The Price Of Fame
To view celebrity status from the outside is a normal thing.
Ponies flock to fawn over those who are more famed than themselves, be they writers or actors or athletes or royalty. They always believe that those who are endowed with fame or fortune and status are so foreign from themselves. They put those who possess it on a pedestal, believing them gods, and scrutinizing their every move, or trying to emulate them.
But to view it from the inside is something else entirely.
I have watched both of my children be warmed and burned by fame’s spotlight. Their everyday activities captured on cameras, their personal lives on the front page, the world wanting to be like them, and completely disregarding the fact that they too are Equine, just like anypony else.
It frustrates me greatly, this status of theirs. Not because of the privileges they get or the titles they bear or any of that. Rather, I cannot stand the fact that my children are expected by so many to be superheroes. There is an expectation on them that they should have the answers to everything, that they should be able to solve any problem, that they have to look or act a certain way because of the titles they bear. It frustrates me to no end to see the burden that has now been heaped upon their shoulders. They are constantly scrutinized, stopped in the middle of their every day activities for advice or autographs or meetings, and have been denied pretty much any forms of privacy.
This was not what I wanted for my children. Of course I am proud of all of the achievements they have made, the titles they have earned, the fact that they have saved our world on countless occasions, and that they are so well respected. I don’t know any mother who wouldn’t be. But to see them constantly feeling the need to be perfect, to not be able to express their feelings for fear of them ending up on the front page of the paper, to have no privacy in their lives, is not at all what I hoped they would have.
I can see the weight of these expectations in their eyes sometimes. There will be bags beneath their eyes when they didn’t sleep because they had to hold a press conference about some incident that will be in the paper the next morning, or the upset they feel when the press has posted an incident that happened with them out of context. I look at them, see that, and feel my heart break, because they know what they’re missing. They were like everypony else once, with privacy and freedom to express their emotions without fear who could make mistakes freely and not be punished for it.
There have been nights when I have gone to bed and I have woken up to one of my children shaking me, tears running down their faces because the pressure is too much and they’re at their breaking point, long after they have moved out of the house. Every time they come, I make them some tea, and we’ll sit on the couch in the living room together while I hold them and do my best to empathize with them. When the tea is gone, I tuck them into their beds in their old rooms, stroke their manes, and sing them the lullaby that I used to sing them when they were little and had nightmares. Every time, it puts them right to sleep.
I have never questioned why they come to me when they could have very well gone to their friends or other loved ones. I already know the answer. It is because I am their safe place. They know they can come to me with their sorrow or their anger or their hurt or upset and never be judged. They can, for a moment, be relieved of their social status, because they know that to me, they will always be my babies, and nothing else. I am the small retreat they can come to when they want to get away from it all, and just have a normal life for a while, and I cherish that.
Sometimes the light of their fame extends to me. Somepony will recognize me as being their mother. They’ll say I must be so proud to have raised such amazing children. Sometimes I can’t help but feel that those words are sort of a back-hoofed compliment. My children were amazing before they ever became famous, so of course I’m proud. Those ponies see the mare and stallion who have helped save Equestria time and again. They don’t see what I see.
When I look at my son, I see the foal who bravely fought for his life the first two and a half months after he entered the world. I see the colt who was scared of monsters under the bed but learned to overcome his fear. I see the teenager who wanted to hang out with his friends and go on dates with mares. I see the stallion who is preparing to become a father.
When I look at my daughter, I see the foal who first looked at me with such curiosity, and the world in much the same fashion. I see the filly who loved to snuggle up with me for story time every night. I see the teenager who spent hours studying away for a test because she was afraid to fail it. I see the mare who is building friendships to last a lifetime.
My children were all these things before they were ever famous, and still are. Ponies like to believe that they came into the world fully formed, set to be saviors of Equestria, but that just isn’t true. They were babies who fussed and kept me up all night, children who needed reassurance and scraped knees kissed, teenagers who wanted nothing to do with me, and adults who are still figuring out their way in the world. I only wish the rest of Equestria could see them like I do. They are amazing, yes, but not just because of what they’ve done or who they are. They’re amazing because of everything they are and everything they’re not, because of the lessons they’ve learned, the mistakes they’ve made, and the lives they have lived. They are amazing because they are Equine just like the rest of us, and managed to do some good along the way.
The rest of the world will always see them as famous. I can’t help that. But to me, they will always be my children. I will always love them and support them. They will always be able to come to me with whatever problems they have and know that I will listen without judgement. My hooves will always be there to hold them and my heart will always belong to them.
