Luna zealously keeps a tiger plushie as she dozes through the day. Celestia gazes with exasperation but good humour. How did Luna come across the cute little doll? What's this game they've been playing for over 1000 years?
Luna zealously keeps a tiger plushie as she dozes through the day, Celestia looks on with a mixture of exasperation and good humour. How did Luna come across the cute little doll? Only one way to find out.
WARNING: INTENSIVE ROYAL DIALOGUE AND INTERACTION. There will be pranks, there will be hilarious situations and quite possibly the end of all that is well and good in Equestria.
Princess Celestia, royalty of all that is Equestrian, Princess of the Sun, Diarch of the nation of Equestria, crept along the castle walls, ducking from shadow to shadow. Every so often she would freeze and peer about with frantic eyes at a shifting shape or the distant sounds of hoof-steps that echoed around the stone hallways at night. Spotting her target window she eased herself up to the ledge and pushed herself out into the brisk, cold air of the slumbering form of Canterlot.
Wings unfurled for balance, she found herself edging along the ledge, keeping a careful eye on patrolling pegasi guards. It would not do for anyone to know what she had been up to. One hoof after the other, she clambered along, wary that a small slip would give her away.
A whistle pierced the night startling her almost off the ledge but she relaxed as she spotted the royal gardener simply tending to the roses, on his day off. She silently tittered. Old Mr. Greenhooves needed a firm talking to about getting a real vacation.
Continuing along the ledge she eventually reached the intersection between the ledge and the balcony of Luna’s room. Swinging herself onto the balcony, she made sure her landing was quiet, so as not to upset any magical alarms triggered to noise. The last infiltration had been a complete disaster and besides, who said an old pony couldn’t learn new tricks?
The double doors to the balcony held only a simple magical alarm but was protected by a tricky fifteen counter-lock anti-magical hexa-centrical ward. Celestia could feel her tongue slightly poking out as she concentrated on disarming the ward. She heard a satisfying click–and no alarm–so she relaxed slightly.
Trotting with small hoof-steps she crept towards the bed.
Things were going well.
Celestia narrowed her eyes.
Almost too well.
Casting her gaze around the room she found exactly what she was looking for. A small, almost invisible tripwire had been set up at random intervals across the room, crisscrossing the air in a wild, random pattern. Celestia bit her lip. She was so close!
She carefully navigated through the maze of wires, gently using her wings to balance herself in a series of often-precarious position. The wires lead her from one side of the room to the other but she kept the objective of her visit foremost in her mind. It was sitting there on Luna’s bed, just out of reach.
Eventually, Celestia found herself in front of the object of her desires, a small white tiger plushie with midnight blue stripes. The brilliant piercing blue eyes of the doll was intricately scored with sapphire for the irises, obsidian for the pupils and coated in glass to give a brilliant sheen. The fur was made from the softest materials and contained real tiger hair and down from a duck, various preservation spells had kept it in excellent condition and it looked exactly the same as it had the day she had last laid hooves on it.
The doll was simply a work of art but Celestia did not covet it due to the exquisite craftsponyship of the doll. No, this envy ran deeper than that. It had moved mountains, caused hardship for both sisters and nearly tore two nations into war. The doll was part of their game, a game played for over a thousand years.
Celestia giggled softly, it was hers now!
She reached forward to snatch the doll from the bed. Too late she saw the tell tale flash of magic that signalled a ward. It had been an almost invisible spell wrapped around the frame of the tiger.
Stupid, stupid, stupid, she admonished herself finding herself frozen against her will. She saw in her peripherals another brilliant flash that left spots in her vision. She already knew who it would be.
A midnight blue coated hoof entered her view, the exact same colour that matched the doll’s stripes. The hoof slowly, deliberately and with taunting lethargy, brought the tiger plushie in front of Celestia’s muzzle teasingly, before being wrapped within two hooves and hugged tightly to the chest of none other than the Princess of the Night.
“Oh, so close Tia,” she grinned, sticking a tongue out. Celestia fumed silently.
“If only you had checked for spells before so rashly trying to pick up my beloved,” Luna gloated, pacing around Celestia. She had banished the tripwires, there were no need for them now.
“As promised, dear sister, I shall celebrate yet another year with my favourite bedtime partner.”
Celestia screamed internally for the freeze spell hadn’t expired yet.
Luna trotted arrogantly to her bed and flopped down upon it crossing her hooves in front of her and positioning the doll in plain sight so that Celestia could see it clearly. As soon as the spell wore off Celestia slumped. The bitterness of defeat lingered in her mouth and locked up her speech.
