Episode 12: "Chickens, Snakes and Quesadillas, Part 1"
…
…
Celestia had always been viewed by the citizens of Equestria as a fearless leader. Now retired, the "Fearless Leader" was now living the life of a normal citizen and many felt that she still maintained that image, but that would clearly be not the case.
One day, Twilight had just arrived back at the Castle of Friendship after a hard day's work of being Equestria's supreme ruler when she turned her attention to a book that she had been longing to read. "Phobias, Fears and Everything You Need to Know," she sighed to herself, sitting in the privacy of her study. "Been meaning to read this for a while, but now I will finally get the chance."
Opening the book, Twilight studied what was written on the pages and everything seemed normal until she heard loud screaming coming from downstairs.
"LUNA, WHY DIDN'T YOU SCARE THEM AWAY?!" A Royal Canterlot voice belonging to Celestia cried out! "YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT CHICKENS!"
"THEY WERE FLUTTERSHY'S CHICKENS, YOU KNOW HOW PROTECTIVE SHE IS!" Luna's own Royal Canterlot voice roared back!
"Something tells me that things didn't go over so well at Fluttershy's." Twilight thought to herself as she went downstairs to find out what was going on.
Making her way downstairs, she saw Luna attempting to drag her frightened older sister into the castle with Spike pushing behind.
"I DON'T CARE IF THEY ARE HER BEST CHICKENS!" Celestia loudly protested. "HER CHICKENS ARE EVIL, I TELL YOU! THEY WERE STARING RIGHT AT ME!"
A clearing of Twilight's throat ceased the screaming, causing the retired alicorns and dragon royal advisor to glance over at Twilight.
"It's clear to me that things didn't go over well at Fluttershy's." Twilight sighed as she walked down the stairs.
"Of course it didn't," Spike grunted while trying to push Celestia into the castle foyer. "Who knew that Celestia had such a fear of chickens?"
"Twilight, I hate to say it but it was awful!" Celestia cried as she embarrassingly threw herself onto her daughter figure. "Those chickens, they had claws that were going to shred me to pieces!"
"They were perfectly harmless, Celestia," Luna sighed. "I don't understand why you don't just get yourself checked out for this silly fear you have."
Celestia didn't take this news lightly. "PERFECTLY HARMLESS?" She shouted, reactivating her royal Canterlot voice. "SINCE WHEN ARE CHICKENS PERFECTLY HARMLESS?!"
"Look, I get that things didn't go over so well at Fluttershy's," Spike spoke up. "But, there were some good things that came out of it, right? You got out of the classroom and the castle and enjoyed the fresh air."
But those words did little to comfort Celestia, who could only shake in fear. "And just shook like a leaf." Spike said, shrugging his shoulders while looking at Twilight.
It was apparent to Twilight that Celestia had a fear of a harmless animal, and soon she would soon find out why.
…
…
"She just freaked out, Twilight. I knew my sister had a fear of chickens, but still…" Luna sighed as she prepared herself a cup of tea in the castle's kitchen. "Her behavior was just inexcusable, especially for a former princess."
"For somepony who was viewed as fearless in the eyes of Equestria, it seems to me like Celestia was hiding something from us," Twilight commented. "Luna, when did this all start? How could this fear take hold?"
"When we were students under Starswirl the Bearded," Luna sighed, stirring her cup of tea and recalling a memory from long ago. "Starswirl was trying to teach us a lesson about what makes cockatrices…well, cockatrices and one of the chickens scratched Celestia pretty badly. Ever since, she has this fear that she'll get hurt by them again."
It was then that Twilight began to get herself an idea about how to help her mentor and mother figure.
"How were the chickens today?" Twilight pondered. "Were they agitated in some way or form?"
"Perfectly normal until Celestia approached the chicken coop. One chicken, just one chicken comes out of the coop and she flips her mane without provocation," Luna explained. "I mean…I want to understand my sister more, even though it sounds silly."