The rest of the world will always see them as famous, true, but I will always be there to remind them that they are so much more than that.
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I cried
This is one of best story I ever read.
That was very sweet. It certainly sounds like it comes from the mind of a mother. Does it?
I see this story making its way on the featured list already. I wish you luck :)
If only a sequel will come and tells twilight and shining armor how velvet really feels about them being famous
10208469
It does XD
10208456
10208476
Thank you so much!
10208496
I can’t see her doing that right now, but only time will tell!
Very nice! You really show how this kind of fame is not easy to bear at times
Very nice meditative piece. Of course the expectations of the nation on her children would slosh back on your Velvet. I half-expect to see this in the op-ed section of a Canterlot newspaper. Thank you for an excellent little story.
These are some really good musings.
...and I see the Princess, who drops over every moon or so for a cup of tea and some quiet inquiries about the possibility of any more children from our family.
I'm going to get a restraining order. Really, I am.
Wow, this fanfic really does warm up your heart! It really brings a new perspective on how to look at life with a parent's point of view! It's rather uplifting and it just makes ya feel good! Dang this is such a fantastic read! It's just so wholesome! I hope ya didn't mind, but I just had to make a video on this scrumptious story! It's just too too sweet to pass up on!
Audio Linkololl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peCq_REGeeA
(I don't mean to offend anyone with this comment!)
That hit me hard, perfectly short and sweet, Nice job
First- great story.
Second- I wonder how many famous people's parents could these feelings be copied and paste for them.
Third- this highlights why I will never understand the allure of fame.
I
LOVE
THIS
*ADDS TO FAVORITES*
Bravo sir/lady
BRAVO.
I was right about it getting on the featured list, congrats on your achievement!~
There aren't enough stories from the elder Twilight's perspective.
This was a very nice read. Definitely a interesting perspective that I don't see all that often! Great work
This is some of that good, good. Well done.
I absolutely love this! This reflect some thing that I have been saying to anyone who feels ready to meet their heroes. Remember to talk to them like a normal person and remember that deep down, they are just like you.
good stuff, man.
I would be somewhat guilty of hero-worship, but to preserve my ability to look at myself in the mirror, I have to believe that if I met Twilight Sparkle yes it would be an incredible honor, but I would want to know her for her, not just because she's a princess or a heroine or whatnot.
I'm not even sure I'd properly call this a fic as much as a journal entry, but... damn this is good. With slight modifications, there are probably real-world parents who could write these words and mean it.
Very nicely done. Well executed POV piece. Hearing from Twilight Velvet as "mom" is not something that seems to happen enough.
Brilliance story!
Deep down, we're all just adults trying to find our way in the world. Even our heroes. Including our parents.
Especially our parents. How my mom managed to homeschool and chauffeur three adolescents, while caring for an infant, for almost seven years, I will never comprehend.
Hmmm
I had been meaning to get to this story for quite awhile. Thankfully, less than an hour ago, I shared a 'Blog / Journal' that told a lot of my primary sources of ongoing positive, and negative, discussions, that I need a break so I can do more to dial down the crazy on my end.
You really do have a knack for maternal tales. It certainly would not surprise me if, one day, you start making some money writing such stories, of course not pony as Hasbro would lose their minds, to show the important bond of parent and child.
Your skill also makes me feel that being a 'mom' is something you take very seriously and wish you could truly be without all the restraints put upon you by life and family members who seem to care only of themselves.
Maybe, one day, you will be able to make a autobiography of your life and how you have done so much to reach a goal despite how many obstacles have been thrown your way over-and-over again.
I also think on how, like me, you have had to learn to expect someone, or something, to knock you down, kick you while your down, and then have to get up and try again to only repeat the cycle over-and-over again.
***
This story would have made a great episode of the show. Especially if done after the events of "Once Upon A Zeppelin". As a mom, I am sure Twilight Velvet would feel so much anger and sorrow for how their children are made to 'jump through hoops' by those, like Iron will, who trick them into the spotlight.
***
The biggest take away I had was thinking on how the kids still come home to mom for comfort. As I lost my sight, for the first time, my mom was there. As I finally went through everything to lose all my sight, my mother was there. When my wife left me to pursue another relationship, my mom was there...
There is just always something about 'mom' that helps you know that life expectations no longer apply. Responsibilities can wait and the only thing to consider is how you are safe with your parent.
I'm sure much of Shining Armor's 'Shieled Magic' is a reflection of how protective his mom was and how he wanted to extend that 'protection' to his sister and, eventually, his own family. :)