, she couldn't calculate her way through it: the Princess's presence was simply too much. Moondancer sat near the door, mouth working like a busted marionette's, no sound coming out.

Seeing her distress, Celestia closed the last of the distance to Moondancer, and sat down next to her. With gentle precision, she stroked a hoof along Moondancer's temple. Moondancer was filled with a warmth that spread all through her body, and she felt more relaxed. Whether it was from Celestia's magic or simple relief, she wasn't sure.

"Shhh, my little pony. Let us start this appointment over again, the right way," Celestia said, her tone motherly and reassuring. She regarded Moondancer for a moment, and her eyes narrowed slightly. Bemusement crept into her voice. "You're Twilight Sparkle's friend, aren't you?" she asked.

"I... I like to think so," Moondancer said.

Celestia chuckled. "Well, she certainly speaks highly of you when I bring the word up. You seem to be in exclusive company in that regard."

Moondancer nodded, relaxing a bit more. "Yes, Princess. That's... sort of what I'm here to try and change. I was wondering... um, If it's not too much trouble… if I could use a part of the castle to host a party? See, I've never… never had more than one friend before, and even Twilight and I don't think very much about it. But all the same, I... I want to try harder. At being a friend. To her, I mean." After a moment's thought, she added, "And a few others."

"Princess," Raven interjected, her sharp voice tensing Moondancer back up, "I find myself compelled to remind you that your 4:30 appointment is with the ambassador of—"

"Duly noted, Raven," Celestia replied, her tone indicating just how thin the ice Raven stood upon was. "I will take responsibility for any tardiness." Turning back to Moondancer, her expression softened, becoming more thoughtful.

"You know, Moondancer, a very long time ago, somepony very close to me was sent away. And not only was she sent far enough that I could never reach her again, but it happened so suddenly that I could not even truly say goodbye."

Celestia sighed, and Moondancer wondered if she was supposed to be hearing this. It felt… personal. And important.

"I never quite got over that loss," Celestia continued. "You see, she was my only friend in what we felt to be a cold and harsh world. In fact, for many years we worked to make that world warmer and kinder." Celestia smiled sadly. "Then, almost before I knew it, she was… gone, and I found myself with an entire realm to run. Alone."

Celestia closed her eyes. On some buried instinct, one that circumvented her awe, Moondancer leaned toward her, resting a hoof on the Princess's foreleg. Celestia opened her eyes, smiling at Moondancer's gesture. With a deep breath, she finished her story.

"And lonely it was—because for a long time, I made it so," Celestia admitted. "I sequestered myself in my castle, attempting to rule Equestria without truly getting to know the wonderful ponies who lived there with me. After all, what would happen if I let one of them get too close, only to destroy what little joy I had left?"

Moondancer nodded. "I get that," she said, slowly. "But... what did you do?"

Celestia's smile regained its warmth. "I decided that I had had enough of being sad, and organized an Equestria-wide gathering," she said. "Anypony who wished to come, could. And on the dawn of the appointed day, I reintroduced myself to my domain by raising the sun in front of everypony, and allowing them to celebrate and enjoy themselves in Canterlot for the summer solstice as they saw fit."

Celestia rose, and walked over to one of the stained glass windows, which showed herself raising the sun in front of a crowd of gathered ponies. Moondancer followed her over. "'Reintroducing' myself to my subjects hence became a tradition of refreshment for me every year," Celestia said, gesturing to the window. "It came to be known as—"

"The Summer Sun Celebration!" Moondancer squealed, in excitement. "I had no idea and oh no, oh my gosh, I'm so sorry for cutting you off, Princess!"

Celestia giggled. "Do not fret, Moondancer. I am glad you know your history. The point is, I know what it's like to be scared to befriend an entire kingdom—and that a small group of ponies can be no less frightful. But the anniversary of my greatest sadness was transformed into a day of joy for myself and everypony else, all because I allowed myself to make friends once again." Her eyes twinkled in the colored sunlight that shone through the windows. "If I can bring that same joy to other ponies as well, then so much the better."

Moondancer gasped. "You mean..."

"The west wing of the castle courtyard is yours for the weekend," Celestia said. "Leave the arrangements to me."

Moondancer barely heard the Princess. Her body moved on its own again, this time rushing into Celestia's embrace, and tearful sobs mixed with words of heartfelt gratitude. Celestia, for her part, simply held Moondancer until she calmed down.

