Orchestral Suite No. 1, "Dance of the Firebird"
“And, once again,” Aunt Luna growled, “We find ourselves having this discussion.”
The three of us—Great-Aunt Luna, Twilight, and I—stood in Loonie’s suite, just across the hall from mine. I had promised myself I could make it to Sunday without getting into a fight with Loonie—but here it was, only Thursday night, and she already looked like she wanted to tear my throat out.
I watched Loonie pace the room, wearing nothing but her Peytral. Her khakis lay draped over the armchair, her pith helmet perched on top, both covered in ash.
I snuck a glance at Twilight. She stood beside me, head bowed, looking properly ashamed. Her glasses were crooked on her face, and she had ash in her mane. I probably did, too, but there were more important things at stake at the moment. I turned to look at Luna again, mustering my most defiant glare.
Suddenly, Aunt Luna stopped, then turned to glower at me.
“Princess Celestia,” she said gravely.
“My name is Cece,” I growled.
Loonie’s eyes flashed. “I will not call you by such a ridiculous nickname,” she snapped. “You are a Princess, not a child.”
“Then why do you keep treating me like one?” I shot back.
“Because you insist on being childish,” she snarled. “On top of all your other mischief, today, you had the gall to—” She stopped, sighed, then put a hoof to her forehead. After a moment, she spoke again, quieter. “I cannot rightly apprehend,” she said slowly, “what exactly you were hoping to accomplish by giving your friend Butterfly—”
“Fluttershy,” Twilight interjected quietly.
Luna nodded her thanks. “Fluttershy,” she repeated. “You gave your friend Fluttershy your dear Philomena to take care of, on the eve of her Rebirth, claiming her to be gravely ill. If you weren’t trying to break her heart, then I have no idea—”
“It wasn’t supposed to happen like that,” I pleaded. “It was just supposed to be a simple prank. Philomena always Rebirths about an hour after she molts. How was I supposed to know she was going to hold on for another forty-eight?”
Luna shot me a scathing look. “Would it have hurt Fluttershy any less,” she said icily, “if it had happened sooner?”
“Yes,” I growled. But, even to me, the word sounded hollow.
Luna smirked a little, and I snarled back. We both knew the score. Loonie one, Cece zero.
Loonie took a deep breath. “Prank, trick, or outright lie,” she began, “there’s little difference in the end. But be that as it may, your actions against Fluttershy were bad enough on their own. But the impact they had on Rarity was simply disgraceful. Poor Fluttershy was so distressed that she missed Rarity’s fashion show, jeopardizing the whole endeavour. Further,” she added, building up steam, “Fluttershy rushed the stage in the middle of the show, scattering Philomena’s ashes all over everyone and everything present—especially on all of Rarity’s hard work.” Her eyes flashed again. “To say nothing of the fact that you took shameful advantage of Rarity’s generosity—”
“She volunteered!” I cried out. “She wanted to make us dresses! You have no right—!”
“And you have no right—!” Luna roared.
“Grandmother,” Twilight said quietly.
Both of us stopped and turned to look at her. I shot Luna a glance; buried somewhere deep under the ice and steel in her gaze, I caught the faintest glimmer of warmth. I huffed indignantly.
“Grandmother,” Twilight repeated, “I know it might not have been right to snub her work like we did…” She pushed her glasses up her nose. “But Rarity was only trying to make sure we were happy with her gifts. That’s all.”
“I understand that, Twilight,” Luna said gently. “And I can appreciate that instinct. However,” she added, turning to me again, “be that as it may, that does not give you license to abuse her generosity like you did. She made you, each of you, beautiful dresses, and you just—”
“Mine was awful!” I cried. “Did you see it?”
Luna turned and shot me a withering glare. “I did,” she said.
I stared back at her blankly. “You did?” I repeated.
She nodded. “She… asked my advice,” she admitted. “I... have something of a reputation as a seamstress, and she wanted to know what colors I would recommend. And I was the one who suggested she use that beautiful burgundy…”
I glared at her. “So it’s your ego talking, then,” I hissed.
She glared right back. “My ego has nothing to do with it,” she said. “You could have worn a pillowcase and I would have been happy for you, if only it had been honestly given and graciously received. And wear a pillowcase you very nearly did,” she added, with a disdainful sniff. “In all earnest, your dress was a travesty. Gray and shapeless—you looked almost like some feral mustang that had stumbled—”
“I looked normal!” I roared. “I don’t want to be some figurehead to be admired—I want to be like everyone else! I want to be able to live my life, the way I want, and not have anyone try to make me be someone I’m not!”
In the sudden, ringing silence, Luna’s gaze hardened. She lowered her head and stared directly into my eyes. I shrank back, but I could not tear my gaze away from hers.
“Princess Celestia,” she said slowly. “Since the moment you took the Peytral, you have been nothing like ‘everyone else.’ Now, you are a Princess. That means your life is not your own. And that you will never be normal again.” My gut twisted, and I felt my wings hanging, hot and heavy, by my side. “You had best make peace with that fact,” Luna said, raising her head again. “The sooner, the better.”
