Epilogue
Epilogue
“More tea, Your Highness?”
“No, no, that’s quite alright, Mister Bell,” said Celestia. “I’m just about finished for today.”
Putting down her paintbrush, she wiped sweat off her brow. She glanced back at her assistant, smiling softly. “Haven’t you had your rest for today yet? Come now. It’s getting late.”
Serving Bell nodded hurriedly. It’d only been a month or so, but the colt had grown accustomed to his new station in Canterlot Palace.
The door to her study swung open. Greyhoof strode in, taking his steps carefully.
Celestia looked at him. “Greyhoof! So nice of you to join me.” She glanced at Bell. “Go on, Bell. Get your rest, we’ve got a long day tomorrow.”
A hasty ‘thank you’ and deep bow later, Celestia found herself alone with her trusted majordomo. His aged eyes looked warm as ever when he greeted her, with that wizened old voice of his. “That boy’s looking healthier every day. Good evening, Your Highness. I see you’ve been busy.”
Celestia laughed, softly, so softly. “I have, yes…” she said, moving to the side of the painting. “What do you think?”
The watercolour was her largest piece yet, standing nearly as tall as she. And for good reason, too, for the likeness of her family had been difficult to capture. She saw herself standing there at the centre, smiling primly. By her side was Luna, cooler in expression yet calm as the night she heralded. Then there was Radiant Hope, young and sprightly. Lastly, by Radiant’s side, a space upon a blank canvas not fully rendered, was the unfinished silhouette of Princess Amore.
“Oh, it looks quite magnificent, Your Highness,” said Greyhoof, nodding in approval, as he seated himself on the nearest chair. “I must say, fine progress so far. You’ve captured Miss Radiant’s likeness very well.”
Celestia beamed, tapping the canvas. “You flatter me. Oh, and there’s plenty more to come. I’ve still got Equinox and Tranquility, also Orion, to follow. Grandfather and Starswirl and Lady Mistmane too… goodness, so much to do…”
She shook her head, taking the seat opposite Greyhoof. “Any word from Nocturne?”
“He graciously accepts the post,” said Greyhoof, with a knowing look. “The Northern Legion, I’d imagine, would be happy as well. As for Ironhoof… I can’t claim the same, now, can I?”
“Come now,” said Celestia, feeling a touch of mischief, “surely retirement is much appreciated by the good captain?”
“Most amusing, Highness,” Greyhoof deadpanned. Though his expression remained as even as it usually did, Celestia could see the hints of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. She chuckled, setting aside her brush.
“I do try, my friend. Sadly it'll take more than that to sort it all out, all the Ironhoofs our eyes have missed,” Celestia said, sighing. “But that aside, have you given the proposal a lookover?”
“I have, yes,” said Greyhoof, setting down the bound scroll. “Very solid. Velvet has given her approval as well, and so has Feelgood. But Quill is a stubborn fellow as always, I’d imagine. I expect we’d have to coax his word out of him.”
“Oh, I know. But he ought to know it isn’t about what they deserve, it’s about what they need,” Celestia said, tapping the scroll. “I have time, and he does not. Velvet’s say is stronger than his in this matter, no matter how much he’d grumble about it.”
“Then retirement’s out of the question?” Greyhoof asked. There was a twinkle in his eyes. Celestia smirked in turn.
“Of course,” she said. “If I cannot read to the children myself, then I shall teach them how…”
Her eyes fell upon Radiant’s, frozen in the water-colour. She could hear her voice echoing in the Palace hallways, asking her endlessly about the newest spells or the oldest books. A curiosity matched only by her talent. A talent cut all too short, taken by Sombra’s wrath, the very friend she tried so hard to help with all the kindness of her heart.
Celestia wondered how Flake fared these days. How she would fare in a classroom, how many stories she’d be excited to tell herself.
How many children awaited their school gates to be open, for the first time in their lives...
“I do not know how long it shall take,” Celestia remarked wistfully. “Ten, a hundred… nay, a thousand years. But I will be there, every step of the way.”
