The Princess and The Seamstress

by PortalJumper

Lesson The First

The Princess and The Seamstress

Chapter 4: Lesson The First

"Sister, I'm going out tonight," called Luna from the door to the Throne Room. Celestia was taking care of some last minute business with her Royal Advisors before she turned in for the evening and Luna wanted to make sure she knew her plans for the night.

"Hm? Where to?" asked Celestia as she waved her advisors out. "There hasn't been any monster activity around the land for the past several weeks, and you and I both know that that's the only time you ever like to leave the castle during your duties."

"Well, that's just it; things have been so calm and boring that I'm getting a tad antsy just staying here all the time. Surely you understand, what with how busy your schedule keeps you. Sometimes a mare just needs to get away."

"I can certainly empathize," Celestia replied as she and Luna walked the long hallway out to the castle foyer. "Ruling and managing a nation can be quite the chore. Do you know what my advisors were just discussing with me?"

"Please, indulge my curiosity."

"Floral arrangements for the School for Gifted Unicorns," Celestia answered with a huff. "Apparently they want me to sign off on the change-over from blue tulips to red ones. Since my name happens to be on the building, they assume that I have to have the final say on all things relating to it."

"Then maybe you should change it to 'Luna's School for Gifted Unicorns.' It has a certain ring to it, don't you think?"
"Sister, I would love nothing more than for you to take over that particular bit of bureaucracy for me, but the Headmistress will have none of it. Abacus Cinch is a tight-hooved mare and absolutely loathes change. Also, and this stays between you, me, and the rug," Celestia continued, "she is still wary of your presence in royal and domestic affairs due to your... history."

"Then you can add her to the ever-growing list of ponies that still mistrust me," Luna said. As hard as she tried to keep her voice even when discussing her past, she could always feel her throat catch a little. She sunk her head a tad lower and focused on her horseshoes.

"Luna," Celestia began, "you and I both know that you're trying your best to make amends. Frankly, I think you've done marvelous work in adjusting to the modern era, but some ponies aren't so quick to forgive and forget. It'll take time and work, but the ponies of Equestria will come around."

She had heard Celestia give this little speech seemingly every day since she had been cleansed, and every time it sounded less and less true. It had been nearly five years since she had returned, and yet even at formal events she could feel the cold glares and the hushed whispers as she passed by. The clinical judgement from ponies that couldn't possibly know how she felt had been wearing on her soul, and before she could stop herself a question slipped out.

"Celestia," Luna asked, "why did you do it?"

As if she had flipped a switch, Celestia stopped dead at the foot of the staircase leading to the castle foyer. Slowly she plopped down onto her hindquarters and let her wings unfurl and rest on the ground. Without so much as turning her head, she spoke.

"Luna, come sit down. There are a few things that I've been meaning to tell you about that day and the aftermath thereof and that I haven't... haven't had the strength to say."

Heeding her elder sister's request, she sat down next to her. Slowly Celestia wrapped one of her wings around Luna's shoulders and drew her close. Such a simple gesture, and yet Luna felt like she was a filly again.

"You know," Celestia began, "there wasn't a day that you were gone where I didn't ask myself that same question. 'Why did you do it, Celestia?' 'Why did you banish her?' 'How could you not have seen it coming?' All of these questions bounced around my skull for years and years, and every time I had to raise the moon for you I felt the old pain get re-opened. I drove myself nearly to the brink of madness trying to figure out some way to get you back, to have my darling sister back again so all the ponies of Equestria could see her for the fun, smart, and determined mare she was and not as the monster you became."

Luna glanced up at her sister and could see tears leaking down the corners of her eyes and causing her mascara to run. Gingerly she wrapped one of her own wings around Celestia's leg. Surely some gesture of affection is better than none

"But then," Celestia continued, choking back a sob, "just as I was reaching my lowest point, I left the palace grounds. I had spent many moons cooped up in our old castle, and my advisors and staff demanded that I get out and see the country. So I left and did as they had bade me; for the first time in years I traveled the entire country, from Manehatten to The Badlands and everywhere in between. I saw all the ponies going about their business, living happily, and I was incensed. 'How can they be so happy when their regent is so miserable?' I asked my advisors."

Slowly Celestia looked up towards the banner that hung above the massive front door. It showed the Seal of Equestria, with Celestia and Luna's images encircling a conjoined sun and moon.

"When I questioned my advisors," Celestia continued, "they told me that the ponies of the land weren't happy. Far from it, in fact, they were in the middle of a great economic depression and the beginnings of a famine. Apparently my self-centeredness and focus on getting you back was having an impact on the nation, and my advisors could no longer sit idly by as they watched Equestria collapse into ruin. They showed me what was happening to Equestria, and how the ponies were persevering despite my grief. They had their own troubles to be sure, but they had to struggle and sacrifice and endure through it for the sake of those they loved."

