Celestia XVII

by brokenimage321

Interlude for Jazz Ensemble, "Tuxedo Junction"

All of us sat quietly as Twilight walked across the lobby of the Carousel Boutique, then started up the stairs. As soon as the door swung shut behind her, Pinkie leaned towards me, her eyes glittering.

“So, Cece,” she said, grinning, “dish.”

I glanced around the group. Rainbow Dash looked bored, Applejack watched me curiously, Fluttershy was pretending not to listen, and Pinkie waited eagerly for me to spill my guts. I grinned—I’d forgotten just how much I’d missed these ponies.

The past few days had been rather uneventful, truth be told. Luna had been giving me the silent treatment more than anything, which was always better than the alternative. And I was very much looking forward to spending a week without having to deal with her, on either a personal or professional level. We’d arrived in Ponyville on Sunday night and checked into the two suites we’d reserved in the hotel. I would’ve snuck out right then to go see Twilight, but Luna took a seat by the fire, with her front door hanging wide open, and pulled out her sewing. From where she sat, she had a clear view of my door, and I couldn’t figure out a way to sneak out without her noticing. I spent so long waiting for her to go to bed that I fell asleep myself.

The next morning, Luna put on a pith helmet and matching khaki blouse and skirt, then disappeared into the forest. I, on the other hoof, spent the day shaking hooves and kissing babies. As much as I hated to admit it, I could tell I was already on thin ice with Luna, so I had to put in my due diligence. Had to show that I could be the Princess she wanted, if I cared enough.

But you bet your hooves the second Mayor Mare clocked out for the day, I was practically pounding down Twilight’s door. She must have been waiting for me, because she opened it immediately. She smiled at me, and then we just hugged each other for a long, long time.

“I missed you,” I said, my voice thick.

“Me too,” she said. “But you’re here. For now, at least.”

Half an hour later, the others started showing up, and we had a bit of a party. I ordered pizza on the Royal expense account, Rainbow tried to convince Rarity to go get a couple six-packs for all of us, and Pinkie insisted we play at least one round of “Pin The Tail On The Pony.” It very nearly turned into a full-blown slumber party, until I mentioned that Luna would crucify me if I wasn’t back in my suite at a reasonable hour. I had dropped enough hints that something big had been going on at the palace, and one or two of them even asked for details. But, we all knew how Twilight felt about her grandmother—equal parts profound respect and abject terror—so I’d just told them “Not now. Maybe tomorrow.”

And now, tomorrow was here. Today—Tuesday—was my only real obligation of the week. That afternoon, after everyone got out of school, we had an appointment to drop by Rarity’s and see what she’d done with our Gala dresses—and, she’d said, she might even schedule a fashion show for us on Thursday or Friday, if things went well. After we all arrived, she started bringing us up to her workroom one at a time, to keep our measurements confidential or something. Everyone had gone except Twilight and me, and I could tell that the anticipation of what I had to say was killing the rest of them.

And, at last, Rarity had called Twilight up. And now, with her out of the room, I could finally tell them just how evil Luna had been to me.

And so, as Pinkie put it, I dished.

I told them what it was like living with Luna. I told them how cruel and petty she was. I told them how hard she rode me, how much she hated when I even looked at her sideways. In short, I gave them a guided tour of the special sort of hell my life had become since that fateful morning in June, when everything had turned upside-down.

When I finished, no one spoke for several seconds. .

“Damn,” Rainbow said finally. “Almost makes you wish we’d just finished her off when we’d had the chance.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy cried. “That’s—that’s—that’s so mean—!”

“Why?” said Rainbow. “It’s true.”

“That might be taking it a little far, Dash,” AJ admitted. “But th’ Princess sure don’t sound like she’s takin’ pains to be civil, neither.”

“That’s the frustrating part,” I interjected. “She’s obsessed with civility and respect, but, whenever it comes to me, she’s just—"

“A total party pooper?” Pinkie offered, giggling.

“Pretty much,” I said. “I mean, I don’t know what’s wrong—I get good grades…”

“Decent,” Fluttershy corrected me.