“You know I wish you all the best, ma’am, and I trust that you’ll do just fine,” Greyhoof reassured, offering her a kind smile. “My only regret is that I won't be there to accompany you.”
“You’ve done so much for my sister and I,” Celestia said, reaching to pat his shoulder. “When the time comes, you’ll have earned that rest.”
Greyhoof let out a coarse, weary laugh. “Only after you have as well, Your Highness.”
Celestia said nothing to that. The Elements had remained just as inert as it was that very night, no matter how much she tried to bring them out of dormancy with every spell she knew.
Still, she kept mum. She cleared her throat, nudging the scroll.
“Tomorrow’s meeting, then, for the proposal,” said Celestia. “Ten o’clock, sharp. You need your rest, Greyhoof.”
“I shall be there,” said Greyhoof, nodding primly. “Take care.”
“I will,” said Celestia. Then her glance fell onto the saddlebags he carried, and she recalled the book she gave to him shortly after her return, alongside the bags he lent her. “Oh, Greyhoof? How does your granddaughter find The Rainbow Crow?”
Greyhoof’s face lit up, even as he kept his tone even and a touch playful. “Marvellous, of course. She wants to know the author better. Personally, between you and me, Your Highness, I do wonder if she’s written more.”
Celestia’s smile was calm and serene. “Perhaps she has. Goodnight, Greyhoof.”
“Goodnight, Your Highness.”
The door swung shut. Quietly, Celestia blew the air from her lips, again wiping away the sweat off her brow. She returned to her seat, swivelling around to take in the sight of the great water-colour painting, and the mare she’d taken the greatest of care in drawing.
Soft. Elegant. But her smile was the greatest lie here. Luna had little reason to smile, not when she’d lost so much, and gained so little from all the time they’d stood together side by side.
Tearing her sorrowful gaze away from the painting, Celestia saw the ornate quill of office and ink-pot she’d set aside, and the parchment that accompanied it.
Until now, she hadn’t yet considered writing for a larger audience. The Rainbow Crow had been just that – a passion project, something she’d done to pass the time over long hours of work. But the children had laughed, cheered, and begged her for more.
And time was on her side, just this once, when she had countless lifetimes’ worth to tell.
Sparing her sister’s likeness one final glance, Celestia pressed her favourite quill against the parchment, and she began to write.
Once upon a time, flowed the words, in the magical land of Equestria…
* * * * *
“...The End.”
“Wow,” Luna said, her eyes wide, illuminated by the candlelight. She held onto her blanket tighter. “Did you really do all that?”
“Pff, well, of course! Why else would I be telling you?” Celestia replied, giggling. She flicked her mane aside, showing a few locks shorter than the rest of it, “See? You can ask Starswirl if you don’t believe me.” She gave Luna a sly glance. “Or you can go on your own and ask the crow yourself,” she teased, in a sing-song voice. “When you’re ooooldeeer~”
The freckles on Luna’s cheeks darkened adorably. Celestia tapped Luna’s nose, laughing happily as her sister tried and failed to grab onto her hoof.
“Now you’re just showing off,” Luna said, pouting. “But you are really good with stories, Tia… Maybe you should write instead.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Celestia replied, shrugging. “It’s nothing much. Just a little way to pass the time. You know I have more important stuff to do.”
“Nyeh, that wasn’t nothing,” Luna said, rolling her eyes. “I liked it!”
“Of course you do, Little Moon,” said Celestia, ruffling Luna’s mane despite her protests. “Now, goodnight, and don’t forget to practice your… uh, moon-raising. Sleep tight!”
She blew the candle, and hopped off the bed. A midnight snack would do just fine, no matter how much Starswirl chided her for emptying the pantry once every so often.
“Awww. Come on, Tia,” Luna whined. “You’ve been so busy with Starswirl everyday. Can’t you tell me one more story? Pleeease?”