"Well, that certainly sounds familiar," Luna said. Celestia let out a soft chuckle at her sister's attempt to lighten the mood.

"It should, and it was your little tantrum that taught me a powerful lesson," Celestia answered. "I learned that sometimes the needs of the many have to outweigh the needs of the few. It's those times when a mare needs to learn to swallow her pride, her grief, and let herself become a pony others can depend on again."

"... And you're saying that I've hit that point?"

"I'm certain of it," Celestia answered. "You've been through things that no pony should have to go through, particularly at the hooves of a loved one, and I am not going to tell you that your hurt isn't justified. You have every right to feel the way you do about how ponies mistreat you based on actions nopony in living memory aside from the two of us remembers, but the time has come to swallow your pride and accept the fact that this is your lot in life, at least for now."
The two of them sat in silence for a time, taking in each other's company while Luna thought. It had been a long while since the pair of them had had an honest heart-to-heart; the last she could remember took place as the two of them fought through the skies of Equestria a thousand years prior. This was the first time that Luna had heard her sister's account of her time alone, and surely if Celestia could spend a millennia isolated with the knowledge that she could have saved her sister if she had only tried harder, then Luna could endeavor to put on a happy mask for the sake of her people and herself.

"You always have something new to teach me, don't you Celie?" Luna asked as she lay her head against Celestia's side.

"Only as much as you have taught me, Lulu."

Together they sat for a few more minutes that Luna endeavored to make stretch into infinity as they enjoyed a rare and fleeting moment of privacy. Unfortunately, if Luna knew one thing, it was that all good things must inevitably come to their end. Slowly she pulled away from her sister's warm embrace and made for the door to the courtyard; after all, she had a very important appointment and it would not do at all to be late for it.

"Have a good night Luna," Celestia called after her. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Sleep tight, Celie," Luna replied. With a thundering thud the castle door closed behind her and she walked through the courtyard to the drawbridge separating Canterlot Castle from the city proper.

* * *

Chewing her lip and gaze flitting between the clock, the door, and her stage, Rarity paced back and forth across the floor of Canterlot Carousel. Nine-fifteen, the hands read, and still Luna hadn't shown up for her first lesson. Sassy was already on her way home for the evening and it had been a slow business day to boot, so there was little chance of the pair of them being found out.

"Surely she hasn't forgotten," Rarity muttered. "She seemed quite enamored with the idea, I doubt she would have gotten cold hooves at a time like this. This summit is very important for her and the country, and it wouldn't at all be like her to renege on something this crucial!"

A sharp three knocks on the door pulled her out of her own head, and let a sharp shriek of nerves and excitement escape with her. Heart pounding, she went over to the front door and swung it open.

Clad in a heavy cloak and swiftly shuffling over the threshold, Luna made her way inside. Quickly Rarity shut and dead-bolted the door behind her before drawing all the windows shut with a flick of her horn.

"I can't thank you enough for doing this for me, Rarity," Luna began as she tidied up and took her cloak off. "This is quite the service you are rendering, both for myself and your country."

"Well, let's wait until we get started before tossing the compliments around," Rarity replied. "Now, I've spent the better part of last week going over some books I borrowed from Twilight that your sister loaned her regarding Alicornhood, so I should say I have a fair assessment of modern Alicorn culture. We'll work off of that and my own knowledge of social cues and mores."

"You borrowed them from Twilight?" Luna asked with a slightly worried tone. "She didn't suspect anything about your sudden interest, did she?"

"Slightly, but I was able to set her at ease. I told her that I wanted to design a uni-racial fashion line inspired by Alicorn culture and couture, as well as learn a bit more about the race that my best friend and her sister-in-law share, and she seemed to buy it."

"That is quite the relief," Luna answered with a sigh. "The last thing we need is Twilight investigating into this; she is far too smart and inquisitive for any half-baked explanations to hold water for long. Has anypony else asked?"

Just as her heart had eased back to a normal pace, Rarity found her pulse inching back up. She had completely spilled the beans to Sweetie Belle, and while she trusted her sister to not tell she had a feeling that Luna would not feel the same way.

"Yes," she answered sheepishly. She had already lied to Twilight, it wouldn't do at all to make a habit of it.

"Who?" Luna asked, voice cracking ever so slightly, "and did you tell them anything?"

"Sweetie Belle asked me about it the morning after we made our arrangement. I hadn't slept well that night and needed somepony to lean on, so I told her about the agreement. I let slip everything you told me, except for the part about your caretakers."