“Decent,” I admitted. “Which I think is pretty good, considering I have to get up at five every morning to raise the sun, and do well in school, and deal with her nonsense...”

Suddenly, the door to the stairway opened. We all looked up. Twilight stepped through the door and walked quickly towards us, head down, and squeezed into an empty spot on the sofa between Applejack and Fluttershy. A moment later, Rarity staggered into the doorway.

I swallowed. Haggard. There wasn’t really another word for her look. Her mane was disheveled, her glasses askew, and her yellow measuring tape hung limply around her neck. As she leaned on the doorframe, she reminded me of nothing so much as a painting I’d seen once: a medieval portrait of some queen or other, being led to her execution with a rope around her neck, a look of defeated resignation on her face.

“Cece,” Rarity said simply, “You’re next.”

I swallowed, then stood. I paced across the floor and ducked inside the doorway, squeezing past Rarity to fit in. I climbed the steps, then let myself into the workroom.

Rarity’s workroom was circular, much like the rest of the boutique. Sketches and fabric swatches were pinned against every wall, and fell across much of the floor. Against one wall stood Rarity’s sewing machine, a hoof-pedaled antique, with several baskets of thread on the floor beside it; against the opposite wall stood Rarity’s bed, more patterns and fabric swatches scattered on top of it like autumn leaves. I’d been in here once or twice before, and it had always been a place of cheerful disorder, the sort of mythological chaos that gave birth to Creation..

But today, a pallor hung about the room. Something was wrong.

Rarity appeared at my side and led me silently to one side of the room, where stood seven dress forms, each draped in a pale white sheet. Poking out from under the wrappings, I could see green, and navy, and pink, and rainbow stripes…

Rarity lit her horn and pulled one of the dress forms away from the wall, then whipped off the sheet. The dummy wore a half-finished dress, held together with big, hasty stitches, the cloth in shades of maroon, and salmon, and burgundy.

“I’ve only done the preliminary sketches,” she said, her voice full of brittle, saccharine enthusiasm, “but I am quite pleased with this design.” She lifted a sheet of paper from the desk, then carried it back to me. “The swatches aren’t final. Just wanted to give an idea of what the colors will look like when it’s finished.” She handed me the sheet of paper, then took a deep breath. “Please,” she said, with the air of someone pronouncing their own doom, “Let me know if you’d like any changes.”

And then she braced herself. It wasn’t a dramatic motion by any means, but she drew back an inch or two, turned her head slightly, and bit her lip. It looked almost like she was waiting for me to physically strike her.

I watched her for a moment longer, then turned my eyes to the sketch. I studied it for several moments, eyed the cloth on the dress form, then turned back to the sketch again.

“So, what do you think?” asked Rarity, breaking the silence. I jumped a little. “It’s not too much, is it?” she added, a faint note of hope in her voice.

“No,” I replied hesitantly, “It’s beautiful, it’s just…”

Her shoulders sagged. “Not what you wanted,” she finished.

“Well…”

“You can be honest,” she added hopelessly. “Everyone else has been, already…”

I bit my lip... then nodded.

Rarity sighed and snatched the sketch away from me. “That’s fine,” she said, in a voice that very clearly indicated it was not fine. “What did you want?”

“It… really is nice,” I offered. “It’s just… I was hoping for something…” I hesitated. “Something more… plain,” I finished.

I glanced at Rarity. She looked exhausted—too tired to even be irritated with me.

“Plain,” she repeated.

I nodded. “But not ugly,” I added quickly. “Y’know, just something… ordinary.”

“Ordinary,” she repeated.

“Like, uh… ” I swallowed. “Like a moth.”

At this, she looked up at me. “Like a moth?” she repeated. “What do you mean, like a moth?”

I gestured vaguely. “You know… like a moth. Pretty when you see it, but not something that stands out, really. You have to look for it, and even then you might miss it…”

She looked up at me over her glasses. “Cece,” she said wearily, “Are you asking for a camouflage gown? Because, I can do it… that’s not even the craziest request I’ve gotten today…”

“No,” I replied quickly. “No, just…” I sighed. “Something pretty. But not something that stands out.” I scratched the back of my head nervously. “Does that make sense?”