Part of Celestia wanted to tell her then and there, that time was a luxury, that the crowns they were to wear in a few years’ time had no care for such petty frivolousness. They’d stand tall and proud, Princesses of All Equestria, and together they were to lead.
But that was Starswirl talking. And Luna was here, looking up to her with eyes filled with youthful wonder and awe and all the love a little filly could ever have.
The candle lit up once more. Celestia sat back down on the bed. Luna’s smile grew wider, and she let out a cheerful giggle.
“Alright Luna,” said Celestia, with a smile as gentle and kind as she could muster, running a forehoof through her little sister’s mane. “One more story.”
Art by my friend skysayl! Thanks, sky!
Greyhoof, Ironhoof, and Serving Bell first appear in Bad_Seed_72’s fantastic The Order. Wherever Bad_Seed is today, I wish her the very best.
Tranquility, Equinox, and River Feather first appear in SockPuppet's riveting Luna's Daughters.
Two different stories, two different times, two different sides of the fandom.
Here's to stories that have gone by, and to the stories to come.
Thank you, Friendship is Magic. It has been a beautiful ride.
-Sledge
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So glad to see this live! It was such a delight to preread. Celestia doing celestial things is always great.
It lives!
Wonderfully done. Good work. Best of luck in the contest, as well.
10879836
And thanks for the help, Sock
Glad ya liked it!
10879837
It does!
10879848
10879874
Thanks, and to you as well
I always do love reading a good ol' Sledge story.
Well written and extremely well done. I applaud you, Sledgy boi, thanks for this masterpiece that distracted me from geography class.
I think I would have prefered things without Ironhoof. Tribalist Unicorns are so ubiquitous in the fandom, it's like they're the only ones who can be prejudiced at all, and he was... quite blatant.
10880239
What can I say, he never got his comeuppance, so I'm doing it myself
Truly spectacular... thank you.
Woah this is a huge recommendation from a lot of people... uhm... I'll read it later
While I do wish we could have seen IronHoof getting his comeuppance, I am not so terribly bothered by the concept of tribalist behavior from the Aristocracy. The show canon itself did seem to put a pretty heavy disdain towards aristocrats and unicorns in general (at least the Canterlotian ones). That being said there were to my recollection hints that Eath ponies and Pegasi could be just as snooty.
In any case, this was a nice story and for the record if we can get more story times with Celestia and Flake I would be a happy camper.
10880335
It's no trouble
Glad you enjoyed it!
10880351
10880404
That the show did, aye.
And, aw. Glad Flake made an impression
And that one goes straight onto the favourites shelf :)
Thank you for the story :)
Wonderfully written, fantastic characterization and dripping with atmosphere! What more could I ask for. Well done!
T'was a nice read, Sledge. I'd comment more, but tomorrow is probably better for that.
Gonna leave this here for now, though. Again, a lively read, and I look forward to trying to catch the references. Already see many~
That was a nice read, far more enjoyable than I was expecting. Nicely written, and well done.
Damn you, I've been writing a story of my own called Solis Regina.
10880549
10880564
Aw, glad to have satisfied!
10880613
By all means, take your time
Glad you liked it, and good eye 
10881011
Huzzah! Thank you
Glad ya enjoyed it
10881451
Figured I'd pop on by and read some stuff, your story popped up and it was a joy to read.
Keep on writing my guy.
What a wonderful story! There is so much passion put into it and the world you have depicted feels very lived in and natural. I could listen to a hundred stories from this world you have crafted and never be satisfied.
Thank you. Your skill is exemplary.
10881517
You're in luck, because most of my stories (save for the first one I wrote) are all set in the same timeline, roughly, or draw from the same headcanon
A very nice look at the post-war years, and a great look at Celestia.
God damn. That was some good writing.
Dude, that’s possibly the best way I’ve seen celestia written - ever. She talks like an old mare, yet she’s flowing with youth and power and grief. Every little thing reminds her of another story.