Loonie two, Cece zero.
Luna slowly straightened up, watching my expression. I glared back, counting the ways I wished I could make her suffer.
After a moment, Luna sighed.
“Very well, then,” she said, “If you insist on being defiant, then you are hereby barred from attending the Grand Galloping Gala.”
“What?!” I exploded.
“Grandmother,” Twilight cut in, “I don’t think—”
Luna stood a little taller, glaring down at me. “You do not appreciate the gravity of your situation, Your Highness,” she said, her tones dripping acid. “If you insist on kicking against the spurs, then one must make them too costly to kick. And, since it seems the only thing you care about is spending time with your friends,” she spat, “that is the most obvious screw to turn.”
“But you can’t!” I cried. “Rarity—the dresses—”
“I can’t, can I?” Luna crowed. “Well then, the answer is simple.” She sneered down at me. “Fall in line,” she spat.
“Fall in—?”
Luna grinned wickedly. “Ever since I returned,” she hissed, “You have done nothing but destroy your own position. Your subjects have no respect for you. Your guards have no loyalty. And if you insist on going down this path, Equestria will burn.” Her eyes glittered. “So,” she said, “If you really do want to be like everyone else, prove it and renounce the Peytral.”
Twilight let out a little gasp, and I stared at Loonie in frank astonishment. She simply gazed back with a smug grin on her face.
“Since you appear unable to offer even that courtesy,” Luna continued, “the choice is simple: either cease this nonsense and act like a Princess should, or I will be forced to remove your temptations to misbehave.”
She stood there staring at me, and I felt a fire building in my chest. Who was she to—? What made her think she could just—?
Luna turned away, then stepped to where her dress lay. She picked up her helmet and dusted it off. “If that is all, then,” she said nonchalantly, “I would be much obliged if you would—”
And suddenly, something inside me boiled over.
“You know what, Loonie?” I growled. “Sometimes—sometimes you’re an absolute Nightmare!”
Luna whipped her head around and stared at me, eyes wide, her helmet dropping from her grasp. Twilight clapped her hooves over her mouth. And I took a half-step backwards, my mouth hanging open in horror.
“Great-Aunt Luna,” I croaked, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“Be silent,” she hissed. I closed my mouth so fast my teeth clicked.
Luna stood there, barely moving, save for her expression. She swallowed several times without speaking as the muscles in her face twitched and spasmed. Half the emotions that I saw there had no names, but those that did—sorrow, rage, disgust, horror—and, yes, even hatred—terrified me.
Finally, after an eternity, she spoke.
“Princess Celestia,” she said, her voice barely audible.
I bowed. “Yes, Your Highness.”
She did not acknowledge my bow. “You will return to Canterlot by the next train. You will not argue this point.”
I nodded, not even daring to glance at Twilight.
“From now until the Gala,” she continued, no trace of emotion in her voice, “you will behave yourself. If you do anything more to compromise the authority and dignity of your office—if you set one hoof out of line—I will order the guards to bar your friends from the Gala, and to detain you in your chambers for the duration.” Finally, she met my gaze, and I quailed. “Is this clear?” she said.
I nodded again. “Yes, Your Highness,” I repeated.
“This will be the last time we discuss this,” she said. She continued to glare at me, and I bowed again, bowed so low my horn nearly touched the floor.
* * *
It was only later, after I had cried all the tears I had left into my pillow, that I realized I had given Luna exactly what she wanted. I had promised her I would act the way she demanded, and had agreed to the punishment that she had set if I failed.
That thought alone almost made me hate myself more than I already did.
Well, I thought, turning over in my bed, screw her. Her, and her ego. She’d got her way—but we both knew that I had won. In fact, she was probably back at her room in Ponyville right now, all alone with her ghosts, bawling her eyes out.
Well. I’d play her game, sure—but only until I could find a way to make her eat her words. And, for all I cared, she could just choke on those tears of hers.
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This is getting intense!
Luna is absolutly right here.
I don't remember who sayed it, but the very fact you are on top and you can do whatever you want, is ultimate reason, you absolutly can't do all you want, but this what you should. Unless you don't like being on the top.
Monarchs have happy, joyful lifes only in fairytales, because it actually very hard and stressing job with great responsibility.
...Damn. Yeah, those were some pretty serious consequences. Gotta give you that one. And I'm glad Luna dropped the 'you will never be normal' bomb.
Okay, now I see where this is going in term's of Cece's level of 'bitchiness.' She's obviously sorry about what she did to Flutters and doesn't mean to hurt her friends physically or emotionally, and even was sincerely apologetic about that final remark to Luna, so that definitely dampens it. Seems like the main theme of this story is her and Luna going at each other's throats; Cece is a classic defiant teenager and Luna is the strict parental figure that manages to push all the right buttons (and so Cece does in return), so there's going to be a lot of what seems like bitchiness on Cece's part, but she's just playing the role.
