When the girls went to convince a sleeping dragon to move away from Ponyville, I was tasked to take care of Fluttershy's animals. It was pretty easy, as all they wanted was food and care. Although, Angel wasn't very cooperative with me. How Fluttershy deals with him is beyond me.
The next event to come up was Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight having a sleepover. I was going to be away doing “royal Canterlot business.” I could use that to my advantage.
At the gala, Twilight wanted to hang out with Princess Celestia, but instead she would be stuck with her all night shaking ponies’ hooves. I could try to find a way to fix that. Also, I knew that Princess Celestia had a fascination with theater, but she had no acting skills whatsoever, and that Luna was still trying to adjust to living in Modern Equestria. I’ll try to find a way to solve all three of their problems.
I took the Friendship Express to Canterlot and arrived at the gates to the castle. I was then escorted to where Princess Celestia and Luna were. Luna was in her Season 2 form. She must've transformed when she was taken back to Canterlot.
“Your highness,” I bowed. “I’m honored to see you.”
“You don’t need to do that, Spike,” Celestia said. “It’s not an official meeting.”
“It’s not? But your letter said you wanted to talk to me.”
“Yes. Just talk. Let me know what Twilight’s been up to.”
“Okay.”
So, Celestia, Luna, and I talked about Twilight’s time in Ponyville. I told them about how Twilight was good at magic, and I joked about how Twilight might end up becoming an alicorn with all the magic she’s been learning. We all laughed at that idea. We ate cake and drank tea, Celestia’s two favorite things.
“Say, Princess Celestia? May I ask you something?”
“What is it, Spike?”
“What are you and Luna going to be doing at the Grand Galloping Gala?”
“Well, Luna is not interested in going, seeing as there is no reason to, and I’m going to welcome the guests all night.”
“Don’t you want to hang out with the guests?”
“I’d love to, but it’s tradition for the Princess to greet everypony first. If I weren't there, then the nobles may believe the crown no longer respects them."
“What about Princess Luna?"
Luna’s ears perked up. "Are you sure we are capable of doing such a task? It's been a long time since we've been at the Grand Galloping Gala."
"We can...I mean, I can help you practice," I replied. "Princess Celestia can help as well."
"What do you want me to do?" Princess Celestia asked.
“Let me ask you something. What are your thoughts on theater?”
“Why do you ask that?”
“It’s just that whenever Twilight and I see you watching a play, you seem so fascinated in it, and not just when there’s interesting characters or plot.”
“Well...” Celestia leaned back. “To be honest, I really like plays. When I was a filly, my friends put them on all the time. It was so wonderful. Everypony coming together to create a magical experience to share with others. I've always believed theater brings out the best in us and forges a special bond of friendship.”
“So you were an actor before you became the princess?”
“No. I was always too busy with my magic lessons to be part of any plays myself. But still, it's something I always wished I could experience.”
“Guess you and Twilight have something in common. No wonder she’s your star pupil.” I chuckled. "Anyway, this might give you some experience in acting."
We were going to pretend that it’s the night of the gala, and Luna was greeting the guests. Celestia and I were going to play as the guests. I went first.
“Just follow my lead, Princess Celestia,” I said. I walked up to Luna. “Good evening. My name is Spike. It’s an honor to be at this gala.”
“WELCOME, SPIKE, TO THE GRAND GALLOPING GALA!!” Luna shouted. “IT IS A PLEASURE TO SEE YOU AT THIS EVENT!!”
“Ugh...my ears,” I groaned. “You don’t have to talk like that, Princess Luna.”
“But this is the traditional royal Canterlot voice,” Luna replied. “It is tradition to speak using the royal "we", and TO USE THIS MUCH VOLUME WHEN ADDRESSING OUR SUBJECTS!!”
“Luna, I told you we don’t do that anymore,” Celestia said. “If you shout like that during the gala, you’re going to scare all the guests away.”
“Princess Celestia’s right,” I said. “You might want to tone it down a bit.”
“ALRIGHT!! HOW’S THIS?!”
“A little bit quieter.”
“How’s this?!”
“Almost there.”
“How’s this?”
“Perfect. You just need to keep that tone of voice when you greet the other guests.” I then walked over to Celestia. “Okay, Princess. Your name will be uh...Nicole. You’re just a random pony. Just pretend you’ve never been to the gala before. Think you got that?”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Celestia replied.
“Okay, you’re up.”
Princess Celestia approached Luna. “Hello, my name is Nicole. I’m a random pony who’s never been to the gala before.”
I tried my best not to laugh. “No, Princess. Just say your name is Nicole, and how you feel visiting the gala for the first time.”
“Okay. Hello, my name is Nicole, and how I feel visiting the gala for the first time.”
I could swear she’s trying to troll me. “No, no, no. You don’t have to say word for word how you feel. Just tell Princess Luna what you think about visiting the gala for the first time.”
“To be honest, Spike, it’s hard to feel it. I’ve been to the gala numerous times even before Luna’s...incident. It’s hard to be excited for something that you’ve experienced before.”