That’s how I imagine a true immortal would live. Reminiscing upon reminiscing...
10882225
Fancy seeing you here, over from Spectrum
. I'm humbled, truly, that you would consider that - I hope to live up to the expectations when she pops up again in Spectrum since, you know, same Celestia and all.
Glad you enjoyed this little story!
10880076
So does this count as a sequel to that story? Or just using a lot of the lore without being a true sequel? Doesn't hurt this story either way.
10882797
Latter! I adapted part of the lore without making this a sequel. The one primary difference here being that Luna was still around when her daughters passed away, and that said line is cut short instead of flourishing.
10883352
Well, I mean - in the story itself you see earthponies, unicorns and pegasi of varying social statuses, like Greyhoof - advisor to Celestia herself (and really, next to her, who can claim to be a true equal other than another diarch?), the working class unicorn child mentioned, and the Baroness herself?
10883368
I like to ignore or disregard parts of the show that resemble 21st century America so, no, it does not rule Equestria
10883374
Lol I was about to respond. Then I realized you responded to my comment.
Excellent and rather love this potrayel of Celestia. One of my favorites. She shows what immortality is to me at least.
10883361
True. I will not contest. I just question in general. A desire to maintain a heichary? Highiarcy? And as much as I like Luna and Celestia. I really wonder often just in real life is their a better way? Thats what really makes me say that.
Because their is injustice. I want question the mores, norms, and culture that shapes societys. Just as well that all earth ponys, pegasus, and unicorns...could have worked together? Braving a new frontier? Each seeking to add and become more? Perhaps they allow using magic and tech to make themselves alicorns?
Ps. Their is even in the best of storys. A element of martyrdom to Celestia and Luna. And makes me wonder if anyone thinks mortals could accomplish anything? Be just as cool and awesome as they are?
10883352
It's an imagination fuelled by the series, I'd say. What little we know of the era around Hearth's Warming from the episode with the same name, unicorns were the ones with royal lineages, whereas earth ponies with their chancellor had at least a rudimentary democracy, but no real nobility that we can see. This paints an image of the unicorn as nobility and the earth ponies as peasantry. The Hearth's Warming episode also very much puts earth ponies at the bottom of the social rung, being forced to give their food to the other tribes portrayed as haughtily demanding it, and wearing the most raggedy clothing of the three.
10884117
That is correct. I like broadly following canon, with tweaks here and there, and the imagery of Hearthswarming, I'd say, summed it all up well enough for the olden days.
10884223
Agreed. It just occured to me as I was reading that I have read all these storys. Most of them oddly have earth pony as servants in the castle - in modern equastria?
I suppose their could be a story about the servants back then? Hmm? Now I want to read that story. But depending how folks write it? I wonder if it would have a happy ending?
10885186
Thanks for sharing. Did you care for those storys? I never heard of them myself?
Their does always seem to be hidden gems somewhere on this site.
This is an interesting take on Celestia. Well written, too.
So does this Celestia have off camera moments with Fortunate Foal as a background music?
I love how much you incorporated the comics (Thrace, the Rainbow Crow) into your story. Mind explaining who the Ferrymare was?
10886033
Credit to my editor and writing partner, Vox, for suggesting both mentions. It was a thrill to weave them in.
Ah, a reader of culture I see
As for the Ferrymare, perhaps she's just a ferrymare after all.
or is she? I do like setting most of my stories in one single universe. Except for my first one, that one's not counted.
Glad you enjoyed it
10889385
I'd imagine it was a combination of various factors; Ironhoof's views are either excused or ignored by some parties and factions within the government. Perhaps he thought himself clever enough to win favour with Celestia by shutting down a so called rebellion or pro Luna rebellion.
Unfortunately for him, he revealed his cards too soon and completely failed to read Celestia's thoughts regarding her sister. He overreached himself.
As for Celestia, the whole story has been a wake up call to her, showing that, no, everything is NOT fine despite what she thinks. She can't just sit in her ivory tower and think everything will be just fine without her doing anything.