"Hmm..." Luna sighed, lost in thought. Rarity could feel her face get hot with a wash of embarrassment, like a school filly who got caught cheating on a test. The only difference is that the reputation of a Princess didn't depend on a Social Studies test.

"Rarity, I'm not angry," Luna began, "but this absolutely cannot happen again. You have to be more tactful regarding this matter, especially around your friends. Thankfully Sweetie Belle is relatively harmless and shouldn't cause much of a fuss."

The tension now cut and tossed to the side, Rarity allowed herself a moment to compose herself before drawing the curtains of her stage apart. She had had to close a half-hour earlier than usual to set all of this up, and seeing her own hoofwork helped set her at ease. Up on the stage was her prized chaise lounge chair at one end, with a medium-sized whiteboard that she used for sketching at the other.

"Well, with that out of the way," she said, "let's get down to business. Luna, if you could kindly take a seat."

"It would be my pleasure," Luna answered as the two made their way up to the stage. "I can see that you've put a bit of thought into all of this."

"Maybe a moment or two, but this is just the place setting; the entree is yet to come. Now Luna," Rarity continued as the two got settled, "I'd like to ask you a few questions, to get a good feel for what your social knowledge is and how your personality works. History texts about a mare a thousand years removed from a writer with a massive bias against their subject can only teach so much."

"Then perhaps I should track down these 'writers' and get them up to date," Luna replied with a wry grin.

"Maybe we should concern ourselves with this lesson before enacting petty revenge, hm?"

"Oh, if you insist," Luna said with an exasperated sigh. "Ask away, oh wise and merciful one."

"There, that's better. Now to get the ball rolling, what was the last major formal event you attended?"

"I believe it was the premiere of the new exhibit at the Canterlot Museum of Art, which was about three months ago."

"Mm-hmm, and what would you say your overall enjoyment of the event was like, taking into account the dining, guests and your interactions with them, and the content of the event itself?"

"The event itself was lovely, but I didn't personally partake of the buffet and aside from standard pleasantries I didn't do much socializing. I spent most of my time admiring the artwork and promptly left after the end of the event. Nopony seemed put off by my demeanor, if that is what you're wondering," Luna tacked on.

"Ah, I see..." Rarity answered curtly before putting on her red glasses and picking up a marker in her magic. She jotted down a few notes on the whiteboard in swift and sloppy cursive. "What would you say your sister thought of your performance?"

"Celestia? We didn't really have much time to chat on the way back to the castle, what with taking separate chariots and all. As far as I could tell she seemed happy, at least in the sense that I was getting out and interacting with the commoners."

"Commoners? Luna, Don't you think that term is rather... rude?" Rarity could feel the knot of worry start to form; if Luna didn't know better than to not refer to her constituents as 'commoners'...

"Sorry, I meant to say citizens," she replied with a slap upside the head. "Kibitz, Celestia's scheduling advisor, gets onto me about that as well. Please remember that, aside from the last five years, I have primarily lived in a time when such terms were both commonplace and downright expected to be used by ponies of my stature."

"Well, that's why you came to me, isn't it? So that we could iron out some of those little social wrinkles," Rarity added with a mimed ironing gesture.

"Verily I would say that it is. Shall we carry on with the questioning?"

Their lesson continued this way for a solid hour, with her asking a question and the princess answering. By the end Rarity noticed Luna getting fidgety, and decided that she had enough to work with.

"I think that should just about do it for the Q&A part of this, don't you think?" she asked.

"I should hope so," Luna answered with a huff of exasperation. "As plush and luxurious as this lounging chair is, my back is starting to cramp up and I've lost all feeling in my left forehoof."

"You do realize you could've stood up at any time, right Luna? It's not like I was forcing you to stay seated, and given your standing and magical prowess I doubt that I could."

"Rarity, I may not be up to date on most modern cultural mores, but I do have enough home-training to accept a seat that is offered." Luna's wry smile started to melt away the knot of worry that had formed in Rarity's throat, only for it to re-solidify when she looked back at all her notes on the whiteboard and the extra ones on a pad of paper she had had to pull out.

"So, what is the diagnosis? Is it terminal social degradation, or is there some slight hope of recovery?"

"You joke Luna, but in all honesty I've seen ponies with worse social problems than you have," Rarity answered as she set herself down on the stage.

"Really?" Luna asked with a ray of hope in her voice.

"However," Rarity continued, "I only say that because I am a close personal friend of Fluttershy, a pony who I'm convinced would never leave her cottage unless the world were ending outside her door. Even then, I'd put money down on her just staying holed up inside until a meteor breaks her roof open."