That’s when I had an idea. “Okay picture this: Canterlot has opened a brand new cake shop that’s as big as the Canterlot library. You are the first of many ponies in line for its grand opening. The first ten ponies will get a free cake of their choosing, and you’ve had your eye on one that could rival a wedding cake! You’re only five minutes away from the biggest feast in pony history! Does that help?”
Celestia covered her mouth. “Well, I can’t stop drooling now.” She ate another piece of cake from the table and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “How does that help me?”
“One trick in acting is to understand what would make you feel a certain way. For example, if you had to act sad in a scene, you can remember when you had to force Princess Luna to the moon. Or when you have to be angry, just think about how a rival of yours comes back and removes all the cakes from Equestria. Thinking about what can make you glad, sad, or mad will help you get better at acting.”
“Alright. Let’s try this one more time.” Celestia approached Luna again. “H-Hello, my name is Nicole. It’s...It’s an honor to be here for the first time.”
“GRE-” Luna cleared her throat. “I mean, greetings, Nicole. It is a pleasure to see you at this event.”
“Likewise.” The two sisters shook hooves. “Was that any better, Spike?”
“Great,” I replied. “Your excitement was very convincing, Princess Celestia. And you’ve kept your tone to an acceptable level, Princess Luna.”
“Thank you,” they both said.
I was going to head out, but Celestia stopped me. “If I may ask, how do you know so much about acting, anyway? Normally you wouldn’t be so interested in plays.”
“Oh, Twilight helped me,” I replied. “She gave me a book about acting on my last birthday.”
"That sounds like our little Twilight." Celestia responded with a chuckle. "Be sure to tell me what further tips could be offered in next time, Spike."
I stayed the night at Canterlot after that. It was good that I was able to teach Celestia how to act and Luna how to fit in. Plus, I will be able to have Twilight hang out with Celestia when the Gala shows up. Although, I have no idea if it’ll work out or not.
I love how we're addressing a late series epiosde in Season 2. Having these retrospective fics are really awesome to read.
Great, I like the small changes and way Spike is helping C&L fit in and feel more happy.
10114025 If this was a 'real' Equestria, even one which is basically pastel 'Pleasantville', they wouldn't have made many of these poor, sometimes self-contradictory decisions.
That's the tough part of writing these sorts of stories which bind too closely to the show's writing: they don't permit you to write average-intellect people with average common sense that tells them, "This is dumb, I'm not doing that." These poor ponies are stuck to the Idiot Ball-ridden scripts; so much so that Spike Anon should be worried he's in someone's fanfic. META!!
10111459 At this point, I'd find it very odd that EVERYTHING keeps happening the exact same way, and I'd try to incite a MAJOR canon departure to see if the 'story' auto-corrected. If it did, I'd be like "Aw hell, I'm some insane god-child's fantasy."
Why............ ;-;
You could revisit Spike and Celestia's relationship in the future. I mean, Twilight might be his sister, and was raised by the Sparkles after a while, but before that he might have been Celestia's son.
10115641
...I forgot what I said originally
Nice this is going to be good.
Actually, IMO, Celestia planned this all along
She knew Starswirl & had his journal
She had 1,000 years to think about Luna's return
She HAD to notice that Twilight's Cutie Mark is on the Tree of Harmony
& has had (10 years?) to refine her plans
IMO, she had plans for Twilight & they are ongoing
Spike is shaving down episodes faster than I shave my pubes
Question: what about Shining Armor and Cadence? I forget if he's seen them yet, but why couldn't Cadence do the greeting, too?
10115506
Well from our perspective he is basically "some insane god-child's fantasy" probably better for him not to start thinking too hard about the Watsonian vs Doylist reasons behind why things are happening.
10115643
Can you not see the original post? I didn't get a notification for this reply so if you can't see the original post then that is a glitch on top of a glitch. Either way here was the post.
Oh, and I still think it makes too much sense to stop. I mean twilight started becoming friends with them before she learned they can blast things with magic, but that was a side thing... that saved her life. Cozy glow is just that in reverse, she wants to blast things with magic and actually making friends is a side thing she has to do.
I just realized the problem in this story. It is well written and has some catharsis for problems in the series, but it lacks one crucial thing, motivation. Mlp thrives on slice of life with a few recurring plot points here and there, but a story like this feels like it needs more. Somone in spike's body has a lot of advantages and disadvantages, but all he is doing so far is fixing things that turn out ok anyway. The main character just doesn't feel like he has any motivation aside from being nice. He is taking away lessons that they learn and are better for, and it doesn't accomplish much in the long run.
That book should have been late because that would help the old librarian start living her life. By not letting applejack get to a breaking point, she didn't learn to ask for help. She appreciated his help at the end, but if this ever happens again, she will try to do it on her own. The grand galloping Galla SHOULD be a disaster. Celestia made it clear that sometimes things going wrong is better than the alternative. So, in the long run, he may have made things worse for multiple ponies.