It's something she needed to see for herself. Maybe that part of her that thinks the best of people tells her there is no way Ironhoof is as awful as people say he is.
Unfortunately with some people, you really need to put your foot down and make it clear, no, your shit isn't welcome.
As for Celestia, perhaps the sheltered part of her ignored or didn't catch onto Ironhoof's previous antics. Only here and now does she see how rotten he is, and she's as angry as him as she is with herself for ignoring / failing to notice it for as long as she did.
Not bad.
hehe, inadvertently topical, also Good
really underscoring just how much time celestia will outlive greyhoof here. bittersweet, in retrospect
and yes, i know this is celestia establishing modern public education because you told me! but if you hadn't i'd've just thought it made sense as a thing to do based on celestia's recent experiences, just like making ironhoof retire made sense.
heh heh heh
aww this made me tear up reading it again! really, wow, what a masterful way to end this tale, contrasting so starkly with what the older luna bore in her accumulated losses and pains to the point of madness, and connecting to just what celestia saw in the way those foals were enraptured by her stories. this is the feeling of Cinema.
10889548
didn't see this at first because i think the notification thing breaks if you reply from the story page rather than the chapter. and yeah, this makes sense to me, a combination of boldness brought on by recent events and celestia thinking the best of ponies/sheltering herself away.
10909689
Such is the curse of immortality, as always. Time flies and lingers at the same time.
Subtlety's the name of the game! She wouldn't have come up with the solution, if she hadn't seen it as a problem. Therein lies the theme of change.
She's got so much to tell, of course
Awww, I'm glad it touched your heart
Also, just saying;
You know who she's thinking about.
Everything comes together, always.
Strong start! High strung as the situation was, teleporting in the middle of the camp could set off a less than desirable response. Same thing for flying into the camp (since they are wary of all pegasi and other fliers). So, the safest option would be to fly as much as she can, then walk the rest of the way.
High strung indeed, heh.
Ironhoof is outright repulsive. Not just because of his obvious supremacism, but the completely irreverent attitude. The lack of care. I'm undecided if he just thinks Celestia won't mind his obvious behaviour, or if doesn't care at all whether she minds it or not, almost rubbing it in her face. Some sections would suggest he is under the delusion that Celestia is on his side, but some other sections just make me think he knows damn well what he's doing and what her opinion on it is.
Usually, toxic people aren't prone to displaying their toxicity so publically. They justify their behaviour on their minds as "correct" but that "others wouldn't get it", so they are toxic behind closed doors. Yet there he was, literally admiting to the ruler of the land he ought to physically punish Bell for a minor thing (that Celestia was insisting wasn't a problem).
Hmm, this confused me. Did they not throw the envoy on the river? Later on we find out the envoy wasn't the most diplomatic, but Celestia doesn't know this yet.
Ironhoof does present an interesting challenge, beyond just his presence at the camp. I'm guessing that he's not the only one in the guard that might have those supremacist views (this is supported by the final chapter), so what Celestia could be really facing is the necessity of a full-on officer purge (non-violent, naturally). Yet, paradoxically, there isn't a hint that she has done so.
That could even be extrapolated to Ironhoof not being completely braindead: if she cannot afford to purge her guard from certain officers because of the risk of foreign aggression, news of rebellion would surely be just as enticing to them as news of you crippling your own military command.
Huh. That is... actually a rather long time. A hundred plus years of cease-fire is enough generations for someone like Quill to not even know what the raids were like, the stories all second to third hand. I wonder how devastating they were that Thracians bear such a burdened name inside Equestrian society to that day.
Oh, this settles an initial doubt I had. Celestia is going there consciously having Ironhoof as a problem to be dealt with. She's not 'just' checking in or 'just' going to deal with Vanhoover, she's outright planning to solve an issue she is aware exists beforehand. This might have even already hinted that she was absolutely going to side with Vanhoover over Ironhoof.