Rarity watched me for a moment. “Perhaps,” she replied. “Let me see what I can do.”

I nodded eagerly. “Thanks, Rarity,” I said, “You’re the best.”

Rarity wearily threw the sheet back over the dress form, then pushed it back in line. I got the distinct impression that it was time for me to go. I turned and quickly slipped out of the room.

On my way back down the stairs, I noticed a sick, sinking feeling in my stomach—like, somehow, I had said the wrong thing.

Though, where exactly I had gone wrong, I couldn’t say…

* * *

Rarity’s look still haunted me that evening, as Twilight and I sat in my suite in the Ponyville Hotel. We sat quietly doing homework, while Philomena, perched on the wardrobe, preened herself. It wasn’t how I wanted to spend my vacation, but it was part of the deal, and I wasn’t going to say “no” to Princess-mandated time with Twilight.

I stared down at my textbook (14a. Integrate f’(x)={[(√x)(7x²+6)]/2} ). After a few minutes of silence, I looked up.

“But… she offered, right?” I said. “To alter those dresses, I mean?”

Twilight nodded. “She did offer. Insisted, even.”

I nodded sullenly, then looked back at my math. After a few seconds, I scoffed, then threw down my pencil. I held out one arm and clicked my tongue. With an elegant swoosh, Philomena swooped in and landed on my arm. She hopped up towards my shoulder, and nuzzled me under the chin. I smiled and nuzzled her back; I hadn’t planned on bringing her, but, as soon as I realized doing so would irritate Luna, I’d insisted. But, even so, it was… nice to have her along.

She didn’t do much to help the pit in my stomach, though...

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Twilight glance up at me over her glasses. “Taking a break,” I called. “Those are allowed, you said so.”

Twilight returned to her work without comment.

“Who’s my good girl?” I said, nuzzling Philomena again. “You are, yes you are—”

And suddenly, Philomena coughed. One long, red-gold plume dropped from her wing and fluttered to the floor. I looked sharply at her, and she looked back at me with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. I thought for a second, then grinned wickedly.

“Hey, Twi,” I said, looking up. “Fluttershy—she’s good with animals, right?”

Twilight looked up, then nodded slowly.

“Does she have any experience with…” I grabbed the loose feather and held it up. “...phoenixes?”

Twilight stared blankly at me for a moment, then her eyes went wide. “Nononono,” she said, dropping her pencil. “That’s not a good idea—”

“Aw, c’mon,” I said, “It’s just a little prank—maybe it’ll give us a laugh, help us all feel a little better…”

“Cece, please,” Twilight said, standing. “You don’t know her like I do, and I’m telling you—”

“Aw, c’mon,” I said, “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Comments

[Ice Star]

You weave episodes in here very well.

[Alticron]

Celestia is a dick to trees. (ding)

[theoldenbrony]

Cece, even the princess should no invoke Marefy's Law!

[River Road]

Awww no... Cece! Doing that as a Princess to ponies in general is one thing, but doing it specifically to an animal lover who sees you as a good friend...

[Comickook]

Again, this was a well done chapter. The characterizations and exchanges were well done, of course.

Plus, the references to "Suited For Success" ARE well done. But, Celly, no disrespect, but Twilight's right on the "'no pranking Fluttershy'" stuff. In addition to the obvious reason, Pinkie DOES NOT like it when someone tries to prank Fluttershy (just ask Rainbow and Gilda [the former was lucky she was let off with a warning/explanation]). Plus, you and Luna DO need to find SOME common ground. Applejack is right on THAT.

Again, I will very certainly be looking forward to more of this.

[Raistlin]

Sure, we all know Luna is Miss Rottenmeier from Cece's view, but I still would like to read things from her own perspective. Maybe she believes a Princess' life must be as strict as possible in order to avoid self-indulgence and abuses of power (For example, Luna was aghast when she discovered Celestia accepted "bribes" even in an innocent matter).

