Short stories about ponies and whatnot

by shutaro

When pull comes to shove

Clover shoved the heavy door to his apprentice's room. His magic was starting to fail him, old age was taking it’s toll. “Celestia, dear? Are you in here, my student?” he asked into the darkness. Not ten years ago he would have cast Sparkle Shine’s “Grand Illumination” and to Tartarus with being a nice pony. This was urgent business. Today he used his meager reserves to ignite a lantern and had to deal with the dim circle of light it provided.

He slowly made his way to the bed and sighed. “Why do I always get the heavy sleepers?” He pushed a hoof into the mess of pink mane, prodding the young alicorn by her horn. “Wake up, sleepyhead!”

Finally Celestia stirred. “What?” she yawned. “Oh, master Clover. Is it morning already?” She tilted her head. “It doesn’t feel like morning.”

“That’s because it isn’t,” Clover nodded. “After you set the sun and went to bed the unicorn council should have raised the moon and stars.” As Celestia provided a lighting spell, he blew out the lantern. ”Alas, the lazy bums didn’t.” There was quite some suppressed anger in his voice, Celestia noted. She was quite happy she wasn’t responsible for this; whoever was would have a hard time explaining this lapse. The elder unicorn was already grumbling that the young generation was growing soft and lazy. It had started with the disappearance of his mentor, and only got worse since his own magic began failing.

“If this was the old country, Star Swirl would have kicked them from the council for this,” Clover rambled. “Degraded them to junior trainee of the youngest doctorant of practically applied magic, the lot of them!”

Celestia was unsure whether to let him rant or interrupt him. Finally she struggled from her sheets and got out of bed. “Why do you tell me all this, master? My talent is the sun, not the nighttime sky.”

Clover returned to the present and looked her up and down. “And yet you have the strongest unicorn magic in the realm. Even a dragon would be hard pressed to win against you in a battle of strength, Celestia. Won’t you at least try to raise the moon?”

Celestia walked to the small window of her room and looked at the empty sky. “I — I really don’t know if I can do that, master.”

“We will not find out unless you try,” Clover tried to cheer her up. Celestia ruffled her wings and looked at the floor. But Clover knew his student well, “I won’t hold it against you if you fail. It’s beyond your talent after all.” Just as he had expected Celestia’s ears perked up and she got a determined look on her face. He was careful not to smile. She really doesn’t like to be told what she can’t do.

A few minutes later the elderly unicorn sat behind Celestia in the courtyard as she prepared for her first attempt at raising the moon and stars. Clover could see the budding beauty of the gangly pony before him. Not being there to see her grow up was one of his few regrets. He tore himself from his sombre thoughts to watch as she started the spell. Little motes of energy played around her body, and her horn glowed in the bright golden light. She hummed a little tune like she always did while casting but stopped as her magic died in a shower of sparks.

“I’m sorry, master.” She turned to him. “The moon is so cold and smooth, I can’t grab it with my magic. It’s like balancing an egg on my nose.”

Clover nodded, “Well, it was worth a try. It’s not your fault, really. I’ll go back to the council and kick a few more lazy plots into action.”

“Now wait just a minute,” Celestia said eagerly. “I didn’t say I had given up, did I?”

Clover grinned as her back was turned. Too easy, young one. Too easy.

Her magical glow filled the courtyard again and again the spell fizzled. “Stupid moon! Why can’t you be big and warm like the sun?”

Before Clover could even say something, Celestia had started casting again. “I got you now, you slippery — ” her horn glowed brightly, “Argh!” She stomped a hoof on the ground and broke one of the stone slabs.

“What is the problem, my student?” Clover asked.

“Whenever I get to hold it in my grip the little pebble slips away. I can’t pull it like this!” Celestia described her problem.

Clover drew a circle with his hoof on the ground. “What if you tried to push instead? The moon is small, you don’t need that much power to move it. Just nudge it along.”

“If you say so, master,” Celestia did not sound very sure about this idea.

This time instead of the small glow of energy a full blown magic circle appeared in the air and turned lazily around the alicorn. A flash of magic from her horn turned the night into day in the courtyard.

“There *flash* you *flash* are! *flash* You *flash* pesky *flash* little *flash* rock!”

The flashes came faster and faster, until it became like looking at a light through a turning wheel.

“I got it, Clover! Just one last pull!” A pillar of light shot from Celestia’s horn to the horizon, and she sank to the ground breathing heavily.

Clover walked to the panting alicorn. “Don’t take it too hard, my dear student. We can always try again tomorrow.”

Celestia looked at him with with a confused look as Clover extinguished his lantern in the growing light. “I don’t understand, I raised the moon like you asked.”

“That —,” Clover pointed to the bright orb that slowly rose into the sky, “That is not the moon.”

Author's Note:

What about Luna? you ask? The little one hasn't gotten her cutiemark yet. Even Celestia only took the sun a few years ago.

To spell it out: She raised the sun with that last pull. I thought it was clear, but it seems it wasn't.

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The Prompt: "That’s no moon!"