This means Celestia was aware he was a problem, long before she had to see him with her own eyes.
Something tangential to note, Celestia didn't seem to incorporate a lot of her ministers words into her final decision. If you go back to notice, she dictated everything, and shot down the few offers she got (like Iron Cuff). It subconsciously indicates that this is not exactly a most stable moment in her goverment, and direct action is all she is comfortable resorting to. Compare that to when we know her goverment is stable (time of the show), and we see a much more passive Celestia. It's a good contrast.
This alludes to that thing again. We are presented with the internal beliefs of Celestia, yet the reality that we see begs a different question. A reality that she pretty much has almost total control over, as especially pronounced by her ease of overriding suggestions, earlier.
A further delve would be to analyze this situation with a bigger lens. Low Town is 'used to it', which implies hunger is not exactly foreign in Vanhoover, with or without siege (given, probably on a lesser level, but there all the same). A city under the Baroness, who herself is under Celestia. So, the question becomes, is Celestia hungry too?
I think it does a good job of portraying a Celestia that is not the thousand-year-peace deity we are familiar with. This is an earlier Celestia, a Celestia who just commited the biggest regret of her life, a Celestia with a lot of experience already, but not nearly enough. The juvenile way in which she reacts to certain facts reinforces it, a certain kind of naive innocence she's yet to lose completely. "The Baroness better be going hungry... yet I am not. You haven't let them speak their piece... yet your envoy was thrown to the river, far as I know. Children should not have to toil in foundries... yet the permits most likely went through my office."
As morally corect as she might be, that... is still rebellion. Peaceful rebellion, accepted by the local governor and later unfortunately escalated by Ironhoof, but still an act of open resistance to an established government's orders. The very definition of rebellion. The Baroness giving the go ahead doesn't make it not so, it just makes her a supporter of the demands being made. Something she herself admits.
Another paradoxical moment is when we find out that Celestia's hair is that way because she embodied all elements at once. Yet, she couldn't embody them enough not to turn them to stone. A boon, and a slap on the wrist, all at the same time.
And there it is. The unsolvable problem of absolute benevolent power. Once you see evil, you fix it. But until you grace your eyes with that ugly visage, it festers, and people suffer. A benevolent god without omniscience is a sorry creature, indeed. I feel for Celestia, even though I recognize this is her victory.
By the way, this story was brimming with some good turns of phrase. I'm legit impressed. Things like...
These are just... mwah, belissimo. Really good.
Well, where do we begin?
It is nice to to see Celestia's character explored in such means since there hasn't been much of her in the show. It's not only well established and given wings to the character, but it also feels like Celestia too. One of the scenes I found very fascinating was when Celestia was talking to the fillies. That moment, I dare say, is the best moment of this fic. The emotion is present with the narrator's descriptions and so is the flow.
In terms of world building I was surprised. There were good chunks of world establishing for van hoover, it's history, the state of the city after Luna's imprisonment, and so Luna's daughter. (seriously, why give her a daughter with a cool name just to never give her a scene. I'm personally pissed by that choice but still a good decision.)
One thing I point out though, is that there were quite some characters that got introduced in this fic that did not get so much descriptions for how they looked. I personally didn't have a vivid image of ironcuff's or serving bell, but there was an image, none the less.
overall, a very good story.
Howdy, hi!
Okay once more, I'm in love with your prose. This delightful down to Equestria story about Celestia is a joy to read and I love the portrayal you have of her. She's so likable, her motivations clear, and her regret really rings true with the loss of her sister. The scene with the reading to foals is brilliant. I love how much it completely encapsulates Celestia as a character in this small moment.
There's just so much character work in her small movements and mannerisms, how she holds herself in the text and how she interacts with others. Just this careful approach to dialogue as she wrangles with the aftermath of being a direct cause to her sister's grief. I picture Celestia as someone with dignity, poise, and an earnest empathy for others. This story perfectly portrays that in the best way possible.