"Is it really that bad?" Luna asked, all the joy in her voice replaced with a dreary drone of dread.

"Well, let's go over the list I've compiled of your various social failings; you are introverted, prone to seeing ponies more as playthings than as sentient beings, you're needlessly sarcastic, you have next to no patience for the tedium that your job requires, your overly bombastic personality is off-putting to the common pony, you're quite prideful and loathe to accept help from other ponies, and that's not even getting into the problems that arise from formerly being one of the most potent evils that the country has ever seen. In addition, your current pet and self-professed "BFF" is an opossum named Tiberius and you only ever travel at night in a frankly evil-looking chariot when you can help it."

"And... these are problems because?" Luna asked with a quizzical tilt of the head. "Aside from being a former force of darkness, these traits and perceived failings are all just my personality. Also, I do not appreciate my precious Tiberius being treated as a faux pas; he's the only pet I can keep that has my schedule, and I love him dearly."

"Be that as it may," Rarity answered as she swallowed the verbal torrent she wanted to unleash on why these traits were problems, "these are portions of your personality that have to be fixed if you are to succeed at this summit and in future endeavors as a Princess of Equestria."

"Is there anything good on that indicting scrap of paper?"

"Yes, there actually is, and I was just about to get to that. Despite your numerous flaws, there are several redeeming traits you have; you wish to do well by your constituents and be a 'good' ruler, your penance over the Nightmare Moon Incident has had a humbling effect on your demeanor in general, and as I've witnessed firsthand during your first Nightmare Night you seem to be very good with children. Wish I could say the same myself, but this isn't about me."

"Indeed it is not. This little seminar has been... enlightening," Luna continued as she stood from the couch, "But unfortunately, I must be off."

"Already?! But we've barely even gotten started!" All of the plans Rarity had had running through her mind were slowly going out the window, and she couldn't help but feel slightly used.

"I'm afraid so, Rarity. While you may have a surplus of free time by being a sole proprietor and entrepreneur that can set her own schedule, I have my nightly duties to attend to; the dreamscape isn't going to maintain itself, and I have to do my nightly patrols over some of the more problematic areas of the country. There haven't been any incidences over the last several weeks, but it never hurts to be vigilant."

"I... I..." Rarity stuttered. "Oh, very well, if you must. I do have a few things I'd like to send you on your way with, though. I was hoping to use these as part of our lesson tonight, but if hopes were carriages then all dreamers would ride."

With a quick flick of the horn Rarity levitated three books from behind her whiteboard, as well as a blank notebook.

"And these would be?" Luna asked, stretching her legs out as she did so.

"Etiquette books, your majesty; when I was a filly I had such a fascination with high society that my parents sent me to a finishing school in Fillydelphia for two semesters, and these were our assigned workbooks."

"Really? And how did you like it there?"

"Oh, the school was absolutely horrid! The headmistress was a witch, the teachers were all either tired with their jobs or so strict that you cowered in their presence, and my classmates all looked down on me for being from Ponyville."

"Goodness me!" Luna gasped. "Did you at least learn anything while you were there?"

"Nothing that my parents hadn't already taught me, but I did get these three books out of it and they proved to be infinitely more useful than any of the actual classes. Proper enunciation, how to hold a conversation, even a few things about dealing with politicians; I'm sure you'll find far better use for them than I did."

"I shall cherish them, mark my words," Luna said as she took them from Rarity. "These tomes will certainly be of great use to me."

"I'm sure they will," Rarity answered with a warm smile. "Also, I've included a blank notebook for you to do practice problems in; just be sure to pace yourself or else you'll get a horrendous headache from all the writing."

"Another horror story from your time at finishing school, I take it?"

"Was it that obvious?" Rarity answered sheepishly.

"A little bit. Anyway, I've intruded upon your hospitality for long enough, Rarity. I will be sure to go through these books as much as I am able over the next week. Until we meet again!"

With her final goodbye Luna disappeared into a flash of indigo light, leaving Rarity alone in the boutique with her thoughts. She was going to have to re-arrange her lesson plans for their next few lessons if an hour was all Luna had to spare, but she felt confident that they had made some good progress that evening.

With a sigh of relief, Rarity started putting away her teaching supplies so that Sassy wouldn't have to next morning.

Comments

[Beltorn]

And here i thought, this was on hiatus. A pleasant X-mas surprise, i guess.

Merry Christmas!

[PortalJumper]

6766908

Merry Christmas to you too! And don't worry, if I go on hiatus I'll mark it as such

[NorrisThePony]

Hey, here's your review from the Pleasant Commentator and Review Group! Thank you for submitting!