“Oh come now, dear Tia, you have tried hard enough, did you not think I would forget our thousand-year accord?”
Celestia’s eyes took on a rounded pleading look and watered slightly.
Luna burst out laughing.
“That is my ploy! You may not use it so! You clearly do not possess the aptitude for such a petition,” she chortled, wiping away tears in her own eyes.
Celestia huffed and turned her head away.
Luna’s eyes grew demanding and she pointed a hoof imperiously to the ground.
Celestia’s eyes widened, she knew what was coming but was unable to do anything about it. Sighing in resignation she prostrated and mumbled some barely audible words.
“Oh dear sister, I do believe I am getting hard of hearing, would you not mind repeating that phrase again?” Luna asked with a positively infuriating grin plastered on her face.
Celestia mumbled something only a couple decibels louder.
Luna held a hoof to her ear and theatrically leaned in further.
“I said,” began Celestia through gritted teeth. “You win. You are the pony of this year.”
Luna nodded, satisfied. She cradled the doll.
“I will get it next year, mark my words, dear Luna,” Celestia growled, heading for the door.
Luna only reply with an excitable grin that said, Bring everything you have, Tia. I will still win.
Celestia slammed the doors behind her, stamping a hoof in frustration.
Luna was having a grand time with the peasantry conversing, laughing and playing with the locals. Celestia looked on disapprovingly.
“Luna, we think that is quite enough, appearances we doth need to keep,” Celestia stated, shifting uncomfortably on her hooves.
Many of the fillies and colts gathered around Luna groaned pitifully as Luna extricated herself from the throng.
“Oh subjects do not worry so! Mine sister is merely jealous of such adoration we receive,” she sniggered, joining her sister with wings unfurled. The adults accompanying the playful foals bowed low as the two diarchs left.
Luna smiled at her sister.
“You must relax dear sister, do not take things so seriously to thine heart,” she conferred, wrapping a wing around the elder sister’s shoulders.
“Such insecurity will only bear ill will in the long run,” Luna imparted with a sage expression.
Celestia finally smiled.
“If that is what thou art thinks, then what are we to argue?” she replied happily.
“That is thine spirit! Let us enjoy the wonders of the world and do not let the loss of your ponies weigh heavily on your mind, it will only sow disharmony and discord among our subjects,” Luna remarked, but stopped when she spotted Celestia who had paused behind.
“Please, Luna. Let us not speak of ill thoughts, I-we could not bear them at this time,” she replied, voice cracking.
Luna sympathetically drew her sister in the folds of her wings, giving a much-needed hug.
Celestia stiffened but then gratefully relaxed into the comforting embrace of her younger sister. She let out tears that for so long had been held in.
After two or three minutes she sheepishly disengaged.
“Ah, Luna, we feel that our role has been reversed. Please accept mine apologies for acts unbecoming of an elder sister,” she excused, eyeing the wet tearstains on Luna’s coat.
Luna glanced at the wet patch and laughed.
“Remember sister, though others may not say so, we are together who we are. Together we are rulers. Together we are thine companions. Together we are strong,” Luna grinned, stomping a hoof.
Celestia felt her heart warm and she suddenly broke into a gallop. Luckily the guards had been left behind and with no need to keep appearances, she let loose a wild laugh.
“If thou catch me, Luna. Thou will have mine dinner!” she yelled back at Luna.
They chased each other back to the castle and collapsed in a fit of hysterics.
“Luna? Luna? Where are you, I need to talk to you!” Celestia pleaded, stalking through the halls.
Luna sighed. It was her eccentric sister’s attempt to speak in a new way that vexed her. Ponies would never speak this way, not even after a thousand years.
“Celestia,” Luna said gently. “What have we spoken about on thine language, dear Tia?”
Celestia mumbled something and scuffed her hoof.
Luna smiled.
“Oh dear sister, we do believe we are getting hard of hearing, would thee not mind repeating that phrase again?”
Celestia cleared her throat.
“If thou wishes, Luna,” she replied.
Luna squealed, delighted and clopped her hooves together. She glanced at the dawn breaking through the horizon and painting a fiery orange glow on the horizon. She saw the faint glow surround Celestia’s horn.
Luna positively sparkled.
“Oh, Tia thou are getting exceptional at raising the sun,” she commented with approval.
Celestia blushed stroking her mane.
“You really think so?” Celestia asked happily.
Luna nodded, deciding to let her strange sister’s speech go this one time.
“Thou art doing a fine job. Mine heart swells with pride,” she artfully described.
Celestia beamed and trotted on the spot in excitement.
Luna up a warning hoof.