On top of everything, Sledge your writing is beautiful. I talk about the prose and quality all the time and I really can't overstate it enough. Such a delight to read start to finish.
Thank you for the read!
Sometimes as I reread Sledge stories I'm thinking to myself - "Am I insane?"
No, not because rereading is something that I shouldn't do. It's because I didn't reread the story before today. I find myself awed and amazed by Sledge's prose, and I really love how the words mesh together and flow really well.
I also love the small hints of the story being linked to your other stories, which made it fun to look for these small hints.
Celestia reading to foals? That I can safely say is a really cute idea and something I feel Celestia would definitely do. A normal author would just emphasize on Celestia's guilt. Sledge is no normal author. Sledge takes the story idea and spins a whole entire world with it, making me immerse myself in reading.
So many characters that I truly enjoyed in this story, which was why I added it to my "Greatest stories" folder a while back. The ferrymare was an interesting pony, and the bigotic tribalist definitely served to push the plot further without feeling forced. All in all, a really well done story. I thank you Sledge for writing it :)
Nothing but praises can be said of this section. A story within a story gets new meaning after seeing to who is was told before, and what meaning it had for them. This is still the sister side of Tia, and probably the side that she treasures the most.
Amazing job as usual Sledge, love each one of your works.
Beautiful stuff throughout. I love how many facets of Celestia this puts on display; The cunning statesmare, the motherly teacher, the mourning sister, the pony at the core of her who only wants the best for everypony...
Exquisite work. Thank you for it.
Aaand here's a late reply for y'all, heh;
10957981
Ironhoof's not a very clever fellow, isn't he? He's also even more repulsive in the original fic where he came from, heh.
Considering some wars have been so devastating it still affects the present day, and Equestria has an immortal ruler... yeah. The memory is kept alive and all.
The title of 'Princess of All Equestria', which is still used even in the less authoritarian present-day Equestria, touches on this - it's based on the Russian Empire's Emperor of All Russia or Emperor of all the Russias.
And therein lies Celestia's eternal dilemma; she cares. A lot. But she's only one mare.
I consider the Windigo line to be an all time masterpiece
Glad ya enjoyed the story, all in all
10989023
It's what I do
And, regarding Equinox, this won't be the last time you'll see her, of course.
Yes, she's very cool.
Happy you've enjoyed the story, heh.
10993410
Aw, shucks, Otter, I'm really touched
. I'm glad she's the star of this piece, through and through. I'd been worried she'll get overshadowed by her colourful supporting characters.
Celestia is, of her sisters, the last one whom I've figured out what her hobby/shtick is. Guess I struck gold! Anyways again, god, very much touched by your remarks here. I'm glad it all hit such highs :twilighsmile:
Glad you loved it!
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I don't pretend that everyone has read all of my stories or are compelled to, so I sprinkle the hints here and there but never overwhelmingly so.
And thank you for reading it
I'm honoured!
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Was there ever any doubt? Hehe.
She's so, so, so close here. But duty calls.
My personal favourite detail, again, is just how much Galatea wants to tell her sister who she really is but she has to keep herself on the downlow. Celestia's just, so close to finding that she's not as alone as she thinks she is
She'll always be the well-meaning, motherly and sisterly figure we all know and love, from all sides of her. Happy to see you liked it all!
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As I mentioned to Sleepless there - yup! I wanted to really capture Celestia at her best, and that involves showing just how layered she can be. I admit that the story's plot does resolve itself very smoothly for the most part, but I think it demonstrates Celestia at, well, her best! She's the mare everyone looks up to, the one everyone would follow.
That is Celestia. The caring ruler who hides away the pain of losing her beloved sibling closest companion, because Equestria needs her to hold her head up high and smile for them.
Thank you, I try, and glad you enjoyed this little fairytale
This is a great story! I love seeing Celestia on her own being a good princess (there's so many stories that just don't get her) and connecting with her people.
Plus there's a lot of interesting world building stuff in this story, but doesn't feel completely out of place. So well done!