just another golden hour cryptid getting through life one crunchy-witch-hippie story at a time
Lemon Hearts never thought she'd make much of her life. She was always too much or not enough, never just right.
While teaching modern, formal dining etiquette to the newly-returned Princess Luna, she comes to realize that her feelings of inadequacy are not as singular as they always seemed.
Written for the May Pairings 2023 contest, expanded from an entry for the May Pairings Bracket contest at Quills & Sofas.
Cover art by the incomparable Otter. 💛💜
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Lovely work, and brilliant exploration of an underutilized character. Even in the episode that most put her in the spotlight, Lemon Hearts is mostly just there (though at least she gets a bit more than poor Twinkleshine.)
Also an outstanding Luna, still very much adjusting to the lost time, her fury at her own foolishness boiling over at the slightest provocation. Moreover, excellent use of one the many things humans developed in the last millennium and take for granted, especially in a high-class place setting. That’s a lot of forks staring Luna in the face.
In all, outstanding character explorations both overt and subtle. Thank you for them, and best of luck in the judging.
This was a nice read, and one of the very few good Lemon Hearts stories I've encountered. Her mother who shall not be named is up there with Spoiled Rich on the bitch-o-meter.
I'll admit, I love Luna as portrayed in most of her cameos in the later seasons, gentle and understanding and trying so hard to be understood, so seeing a Luna here who's so raw and angry was a bit of a shock -- but then it makes perfect sense that her transition wouldn't be quick or immediately perfect, and that she would go through these sorts of setbacks. And then starting there makes the gentleness she displays in nudging Lemon Hearts' dreams feel even more meaningful, not to mention adding an extra level of poignance to how uncertain she is of her welcome when Lemon Hearts finally notices her directly.
And then Lemon Hearts herself is lovely to watch grow as well, both over the course of the present-day timeline as she settles into her new role and is pushed to admit that she might actually be good at what she does, and that perhaps the fact that others are handing her larger shoes to fill is a sign that she is, in fact, someone capable of doing so; and in the contrast between where she came from and who she is now -- the dream where she finally stands up to her mother successfully and realizes just how small she is is one of my favorite parts. Minuette, too, serves as an excellent foil, and was a delight in every scene she appeared in.
This story wrapped up in a very fitting place, but I'd happily read something twice its length or more if you ever felt the desire to further explore Luna's adjustment to her new time, Lemon Hearts' to her new role, and their own slowly shifting relationship with each other. :) Thanks for sharing this story and shining a light on some aspects of these characters that I hadn't previously thought much about!
This seems quite sweet, the conversation between Minuette and Lemon has that casual ease friends have.
Also Luna's explosive mood is quite funny, I can easily picture her doing it in frustration.
If I could offer some constructive criticism, I found it slightly odd that Lemon would even speak out loud in the first scene, may I suggest turning that to internal thought instead? And have the "Sweet Celestia" being the only audible part?
Swapping to first person in dreams works quite well.
Aah, and somepony is already trying to do her work.
This is a great line!
Ouch, Mamma Lemon is quite a piece of work.
That had me laugh out loud.
A very sweet story, short but to the point.
Absolutely superb fic, great characterisation for a almost background pony, and a startlingly raw look at early Luna.
I'd love to read more.
"Keychain" hardly begins to describe it. A chatelaine is a piece of art in its own right.
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Everything the owner could ask for, and everything she might need in the course of her duties; from keys to sewing supplies to pocketwatch, all right there in arm's reach.