“But thou art getting ahead of thineself, thou must open day court and receive fellow pony petitions,” she reminded.
Celestia pouted.
“Not a single pony wishes to see me during day court,” she moaned, head sagging.
Luna frowned and placed a hoof under Celestia’s muzzle.
“Thou art an excellent ruler and thou citizens wilt love thee as they do the day,” she reassured. Celestia nodded uncertainly.
“Now go,” Luna bade softly. “Thou subjects await.”
Celestia glanced back at Luna and couldn’t resist asking one more question.
“Luna, how will I ever become a stronger ruler like you?”
Luna shook her head.
“We am strong because we do not stand alone, dear sister. We are no more nor less the pony thou art, Tia. Remember, we hold all the same fears and insecurities that thou hold true as well, you are wise not to forget that and take comfort in the fact that thou art not alone,” she professed, with a gentle smile.
“Now leave, dear Tia, thou subjects await and we have much rest to pursue for the night is always full of dangers.”
Celestia lay on a bed of hay as she pondered she could do to help her fellow ponies. The ponies constantly looked up to Luna as she tirelessly protected her subjects from the creatures of the night and Celestia had admired her little sister’s quick proficiency in dealing with threats to their kingdom. The fruits of her labour had become obvious as the years wore on and Equestria’s borders had sprung up, now clearly defined and expanded far beyond what they had been originally.
Celestia had once again felt the extent of her uselessness. Though she held power equal to her sister, her sister had always been the better protector and her subjects adored the strong figure Luna represented. Petitions were always sent to the night court, for extra protection for a farm, or an escort for a noble or insight into a magical disturbance caused by antagonistic mages.
There were a number of royal duties for Celestia, of course, but they had been relatively mundane, merely signing documents on small civic works and other very petty wants of the citizens. Any document that bore heavy news had to be co-signed by Luna and it brought a level of frustration from Celestia that she was not recognised as an equal even as she was the elder.
Her discontent though, had not fed envy as it did before, but fed her thirst for knowledge of her own half of the kingdom where day and peace ruled. She found an increasing appreciation of diplomacy when she settled tribal arguments or delegated to other kingdoms where the touchy griffons and dragons had little appreciation with Luna’s overly aggressive attitude.
Slowly but surely, she shone with pride as she transformed the day court into a bustling centre of administration. Luna had visited on occasion and found that she too were pleased with the progression of their ponies from issues in culture, education and magical exploration where these schools had been set up by none other than Celestia herself.
Luna worked as hard as her sister and formed the two guards, her night guards were one of the fiercest in the world and Celestia’s day guard were the brightest and the proudest. Soon an era of prosperity shone on Equestria and both peace and harmony reigned throughout the kingdom of Equestria. Celestia grew steadily more confident until she had the grace and poise expected as an equal of Luna.
Celestia saw a shift in her workload as more and more ponies visited the day court and less and less ponies visited the night court. Celestia felt Luna getting more and more restless as time wore on but outwardly she showed happiness that her ponies were enjoying the peace. Her sister had been upset when her guard downsized but she had nodded with complicity understanding the need for the funds to be allocated into healthcare instead.
Just as Celestia had trusted Luna with the protection of her ponies, so did Luna with Celestia administration of her ponies. Luna rarely if ever intervened or attended day court but neither did Celestia in her night court. Luna started to feel the tugs of loneliness on her heart and she could now fully comprehend exactly what her sister had felt. Still, she felt her heart was weaker and every now and again jealousy would rear its ugly head and strike when she least expected it.
She decided she would handle it before it got any worse.
Celestia rose from her throne in the day court when she saw her sister approaching.
“Ah, Luna I have not been expecting you, you hardly attend my day court!” she yapped happily as she wrapped her sister in a hug.
Luna shook her head at her sister’s still unusual speech. She smiled as she withdrew but threw something at her sister.
“We have been lonely and bored of late, dear Tia, so we have made a game,” she replied gesturing at the object floating in Celestia’s aura.
Celestia looked at the plushie in puzzlement, bewildered by her sister’s proposition.
“It is exquisitely crafted as I can see but what is the game you suggest?” she queried, turning the doll upside down and around.
“Oh the doll is simply an item we have bought for mine pleasure but it is the goal of this game,” Luna explained.
“The game is simple. We shall compete for the doll using any means that we think thou shall necessitate. Thou shalt try thine hardest to hide, trap or otherwise keep thine doll for the day and the night. If thou winnest, we shall doth yield to thee for a summer cycle and thou shalt keep thine doll for that duration. However, if thou shalt lose thy doll, thou shalt doth yield to we for the summer cycle.”