"You are most welcome," the Princess replied. "However, Raven is correct in that this is something not normally done." Celestia peered close to Moondancer. "In other words, you should make the most of it. Invite who you wish, but be sure not to exclude those most special to you."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Moondancer said. "Especially not now that you've given me this chance. Thank you, Princess," she said, letting go and wiping her eyes. "I won't let you down. Or myself, for that matter. Not anymore."

"Exactly the words I would expect to hear from one of my gifted students," Princess Celestia said. "I wish you the best."

---

"Are you kidding?" Minuette squealed, as she looked at the invitation. "Of course we'll come! Right, girls?"

Twinkleshine and Lemon Hearts nodded energetically.

"This is exactly what we were talking about," Lemon Hearts said. "I can't believe Princess Celestia's letting you use the castle!"

Grinning, she scoffed at Moondancer. "And here you had yourself convinced nopony would care! This, right here, is total proof that ponies do."

Moondancer smiled and blushed. "I... I couldn't have done it without the three of you. I haven't known you nearly as long as I have Twilight, but I really feel like you're just as close to me as she is. Thank you so much."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Minuette said. "Speaking of Twilight, what did she say? You invited her, right?"

"I haven't been able to reach her," Moondancer said. "But I did get a hold of Spike and give him two invitations. He told me he already knew the perfect gift to give me." Her blush managed to get redder. "I tried to tell him not to go through so much trouble, but he wouldn't take no for an answer."

"That's 'cause friends don't take no for an answer," Minuette said, nudging Moondancer's flank. "Especially when it's a chance to help each other out. We'll make sure Twilight knows, too."

"I'm sure everyone you ask will show up," Twinkleshine said. "Your party's already got everypony at school talking. They all want to get to know you! And I know we can't wait to see you there. It'll be a blast!"

Moondancer smiled a rare, and genuine, smile of joy. "And I can't wait to see all of you," she said, excitement fluttering in her chest.

Comments

[Magatsu Orpheus]

It's all falling into place... Everyone, prepare for incoming heartbreak!

[Thought Prism]

a slightly larger than average pony with horns and a wing.

This is the most hilarious typo I've ever seen.

[Magical Trevor]

6312840

[MustacheMerlin]

Why does this have to happen?!
img07.deviantart.net/9cb1/i/2012/015/4/d/crying_pinkie__by_freefraq-d4mey7s.png

[Nalis Faber]

6313350 It's sad because we already know the ending. This is just adding salt to the wound.

[SebasMarolo]

And not only was she was sent far enough that I could never reach her again,

You don't need that second one, and ouch.

[PonyAmorous]

Was about to yell at Celestia for setting up Moondancer when she was planning on sending Twilight to Ponyville, until I remembered that the party was the day BEFORE she got sent off. Maybe Celestia intended her to go to the party and form Elements of Harmony team out of her Canterlot friends?

[Bad_Seed_72]

Frick, my heart is already breaking. Why do you do this to me, Bookie?!

[Jordanis]

This is cruel, Bookie. Cruel to everyone involved. Well done.

[AzureKitez]

You are an evil person the feels are real TT_TT
On another note where's Lyra? If i remember the episode right minuette said that lyra was part of their close group of friends from their time at celestia's school

[Emperor]

Celestia doesn't quite come off all that great here, if only because she's setting Moondancer up hard with this. She should know Twilight's obsessive personality and unfailingly devotion to the Princess all too well, and so the timing of her letter would see Twilight completely ignore the party and go straight to Ponyville. Her 'make some friends' line too, unless she meant for Twilight to reconnect with the Canterlot Six, and Twilight completely misinterpreted that.

Since Luna's supposed to return right away, I see Celly does start to wax nostalgic about her sister all of a sudden too.

[Quizer]

Wow, these commenters have no faith in you, do they? Obviously, this is not going to go the way it did in canon, especially not after Moondancer had that talk with Celestia, right? Right?

I was actually briefly surprised when Celestia showed up after Raven was so mean to poor Moonie... The wheels of bureaucracy obstructing the protagonist is such a common trope, my brain didn't even question it, even though this is Equestria, and Celestia can be expected to know what is going on, if not anywhere and everywhere, then at least right under her nose. I expected the plot to continue on by Moondancer going back to her other friends and them coming up with something together, but this pleasantly surprised me.

[GoddessOfCarries]

And I thought I could have some faith in Raven after all but nope, she's a confirmed bitch alright