"I've been Shining Armor's little sister all my life and even I struggle to understand him sometimes," Twilight chuckled, feeling slightly amused. "We're both royals, but we are siblings nonetheless. And he's had his hang-ups about things that took him a long time to overcome. Still, I think Celestia needs to confront her fear sooner rather than later. She must set an example for everypony even if she's no longer a princess."
Twilight then pulled over a picture of Starlight and Trixie with a shattered glass in the frame. Luna felt embarrassed at the prospect of what had happened.
"It'll keep more pictures from getting damaged," Twilight nervously chuckled. "This has to stop."
…
The next morning, Twilight and Rainbow Dash were in Yakyakistan on royal business when they saw what appeared to be an activity that involved smashing and yelling, but there was a yak with a pencil in his ear.
"Lojan, you conquer fear with your strength." The yak said with a smile.
The other yak blinked in confusion. "What yak do now?"
"Show fear you aren't afraid of fear." The pencil eared yak explained.
The yak directed Lojan towards a bullseye and Lojan charged towards the bullseye, smashing right through it.
"If only we could do something like that," Rainbow Dash whispered to Twilight. "I heard right, Celestia has this fear of chickens?"
"Apparently," Twilight sighed. "Last night, she came back from Fluttershy's screaming in her Royal Canterlot voice. I want to help Celestia for Luna's sake, but I'm not sure how. How am I supposed to help somepony overcome a fear that everypony else thinks is silly?"
Just then, the two saw Lojan attack another bullseye again.
"Did Pinkie Pie ever tell us that yaks conquer their fears by smashing bullseyes?" Twilight wondered.
The more Twilight saw what was happening, the more she began to get an idea on how to approach the situation.
"Maybe. What did you have in mind?" Rainbow Dash asked as Twilight walked over to the yak with the pencil.
"Excuse me, Mr. Yak?" Twilight asked, calling over to him. "Do you have a second?"
It took a moment for the yak to notice Twilight, but he eventually did. "Princess Twilight and Princess Rainbow Dash!" The yak gasped, immediately bowing to the both of them. "To what pleasure does yak make of them?"
"All the pleasure in the world if you can just get up," Rainbow Dash said and the yak complied. "That's better."
"What exactly were you doing?" Twilight asked.
"Helping Lojan face fears. Yaks are meant to fear no one," The doctor yak answered. "No enemy!"
Lojan continued his smashing rampage, smashing whatever came his way.
"So I see," Twilight spoke up as she saw the results. "Anyways, Mr…"
"Yàowù." The yak answered.
"Mr. Yaowu," Twilight hesitantly replied. "There's somepony who I'm very close to that has this really antagonizing fear that she needs to conquer. Maybe you could help me?"
But before Twilight could go any further, Lojan smashed into a statue of Prince Rutherford, catching the yak doctor's attention!
"Lojan!" Yaowu shouted! "Go smash hay at outside boundary! Fear is hidden over at outside boundary!"
Sending the yak away, the yak doctor turned his attention to the two princesses.
"As I was saying," Twilight replied while briefly looking at Rainbow Dash. "I have this pony who is fearful of chickens, and I was wondering if you or someone you know has any methods on how to deal with such a fear."
Yaowu was quick with the reply. "Smashing."
"Smashing?" Rainbow replied with a confused glance. "How will smashing help?"
"Smashing what causes fear," Yaowu explained. "Smash until fear is destroyed."
But both Twilight and Rainbow Dash had their reservations about the suggestion given to them.
…
"Twilight, is this yak nuts?" Rainbow Dash asked as Tillie pulled them back to Equestria aboard the royal train. "Can you imagine Celestia smashing one of Fluttershy's chickens? Isn't there a way for Celestia to face her fear without harming anycreature? I don't think Fluttershy would appreciate seeing her chickens smashed to pieces."
Taking her newfound copy of the book she had been reading, Twilight looked for a possible method that could cure a fear without the use of violence. Aa few moments later, she found one that looked promising. "It says here that if a creature has a fear, then the creature must learn from another creature that practices fear conquering techniques."