Celestia grinned, liking the rules.
“Okay I will pl–”, she began but was interrupted by Luna grabbing the doll unceremoniously with her mouth after flash teleporting from her spot.
“Thou art too slow dear Tia, you must act faster to best thy Princess of the Night,” she teased but threw the doll back anyway.
“But thou Princess is thou sister first and will let thou keep thy doll for a day but will be fair game by thine evening,” she drawled arrogantly before exiting the grand archway.
Celestia had a dark expression plastered on her face.
Luna hadn't made it easy of course, she was an expert in finding and tracking with one eye on Celestia as she entered and left the castle. The land was her domain and she knew every bit of it. It had made such moments frustrating when Luna found the striped tiger doll on a mountain peak, in a dragon’s horde, at the bottom of a lake, in the middle of a wild forest, hidden underground and even in the newly formed cloud-city, Cloudsdale.
Somewhat at a loss in how to proceed, Celestia decided a trap would be the best bet to succeed. She had cleverly disguised a simple trap with a larger, more complex mechanical trap. The mechanical trap itself served only as a distraction to a more sinister magical trap. In fact Celestia felt confident that Luna would not be able to detect the magical residue of the hidden spell she had weaved around the doll. What basis did she found her confidence on? She herself had invented the spell and delighted in its esoteric effects.
Celestia couldn't wait to see her sister try and ultimately fail. Today would possibly be the first year she would win the doll outright and the tension curdled with her excitement in a bubbling cauldron of anticipation. No more would Luna smirk and toss her the doll as a sympathy gift to ‘provide us with at least a suitable challenge’ and no more would she bow in a humiliating kowtow to acknowledge her sister’s superiority in this thrice cursed game.
No! This time would be different. Celestia would emerge victorious over the bastions of her enemy, washing in the sugary waters of her sister’s favourite beverage and laughing as she dined on her sister’s daily-allocated portion of the royal cake servings.
She had it all planned out. Painstakingly laying the groundwork. A simple pitfall trap would be surrounded by nets and the like, which in turn would be party to a two stage drop mechanism triggered by pressure-sensitive plates around the doll. Light sensitive spells were set to sound the alarm if a dark shadow around the size of an alicorn tried to slip past and finally, the sinister original spell conceived by the Princess of the Sun lay waiting as the last line of defence.
Celestia clopped her hooves in glee as she thought of this and couldn't help but hum a pleasant tune as she waited at her tower of the castle. Below, in the courtyard the doll sat innocently, surrounded by infernal contraptions.
Celestia did not have to wait long before she spotted Luna, peeking around.
Luna unfortunately, immediately spotted Celestia observing and waved a merry hoof before diving into the task of avoiding her traps, unfazed.
Celestia gasped as she watched her sister turn into a dark mist and drift over the majority of her traps. THAT WAS CHEATING! She stomped a hoof in frustration but calmed herself. No matter there was still the pitfall, oh for the love of- okay at least there was the press- oh really?! No matter how many times Celestia saw it, she could never understand how her sister was so good at dodging traps and obstacles, while Celestia tended to disable physical traps with her magic, her sister preferred acrobatics or some physical transformation.
For now, all of Celestia’s traps lay in disarray, disarmed and impotent.
With a flash, she teleported in front of Luna and stared her down.
“Doth thou want to begin a trial of arms?” her sister asked innocently, even going so far as to batter her eyelashes.
Celestia opted to snort and rub it in later.
“Luna you are only making this hard on yourself, give up now and you will suffer no repercussions,” Celestia declared a smug grin plastered on her muzzle.
Luna rolled her eyes, “If thou is as proficient in traps and the like than thou is with our language, then we have nothing to fear.”
She touched the doll and the spell instantly activated doing two things that neither of the princess expected.
As Celestia had expected but Luna had not, the age regression spell activated and turned Luna into a filly alicorn.
Unfortunately before Celestia could say anything witty in the form of a victory speech, the spell due to being of a fundamentally different nature to known magic bounced back from the dispelling enchantment that Luna had erected before-hoof, which Luna expected but Celestia had definitely not.
The result was Celestia joining her sister Luna as another little alicorn filly.
Unfortunately for both of them the bouncing interaction between the dispelling spell and the age regression transformation spell had resulted in a very loud sound, akin to an explosion and guards had rushed outside to see the commotion.
Of course the guards had a rough idea what had gone on, seeing the tiger plushie and they decided to have some fun, much to the chagrin of the two princesses.
“Excuse mineself, young missus but thou hast trespassed on royal grounds, where are thine guardians?” one of them sniggered, barely containing his mirth.