My point is that you should give the character more motivation, have him read teleportation spells to see if he can at least say goodby to his family in his home dimension. Have him train with his trident so that next time he needs to fight, he can beat things normal spike just ran from. Have him hunt in the ever-free woods for the meat his more predatory body may need for a growth spurt. Have him go on a few solo adventures like that dragon quest episode but without the kind of racist overtones. A lot of the time, spike doesn't do a lot to affect the story so he can use that to his advantage and just leave for a bit to do something on his own without worrying about the world ending.
10116397
Alright alright.
10116202 It's just a matter of course. Real people tend to start internalizing things after a while, and he's had plenty of time to ask himself the very obvious questions... and to begin postulating the answers.
Spike is solving one problem at a time, and it's getting short...
Next time add more story or add two episodes/parts together...
(Just a suggestion)
10115641
From a drama perspective maybe. From a moral and possibly self-preservation standpoint, it is exactly the right thing to do.
Although, technically, can it be called weaponization if the main goal is to get other people to suck up to you?
I mean look at her quotes from Frenemies:
Cozy Glow: I tried being nice!
[rumbling]
Rusty Bucket: Shh-shh-shh! Now, just calm down there, filly.
Cozy Glow: You calm down! Ponies are supposed to do [echoing] what I ask them to do! It's, like, my thing! Okay?!)
[bird screeches]
Lord Tirek: Scale the mountain...
Queen Chrysalis: ...retrieve Grogar's Bell...
Cozy Glow: ...together! I drew up a detailed plan with several visual aids to show how we can... ditch each other and do it alone. Maybe when I'm waiting for them at the top, then they'll appreciate me.
[wind whistling]
[growling]
Did he just make that up? That'll come back later.
That seemed an odd way to cram in the theatre bit. It would flow more naturally if he had just volunteered them and then reacted when Tia was having problems.
10303973
wouldn't be the first time. Remember when he made mention that Twilight had read Twilight and Twilight just rolled with it like it was an actual event despite it not once being mentioned in the show?
You forget how Twilight destroyed your chances to wooo your Waifu! Call in Cadance! War needs to be declared! In the name of the Love obsessed Princess of
Ling FoodL-oVe♡♡♡♡♡
Why do you care so little for Luna?
No reward for the ponys for rescue her sister that is also a princess...
Dont they deserve Wona cuddles as reward
No monetary reward?
- Aj needs it badly for her familie
- Pinkie Pie could buy more sweets to rivel your flanks!
- Fluttershy could buy train tickets to visit Luna & the animals in the royal garden.
- Rainbowdash... Could need a house... Poor thing has her head in the clouds all the time
- Rarity... Is my Waifu and deservs better (-///.///-)
- Twilight didnt buy me anything in my last B-Day that wasnt a Book
Can i get a hug from Luna? She looks sooo huggable
Hmmm... Yeahhh... ...Uuuu thats ...
A nice story right... Hmmm there ♡
You were a filly? I expected you to hatch out of your egg like you look now. Golden Hooveshoes and all...
So you had a mother? Was she pretty like Luna? Or kind like you? Or huggable as me?
*wink-wink*
David Spike is my hero
I fucking died... I love you my dude
David-Dragon: " Ok, always happy to help you mommy" .
That Day Celestia smiled with a thousand suns
... . . . . . . . . . .
Luna:" Fuck me... My eyes still burn and i have spots when ever i close my eyes Tia
I still baffled by the fact that Celestia had no idea how to act. Politicians are among greatest actors (unless they are literally crazy, those don't need to act).
10807885
Wrong mindset that David-Spike corrected.
10115423
You meant Season 1, right?
10116133
I... I don't know how to respond to that.
10807885
My proposed solution to the problem on how Celestia doesn't know how to act, yet still keeps the nation running is the fact that she mitigates any attempts of fraud or lies through genius policies.
These policies were somehow so successful that she never needed to learn how to act and it somehow prevented most politicians from lying to the public or to Celestia directly. (Spouting lies requires knowledge of acting, as such if she didn't know how to act, how could she learn the process of spotting lies? Therefore, if policies are in play in reducing the need for acting. These policies must have mitigated politicians from lying to Celestia or the public.) Plus we need to consider the fact that these policies have been spread to other nations, because of its success rate.
As such, any intercountry political interactions rarely brought a need to lie, because every important country made policies that are similar or exactly the same as what Celestia made. They were spread through word of mouth or or the press and soon the entire world followed suit.
What these policies are is a mystery, but again we need to remind ourselves that Celestia kept her nation at peace for a literal millenia. Surely some smart policies and political compromises must have been in play in order to keep her nation at peace for this long.
This is my head canon and I am sticking to it unless evidence presented to me ruins this picture.
Spike stole Fluttershy mojo and improved it
Trollestia is best Princess.
Isn't Spike raised by Celestia before hoove? For not make it there for a honorary Royal?
Miss Oliver is going to gala. I like that little detail
Royal family character development , I had fun making my own. This one was well made.