"But who do we know aside from your therapists, Twilight, that can help Celestia?" Rainbow pondered. "I mean, this is a former ruler of Equestria for pony's sake! And something tells me your therapists aren't what Celestia needs. They could help her cope with her fear, but not get over it. Who could possibly help Celestia do that?"
"I don't know." Twilight replied in uncertainty, but she would soon get her answer.
When she returned to the Castle of Friendship that night, Twilight found Luna sitting at the foot of the stairs along with Spike, both of them clearly showing deep exhaustion. "Did I miss something?" she asked.
"Just a wild and crazy alicorn flipping out over the mention of…" Spike started to say, only to look back to see if things were okay. "You know what." He whispered.
"I mentioned the creature that must not be named," Luna declared while rising to her feet. "And Celestia just loses it. Shrieking like some tight mare. It's never been this bad before. It's like she's been spooked."
Wanting to see for herself what had happened, Twilight proceeded to make her way upstairs and looking into Celestia's room, gasped to see Celestia in a straightjacket with a look of terror frozen upon her face. "Chickens, chickens," She muttered in a frazzled voice. "There are no chickens here, no chickens at all!"
The crazed Celestia then turned over to Twilight. "Twilight, there are no chickens here. Are there?"
Feeling more than a little uncomfortable at her mentor's behavior, Twilight quietly shut the door and made her way back downstairs to Luna and Spike. "Celestia in a straightjacket?" Twilight asked Luna and Spike. "It's that bad, huh?"
"Twilight, I'm at my wits end with my sister's outbursts! I had to put her in that jacket for her own protection!" Luna cried. "She needs help to conquer her fears. But every time I try to do it, she doesn't listen to me! She's acting like a little filly scared of the dark and the monsters under her bed, or worse."
"I'll go down to Canterlot General Hospital tomorrow and see what can be done," Twilight sighed. "I agree that Celestia needs help, not just from her fears, but from herself."
…
Acting on her word, Twilight arrived at Canterlot Hospital early the next morning and sought out the advice of her therapists, Gentle Gust and Gentle Breeze.
"A fear of chickens?" Gentle Gust remarked while looking into a psychiatry book. "How long has she had this fear for, Twilight?"
"Since Celestia was a filly, Gentle Gust," Twilight answered as Gentle Gust proceeded to deeply study a page of the book. "Yesterday, she just flipped out at Fluttershy's and I came home to find her in a straightjacket! It's that bad."
"Hmm, it appears to me that Celestia is suffering from what is called alektorophobia." Gentle Breeze replied, much to Twilight's confusion.
"Alekto what now?" Twilight asked with a confused look on her face.
"Alektorophobia," Gentle Gust answered. "It's the fear of chickens and hens. Unlike common fears it can't be cured, but it can be managed and treated."
"I'm not looking for Celestia to be cured of anything, guys. I just want her to get the help she needs, that's all. But not if it involves mind altering medication, that would just be a crutch she wouldn't be able to do without," Twilight insisted. "Do you know of anypony or anycreature that specializes in silly phobias such as this?"
"There is a colleague of ours that does specialize in fears and phobias, particularly those that can only be treated, not cured" Gentle Gust spoke up. "Ultimate Relaxation is his name and helping ponies control their fears is his game."
"Can I meet him and see if he's available?" Twilight asked and Gentle Gust pressed into the intercom on his desk. "Of course, if he's busy with another patient…"
"Ultimate Relaxation?" Gentle Gust called into an intercom. "Do you have a moment?"
"Gusty, what a surprise!" A sly talking voice said on the other line. "To what do I owe you and Gentle Breezy the pleasure?"
"We have our royal patient with us," Gentle Gust chuckled. "She is looking for help for a friend of hers."
"Well, look no further." And no sooner did Ultimate Relaxation say those words than did a dark blue unicorn pony with a short mane and a scrunched up face appear in the office.
"Um, you must be Ultimate Relaxation," Twilight stammered while turning around to face the unexpected guest. "You help ponies conquer their fears or at least learn how to control them, right?"