Celestia pouted which looked absolutely adorable on her small face.
One of the guards reached out and pet her until she swatted his hoof away.
“You should know my name is Celez- Celestri- Say-lex- ack-“, she replied but almost bit her tongue with the difficulty in pronouncing her own name.
Luna gave a severe scowl, which was intended to intimidate but just made the guards coo at her.
“And we are Woo-Wo-W-WOONA!” she yelped, also unable to say her own name properly. She sat cradling her head in embarrassment as the guards hooted and broke out into laughter.
Celestia leaped in front of Luna facing off the guards.
“Don't bully my little sister!”
The guards were in hysterics.
Celestia and Luna crossed their hooves and glowered at the guards.
The guards fell to the ground clutching their sides.
At until Celestia casually reminded them that if they did not cease and desist immediately, some payments to some guard-ponies may somehow be reduced, mysteriously. The guards were all business after that.
As they made their way through the castle, enduring the fawning of the maids and nobles alike, Luna leant towards her sister.
“We are never to speak of this again,” she whispered intensely.
Celestia nodded.
“Not even after a thousand years,” she replied solemnly.
-----
Over a thousand years later…
“Luna do you remember the ti-“
“No.”
“But I haven't eve-“
“NO.”
“Bu-“
“NO!”
“Luna-“
“NO! You promised! No!”
“WOOOONAAAA!”
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
-----
That year they both agreed that no pony really won the doll.
Luna grudgingly gave her sister a bag of bits, back then they were pure gold so they were worth quite a bit, as she would find out in over a thousand years.
Celestia had an expression that made Luna grind her teeth.
“See? I told you I could get my ponies to speak Modern Equestrian,” she lilted smugly, battering her eyes tauntingly at her little sister.
Luna growled, like a tiger.
“Though thou hast made thine point we shall continue our way of speech until our ponies speakest it fluently as would be the norm,” she pronounced moodily.
“Now, now, dear sister no need to sulk,” she offered reasonably. “I’m sure we can come to an agreement, how about I pay for some confectionary goods? I recently came into a fair bit of money as of recently.”
Luna stamped a hoof in frustration.
“How thou obtained a spell on clairvoyance will be beyond us,” Luna complained.
Celestia grinned and simply sat there jiggling her bag of bits.
Luna stalked out of Celestia’s room and slammed her doors.
“That sister of mine, so condescending!” Luna grumbled as she narrowly avoided tackling some guards who were just innocently passing by.
“I wish there was some way to get her to understand- “ she stopped and snorted, annoyed “ –now she hast changed my-mine speech for the worse!”
Suddenly, she paused and grinned.
There was a way.
It would be absolutely delicious.
-----
Celestia waved away the last petitioner, dismissing them after a successful resolution to establish an outpost on west coast.
Today was a day to be on guard, for her sister had looked vengeful this morning.
A trickle of sweat rolled down her forehead, matting a small patch of fur.
What if? No it wasn’t possible, her sister didn’t know.
Celestia proceeded to the royal kitchens in all due haste. She burst through the double doors, frightening a good many cook and almost dove into the small cooler, kept cold by a steadily glowing crystal. She sighed in relief.
The newest invention of her little ponies was a delicious confectionary treat called a ‘cake’.
Celestia had been enamoured with the idea straight from the beginning and she had ordered several batches of cake to be made. The delicious treat was prepared for her afternoon tea but Celestia had feared her sister laying hooves on it, but it appeared to be unfounded.
She poked at the cake with a freshly scrubbed snout, getting a small amount of cream on the tip of her muzzle. She lapped it up greedily. It tasted fine! Divine! Awe-inspiringly delightful! It settled pleasantly and her only regret numbered that she could not appreciate any more.
Celestia felt drowsy and yawned. Today she been a long day of her duties and she retired to her bed. Next morning would be a full day and she had to be prepared.
Lying down, she closed her eyes, drifting off to a pleasant sleep and hoping for pleasant dreams.
-----
Celestia awoke with a start, her dreams had been empty and she hadn’t dreamt of mountainous valleys of cake that she intended.
Oh well, she thought. Dreams rarely did go as intended.
She got up but found her balance was unsettlingly off. She stumbled and hit her head against a bedpost.
“Oww!” she exclaimed, rounding on the bed and seeking to turn it into ash. It was then she noticed something terribly wrong.
Her bed was dark, her drapes were dark, her mane was dark and her coat was dark.
They were all a shades of blue with one dominant colour scheme:
Midnight blue. There was only one course of action available to Celestia after this.
“LUNNNNNNNAAAAAAAA!” she screamed like a little filly.