Right?
Alrighty, typo patrol:
Also:
Technically this should be gotten, but since this is a first-person narration, if that's how Cece would have said it in her head, then it's fine.
— There are also a few instances of interrupted dialogue where the resuming first word is capitalized and shouldn't be.
Yeah, splendid job on this chapter. The exchanges and characterizations were quite well done. Indeed, Luna has some excellent points AND every right to be upset here. The fact that even Celly knew she messed up big time here is quite telling.
Again, I'll most assuredly be looking forward to more of this.
8683071
Luna's right, but I don't know about absolutely. After all, expecting a teenager to be instantly okay with this level of emotional stress (to say nothing about how apparently Luna is trying to take over as a mother to CeeCee despite knowing her for less than a year) is impressivly out of touch.
I seem to be the only one on Celestia's side here. I want to strange Luna.
8683246
One thing is not being okay with your responsibilities. Other thing is actively avoiding them and saying "Kiss my ass".
Cece is trying to do second, while refusing abdication, if she don't want to work as royalty. She want to eat cake and have cake at once.
8683328
All of that is valid, and I'm honestly surprised she hasn't abdicated before this. She probably should. That said, Luna is attempting to parent Celestia without making any attempt to love her. That is flat-out screwed up.
Luna is upset that Celestia is enjoying her authority without acknowledging her own responsibilities, but by placing herself where she has in CeeCee's life, she's doing something very similar. She's parenting her with making sure she's cared for, which is the point of that job in the first place.
Loonie's really getting on my nerves. She has no right to any of this. She has no right to act this way.It's been a thousand years. People change, times, change, the country changes. She turned into the Nightmare willingly and expects everyone to fall in line when 'she returns to sanity.'
I love this story but Loonie's a monster. I want Cece to throw everything back in her face but I know we're not there yet.
8683266
I'm not okay with Luna. I agree with you.
I half-expected Celestia to call Luna's bluff and abdicate, or at the very least consider it. It's the sort of thing a spiteful teen might do.
Incidentally I really hope that this doesn't all end amicably. As much of a brat as Celestia is, Luna still doesn't strike me as particularly likable.
Something finally struck me. Luna's been trying to 'parent' Cece, however one things missing. Love. There is no love in this relationship. How many people does Cece have that she considers family, come to think of it?
Second question, now that I've had time to calm down. If Cece did end up abdicating, who would take the sun stone? Luna can't have it. Who'd become the new Princess?
Frankly, it's ridiculous how much authority Luna assumes over Celestia here. And look, she violently shuts down any reference of Nightmare Moon. This is more than just being dick, this is getting suspicious.
8683590
Why COULDN'T Luna have the sunstone? Maybe that's her goal here all along. She previously tried to take over the kingdom through violent coup, willingly giving herself to an elditch horror in exchange for power. But when that failed she was locked away. Now that she's back, maybe she's still trying to take over, but through more subtle means.
AARGH, all this speculation is killing me... I wanna spoil what's going on, but I can't...
I'll say this: Luna has reasons for acting the way she does. They might not be good reasons, but she has them.
I'm looking forward to see what you guys think about how this all shakes out...
8683099
As always, thanks for the typo patrol! How did I miss all those? I've been reading and re-reading this chapter for months...
8683995
That's why it's always helpful to have others' eyes. Our brains have a nasty habit of screwing with us when we look at our own work...
You're welcome!
I think maybe you meant "Comprehend"?
8683885
Becaus ethen she'd be a queen. And we know how the last queen turned out.
8684436
Nope! "Apprehend" can also be used to mean "understand," though it's not as common; I think it fits Luna's old-fashioned personality. Thanks for looking out, though!
Good lord....
Oh no she di-in't! :O
Wait, is renouncing the peytral really an option? I'm really wondering why Celestia doesn't go for that. I assume it's just out respect for her mother's final will, and the misolaced hope that she really had a plan for her daughter.
wow, this Luna is a witch.
I thought the commenters were being too harsh on Cece, but holy crap. Can you try not being a brat for like 5 seconds
The link is now dead - the artist either deleted it or moved it.
Also, Celestia, can you... just... *Sigh.*
I actually sympathize with Cece. I feel her pain, and too be honest, 10 year old me would have tried the same thing...
9908606
As near as I can tell, it's this image, showing a dress Celestia wore at the gala-with-Discord episode.
10791385
Yes, it's that one exactly! Good find!
This story reminds me of For whom the Sweetie Belle Tolls: If you're a mature adult, it's hard to sympathize with the protagonist since you know she is acting immature and unreasonable. I imagine that if I were still a teenager, I may sympathize with Celestia and think Luna is being unreasonable (just like how I would sympathize with Sweetie if I were a child still).
Not meant to be a complaint, just an observation. You definitely are doing a good job of characterizing Celestia as a bratty teenager.