"Of course I do," Ultimate answered in his sly voice. "I make ponies and creatures see the truth, that their fears don't have to control them, rather it should be the other way around. It's an honor to finally meet you face to face, your majesty."
He bowed to Twilight, but Twilight gestured him to rise up. "We don't do that in here/" She advised Ultimate.
"So you don't? Hmmm…but you are royalty, aren't you?" Ultimate asked. "You and your friends?"
"In here, I am treated no differently than anypony or anycreature," Twilight explained. "Besides, I have somepony who may be in need of your services."
"And who is this somepony?" Ultimate Relaxation asked. "Is it someone in your family, one of your friends, even yourself? Tell me, who?"
"It's um, my mentor and mother figure: Celestia." Twilight blushed.
This made Ultimate Relaxation droop his face in surprise. "Celestia?! The former ruler of Equestria? What can she possibly be afraid of that I can help cure or treat?"
"This made sound silly but, Celestia has this fear of…well, chickens." Twilight shamefully admitted with embarrassment.
Ultimate Relaxation looked up at Gentle Gust and Gentle Breeze, who confirmed to him via nods that Twilight was telling the truth. "Alektorophobia?" He asked. "Indeed. That is tricky. Chickens are harmless for the most part, but they do have that fear inducing capability. It is not entirely abnormal for ponies to develop it, usually as a result of exposure to a cockatrice. Tell me though, how long has she had this?"
"Supposedly, since she was a student under Starswirl the Bearded," Twilight explained. "There was an accident and…"
"-A scratching situation?" Ultimate Relaxation asked. "Of course, a fear of chickens does tend to come from those they try to use as a scratching post. Believe it or not, I actually have another patient who is afraid of snakes that might connect well with Celestia. Their fear of snakes also stems from a childhood accident."
"Who is it? Is it somepony I know of?" Twilight questioned.
"Can't tell you that," Ultimate Relaxation replied, while smiling and nudging Twilight in the side. "Patient Doctor Confidentiality."
"Oh. Sorry." Twilight blushed.
"Anyways, Sparkle, here's the deal," Ultimate Relaxation explained in a sly tone. "If you really want your mama friend to face her fear, then you gotta be a straight shooter with her. Do you understand?"
He backed away from a confused Twilight and proceeded to write on a chalkboard in Gentle Gust and Gentle Breeze's office. "Just tell her the…TRUTH!"
"No way!" Twilight cried! "I can't just reveal the truth to Celestia, it will only make things worse for her. This fear has too much hold on her for her to be told that chickens aren't a threat to her. Believe me, I've had my fair share of disappointing Celestia over the years. I don't want to repeat it with this. Just once I want to be able to help her without making things worse for her."
"She's going to have to face the truth eventually, Ms. Sparkle," Ultimate Relaxation said, erasing the chalkboard. "I'll tell you what, why don't you bring her over to me tomorrow morning with my other patient? It would be best for her to be with another pony with a similar fear stemming from childhood. Perhaps the two can help each other to see that their fears are not something to be ashamed of, and therefore nothing they need to let control them."
Twilight ultimately took the advice to heart and returned to the Castle of Friendship with the news.
"Ultimate Relaxation? What does he have to do with me?" Celestia asked as she tried to drink a cup of tea and eat a banana in Twilight's study. "He sounds like a crazy pony. What does he know about my fear that I don't?"
"Ultimate Relaxation may be a bit… eccentric, but he might be helpful in getting you to control your alektorophobia," Twilight replied to Celestia. "It's not like it's just going to be Discord in disguise again."
But Celestia wasn't convinced.
"Look Celestia," Twilight sighed. "With the right help, you can control your fear of chickens. You can't cure it, but you can control it. It would set a good example for other ponies if they know that even a former princess can face the silliest of fears. You've seen what my fear of disappointing you or even outright failing could do. Don't you want to get over your fear of chickens so that you don't have to go through what I went through?"