[PixelMoon]

“Aw, c’mon,” I said, “What’s the worst that could happen?”

No. Just no. You never say that or everything will go wrong.

[brokenimage321]

8681333
Thank you! That was one of my goals for this story.

...not gonna lie, that's one of my struggles for the "Season 2" sequel I'm planning--outside of Discord, Queen Chrysalis, and the Spring Garden Party, not sure how to involve Cece in the proceedings.

8681351
8681368
8681381
8681393
If it helps: in Cece's head, this will be a short-term, innocent prank that they can all have a laugh about and move on from, like a "Snake-In-A-Can" prank.

Of course, we all know it's not going to work out that way...

8681434
It's coming. Luna will get a chance to explain herself before this is all over.

[Level Dasher]

8681506
Like the others, I really like how you're weaving the episodes into the story, and I'm looking forward to seeing how you continue that pattern, but be wary about how far Cece goes when it comes to 'teenage' behavior. With a line like this:

I’d forgotten just how much I’d missed these ponies.

While I may be wrong, to me, that kind of line implies she should know them well enough to at least know that she really shouldn't be crossing that "Don't prank Fluttershy" line (however harmless she thinks it may be), either by her own morals or because she knows the rest of them (RD in particular) will not take kindly to it, even if she is a princess. And if Cece knows that and is doing this anyway, that's potentially crossing into her being a bitch territory, and we had a good back-and-forth about that.
And as 8681393 pointed out, AJ did say that Cece and Luna do need to at least try and find some common ground. The fact that she brought Philomena solely to tick off Luna shows that she's really not making any attempts yet. Doing more than just her due diligence as Princess would be a good place to start.

I'm not saying don't write things like this, because this is your story, not mine (and I really am enjoying it so far). I'm just saying you should be a little careful going forward. And if input like this is just going to annoy you, feel free to call me out on it and I'll tone it down if not stop completely.

Also, one little punctuation nitpick:

...she’s just—’

Full quote, not apostrophe.

[brokenimage321]

8681527
Fixed the typo. Thanks again!

Once again, good analysis. And, you're right, Cece is being immature and mean, both to Twilight (overriding her objections to pranking Fluttershy) and Luna. That's on purpose: Cece is going to get called out on it later, and she's going to see some immediate consequences in the next chapter.

[Level Dasher]

8681537
Aha. Okay then, that makes sense. Looking forward to those consequences and who's going to be dishing them out.

[Perpetually Confused]

8680058
Mind I'm relatively new to this fandom, so maybe it is common

[brokenimage321]

8681545
Ah. Welcome, then!

[Perpetually Confused]

8681554
See my user pic? That was my literal expression and literal words when I turned on the mature filter to begin on Fallout Equestria, and had not been warned about the feature box and the seeming glee some take in making she stallions.

My eyes still burn.

And thank you.

[brokenimage321]

8682319
Meaning: RD puts up a rough exterior, but she's actually a softie, in a couple different respects. We'll see some of this in a chapter or two.

[FanOfMostEverything]

Let's see. If I remember correctly...

F(x) = x^3.5 + 2x^1.5

Yeah, got nerd-trapped there.

[SWEETOLEBOB18]

“Aw, c’mon,” I said, “What’s the worst that could happen?”

You have spoken The Words of Doom

[Luna Aeterna Solutae]

8685358
Might as well be Greek to me

[stupidhand14]

f’(x)={[(√x)(7x²+6)]/2}

I forget whether or not this should have a "dx" at the end, but part of me says it should.

For any of the kiddies at home, you'd solve this by carrying over the squareroot of X, breaking it into two integrals, and solve both before combining them. The answer you'd get, after simplification, is the following:

x^(3/2)*(x^2+2)+C

Checked it with the online integration software to make sure.

[Edguy0009]

*Alarm sounds* My Trollestia Detection System is going off.

[Zuabug]

OH MY GOD, NO.

[Frosty_Rainbow]

TROLL ALERT! TROLL ALERT! TROLLESTIA ON THE LOOSE!