Tales of Another Ponyville

by Paradise Oasis

Catch a Falling Star

"Consider it done!"

That so simple yet meaningful phrase, one she speaks so often when she agrees to grant the humble requests of her subjects. She strides among us like a goddess, trotting out of the great butterfly tent on top of waterfall. Mane of white and pink, graceful and angelic wings far longer than any of the rest of us Pegusai. She was the one who brought us together with our earth pony sisters in Ponyville, our ruler... our queen. Starcatcher, the chieftain of our beloved Butterfly Island. All of the rest of us bow, and extend our wings in reverence at the great leader's approach.

"My fellow ponies, we have recently been blessed by the visit of the princess Wysteria, the ruler of Ponyville. She has come here looking for answers, and I decree that no one is to harass her during her soul-searching time here."

There were several murmurs of surprise from the crowd, staring in disbelief at the news Starcatcher had given them.

"Wysteria is here? But how?!" Coconut Grove exclaimed. "She disappeared from Ponyville over a week ago!"

"The twinkle balloon from celebration castle brought her here, for what reason I know not." Starcatcher replied.

"But how did you know, my queen?" Cloud Climber asked, still bewildered by this turn of events. "And what's she doing now?"

"The island's butterflies told me so, the very moment that she arrived on this very island." Our queen responded. "And as to what she is currently doing, Thistle Whistle's daughter is currently guiding her deep into the jungle, to seek wisdom from the island's oldest Pegasus."

Cloud Climber should have known that, the butterfly swarm brings Starcatcher news from all over the island. That's how she always won at hide-and-seek when we were foals. There is little that escapes the queen's notice on this island, it was why we Pegasus often say our queen and the island are one.

"But Starcatcher, -tweet!- if my little girl is with Wysteria, -tweet!- then we gotta go and find them!" Thistle Whistle protested, clearly greatly concerned about her child. "They could both get hurt, or-"

"Thistle, I forbid you from following them." The queen told her sternly. "They are safe here from any danger while on this island, and this a journey that both Wysteria and your little girl must make for themselves."

We could obviously tell that didn't sit well with the overprotective Pegasus mother, but we all accepted our queen's word as law, her decisions as final. Starcatcher has always seemed like an ancient and wise pony, even when we were all little fillies and colts. She never cried or whimpered when she was little like the rest of us; rather, she was a calm and collected princess even then. Our queen has never lost her composure in front of us, we have never seen her cry or get excited. So we can never truly know what is going on in our beloved queen's heart and mind.

Often, it leads me to wonder... who are you really, Starcatcher? Beneath all that regal elegance and sophistication, what is our magnanimous monarch really like? The only face of hers we have ever known is the smiling and friendly queen who treats us all as her friends, rather than her subjects. Is that all there is to our queen? Does she not laugh... or cry... in her own personal moments, when none of us are around to see?

And this isn't just a question I am pondering, it's a very real concern. We Pegasus of the butterfly island tribe care about our Starcatcher- not only as our queen, but as our friend, as well. Many of us often worry that underneath that smiling exterior, our reserved ruler is often sad or depressed, and hides those feelings from the ponies that care about her the most. She doesn't want us to be upset that she's upset. And frankly, that upsets us a great deal.

It's ironic, that we have a royal ruler who distances herself from us, despite the fact that we want to emotionally connect with her; while the Ponyville ponies want their princess to be a distant and aloof icon. I often wonder if they would be happier with our ruler sitting in their Celebration castle, whilst we would be far happier with the more approachable and far less iconic Wysteria.

Not that we'd ever trade our beloved Starcatcher for anything in the world, of course.

But we do have an idea why our queen may be so distant to all of us, why she always keeps her serene and peaceful facade. When she was a little filly, Starcatcher's mother was lost to us. The king told Starcatcher that she couldn't let their subjects see them cry or weep for the loss, that she had to remain strong for the entire Pegasus tribe. But result is she never lets herself feel anything, ever. She always talks to us as Starcatcher the queen, not Starcatcher the friend. Only her family, and her earth pony friend Skywishes, have gotten to know the mare behind the monarch.

Her conversation with us concluded, our queen unfolds her wings and takes flight. Taking to the sky after her, I soar up beside the queen and call out to her;

"My queen, is everything all right?'' I ask, trying yet again to get her to open up. "Is there anything I can do to assist you?"

"Thank you, my loyal servant." She replies with her usual warm smile. "But everything is all right, just go about your usual business."

And wants again, I am left to ponder our mysterious queen with the strange body tattoos and mysterious eyes.

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