"Twilight, how can you say that I should face my fears of chickens?" Celestia said as she paced back and forth in front of Twilight. "Every time I look at them, it seems like they are going to hurt me like that one chicken Starswirl tamed once. Try as I might, I can't shake that feeling. It was the first time I ever truly felt helpless, and every time I see a chicken that feeling creeps back up."
Celestia then looked back at Twilight and took a deep breath. "Chickens are essential to Equestria, I know that. They provide eggs, and food for the creatures who eat meat. But who knows what chickens are good and bad, Twilight? Every time I look at a chicken, they just…blind me with fear. My parents tried everything to help me get over it, but nothing worked. Avoiding chickens has been the only way I keep myself from being consumed by my fear of them."
It was then that Twilight gestured Celestia over to her and motioned her to lean forward for Twilight to whisper in her ear. "You know who else fears me?" Twilight whispered, with a smile. "Quesadillas. They're cheesy. I know it sounds silly and ridiculous, but that cheese just gets everywhere." And she briefly shuddered.
This caused Celestia's fear to be lowered slightly, but she still needed to face her fear head on.
…
The next morning, Celestia was dragged off to Canterlot General Hospital and soon found herself waiting to see the therapist recommended to her. As a precaution, she was still in the straightjacket.
"Twilight, is the straightjacket really necessary?" Spike asked.
"I don't want her causing anypony harm," Twilight answered as Celestia struggled against her bonds. "Sorry Celestia, this is for your own good. I'm sure it'll be removed once the therapy session begins. I already made sure nopony besides Ultimate Relaxation and his patient have to see you like this. Nopony will ever know but us."
But Celestia, who had a gag in her mouth, protested.
"Also, the gag is to prevent you from using your Royal Canterlot Voice…as a safety precaution," Twilight insisted. "I don't want you drawing attention to yourself and letting all the patients in the building know you're here. The press would have a field day."
Just then, Rainbow Dash arrived and sat down with the group. "Okay, Celestia's been checked in," she sighed. "Now all we have to do is…"
Suddenly, both Rainbow Dash and Twilight were surprised to see a familiar face arrive in the waiting room.
"Dar… I mean, A.K. Yearling, what are you doing here?!" Rainbow Dash asked as the author removed her glasses, wiping away some sweat from her brow.
"Um, why is that pony in a straightjacket?" Daring Do asked.
"Fear of chickens, a really bad one," Twilight whispered. "What are you here for, Miss Yearling?"
Suddenly, an older looking male pony with the same color as Daring Do came into the office wearing a brown fedora and khaki clothes. "A.K., why did you drag me into this?! You know I can't stand snakes!"
"Dad, we already agreed to this," A.K. grumbled. "You need help with your fear of snakes. I can't be leaving every book signing to calm you down wherever you are! You taught me to be brave and fearless, now it's my turn to do the same for you."
Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Spike along with Luna sat in amazement at A.K. Yearling's words.
"Is that Daring Do-Gooder?" Rainbow Dash asked. "The professor from Manehattan University?"
"Well, right now he doesn't seem like much of a professor," A.K. Yearling unhappily remarked. "At least in this condition. His fear used to not be so bad, but ever since he retired from adventuring it's gotten worse and worse."
Just then, the door opened and in stepped a small sized adult pony who was light blue and had a white fluffy mane and tail. "The doctor will see you both now," He said in a high pitched old colt's voice. "I'm White Clouds, and Ultimate Relaxation has already told me everything." He then motioned for Celestia and Daring Do-Gooder to be brought into the office.
"Well, here goes nothing." Daring Do-Gooder said to himself as he walked under his own power. "Let the torture began."
All Twilight and A.K. Yearling can do was wait and see what would transpire with what was about to happen.
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Let’s hope Celestia and Daring Do Gooder get over their fear.
Snakes..... Why Did It Have To Be Snakes?
Isn't Twilight also afraid of ladybugs too?
11298067. Congratulations, you got the reference!!
11220900
Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. I must have been gone after you replied and missed the notification. His original plan was to have Twilight die and take Grogar down with her.
11300083 First I've heard of this.
11300602
He told me in a private message back in 2019.