Missing Pages & Scrawled Footnotes

by Ice Star

Past Skies [Minific] [Discord/Celestia] [Friendshipping]

Author's Note:

A minific about young Discord and Celestia from an older one shot collection, which was moved here.

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Past Skies

Everyone|Drama

Celestia hummed as she daintily plucked the stems of flowers, which she planned to weave into her flowing pink mane after she untangled a few pesky knots that one gets when living in a state of constant adventure where little princesses could not stop to brush their manes to shining perfection as they always wished.

However, there was always a flower or two where one knew a patch of sunshine could be found. So it was there that she spent time alone - when she bothered to serperate herself from her sister and best friend at all - picking flowers in the vast meadow the three had stopped at, barely north of the desert. She had no crown to wear, which she pined for along with other small luxuries of her princesshood - fluffy pillows and well-cooked food, for example. Things like clean floors and orderly gardens with the most brilliant of flowers, so she wouldn't have to settle for anything.

She always dreamed of places like that, where glass would separate her from the storms of the world and ponies would smile at her. Celestia the markless no longer wished to be marked with dirt each time she slept and have to scrub herself in a stream each morning. If there was one, that is.

She wanted - privately, and behind a pleasant smile or thoughtful glance at their only map - all the things that Luna hadn't cared for. The bright filly just wanted a light to guide her to a road in a world that didn't match up with the map she held, not always.

Something missing, it was always something missing. A hollow feeling with smile for a balm.

She made do in a world that had lit a jaded light within her, what was she living? It felt like she was at the end of a storybook with no conclusion at all, only to wake up at page one over and over again.

But she made do. For Luna.

She picked flowers and played pretend.

Princesses played pretend.

Princesses smiled.

She may not know what she's doing to herself, just that she must follow the map, go somewhere, and always look after Luna. Celestia must change, and this is what she would change into - a filly ripping out flowers in an empty meadow to make a futile effort in crafting a crown to reassure herself of something.

Something, and only that. There was no clue to what it was, only that it might be there.

Princesses don't yank flowers from their roots.

Princesses don't get dirty.

Princesses always smile.

Princesses don't break their own rules.

Princesses put others above themselves.

Princesses are graceful and will defend their kingdoms.

Princesses have a kingdom to defend.

Princesses do not ask questions, they give answers.

Princesses tell themselves the rules over and over again.

Princesses follow those rules.

And there was a whole host of them, all almost parable-like commandments she would assert about things like manners to help remind Luna that mud was very yucky, or how she had to always stay six steps of Celestia when it was dark - mostly for the latter's sake. The elder believed every one of them in some way.

Luna didn't listen much, but not out of spite. Luna simply wasn't afraid.

Of something.

Luna wasn't the one who stood in meadows with their legs covered in dirt because she hurt flowers on purpose.

Except, they weren't much of flowers anymore, as two magenta eyes could plainly see.

Dozens of butterflies, of all colors and sizes soaring into the cloudless sky and back again so the cascading wave of pink mane was like a nest hosting many birds.

From a short distance across a bed, now flower-less, Celestia could see the wave of a paw. It was not Luna, who either snuck up on her or bounded over calling 'Tia!' with an honest grin. Luna did not have a snaggle-toothed grin.

Celestia smiled only a little bit wider - after all, she was still a princess - but at least this time she knew it was real.

If only for a moment.

Comments

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

It went from cute to disturbing-Celestia still trying not to crack up-and then the end was sweet.