Day one
She has challenged me. Princess Celestia has personally challenged me to one of the most dangerous and daring competitions known to man/pony kind. A competition that will send us into a spiral of madness and torment that only the bravest and most fearsome of souls could possibly hope to accomplish. A test of our infinite and boundless willpower that will no doubt be written down in history as the greatest duel to ever have graced Equestria. I have spent countless amounts of days- No, weeks, training for this mission. I parted goodbye to my friends and family as I embarked on a quest that I may never return from. But no matter the circumstances or situation, I refuse to succumb to the tyrannical grasp of Princess Celestia.
The staring contest will begin in 3... 2... 1...
Day two
Her everlasting gaze is no joke. She beckons me into madness with those eyes. I can see every emotion she feels dancing through those eyes, engrossing and hypnotizing me. But I am no fool. I see through her cunning tricks, trying to deceive me into closing my eyelids, and allowing myself to feel the sweet, moist liquid bathing my eyeballs. But my will is infinite. I will wait for a century, should that be what it takes. To defend the honor of myself and my family, I cannot allow this cretin to best me. I shall never falter.
Just then, I saw it. A sneer grazed the fabric of her lips. The small movement changed her eyes in so many different ways. Could she read my thoughts? did she think lowly of my self-encouragement? The nerve, thinking she can pass judgement such as this. I shall not tolerate it. I must strengthen my gaze, and surpass the puny will of this laughable ruler.
Day Three
Some Pony came by today. Her coat was as black as the night sky, perfectly complimenting her flowing mane of stars and constellations. If I had to guess, I would assume that this was the Princess's sibling. She stood watching us for a few moments. I spied a worried gaze out of the corner of my eye. Eventually, she approached Princess Celestia, asking questions about the purpose of this competition. Insolent creature. Does she not understand the importance of this? I have already grown to dislike this new Pony. I shall name her 'Annoyance' from now on. A fitting name, considering the circumstances. She did eventually fetch some food for us. It was demeaning having to open my mouth while Annoyance simply shoved it in with that damn magic of hers. The food was mediocre, at best. After about an hour of watching afterwards, Annoyance decided to leave, ushering a few quick words of encouragement to Celestia before leaving the room. Celestia seemed slightly calmer after this encounter. Her eyes seemed to rest for a few hours, almost to the point of half-closing them. Was she mocking me? Did she see this as a way of entertaining herself? I spied another smirk clinging onto her features. She was getting a kick out of this. Do not underestimate me, Celestia. I saw her smile fade slightly, transforming into a frown over time.
Day four
I have noticed several birds collect on the windowsill at specific points of the day. They perch on the very edge of the window, preening their feathers and letting loose chirping noises every few moments. After a while, they would leave and return again after a few hours. I have mentally requested Celestia to hire some painters to change the color of the walls. It would be interesting to change the room up a little. Unfortunately, she has given no response.
Annoyance dropped by once more. She asked some more pointless questions before observing us for a good hour or two. Time moved so quickly when we were like this. It was almost like a prison. Destined to rot in an everlasting staring contest until we both perish. A horrible fate indeed. Annoyance left after a while. For a moment, I assumed she had left to obtain some consumables to keep us sustained. No such luck, unfortunately. I honestly preferred it during the night. Everything was so much softer on the eyes. It worked like sleep.
Day five
I wonder how long this will drag out? It's already been five days, but Celestia shows no signs of giving up. No bags or signs of sleep deprivation have collected on her eyes. It led me to assume that it had something to do with her being partially immortal. What if she had cast some foul magic that allowed her to keep her eyes open for as long as possible? No. She wouldn't resort to such vile tricks, would she? She was a just and kind ruler, and would surely never commit such a horrible act of cheating.
Annoyance dropped by with some food today. Listening to her one-sided conversation with Celestia, I learned that her name was 'Luna'. I honestly prefer 'Annoyance' But it wouldn't be chivalrous to continue with such an insulting name. Something must have plagued Celestia's thoughts today. Her eyes let loose a violent twitch every few hours, almost to the point of closing entirely. The third time it happened, I honestly thought I had won for a fraction of a second.
Day six
Pray tell, who is running this accursed land while Celestia is dueling me? I do hope it's not Annoy- Er, Luna. Celestia is associated with the sun and Luna is associated with the moon. Surely these two must remain in balance? So it would only be practical that they would each split their duties accordingly. Perhaps I shouldn't be delving into the logistics of two Ponies attempting to run a monarchy.
A fly made it's way through a crack in the window this morning at around 10:21 am. Since then, it has perched itself on a small cabinet located at the corner of the room, and took short intervals in between flying around aimlessly. To keep my sanity intact, I shall attempt to befriend this fly to the best of my ability. Unfortunately, I cannot speak or move in danger of hindering my concentration, so I must rely on magnetic brainwaves to communicate with this fly. I shall name it 'Brian.'
Brian the fly. Yes, that is a fitting name for this particular winged creature.
Week one, day one
Alas, a week has past ever since this duel had begun. I spent the large majority of today attempting to communicate with Brian. He seems only to follow my instructions whenever he feels like it. He has given me no response to whether he can actually understand my attempts at communication. I can respect this. Truly, Brian is a creature with a carefree attitude, only seeing things the way he wants to see them. A true role model for years to come.
Luna came by again today. Another pointless one-sided conversation with Celestia was shared between them. She then proceeded to fetch us our meals. It seems Luna always seems to leave us a day without any kind of nourishment. Hypothetically, this would slowly starve me and Celestia over time. But I have reasonable thinking to believe that this duel will not carry on for that long.
Week one, day two
I have discovered a breakthrough! While I was focusing my concentration today, I noticed something about Celestia. Upon closer inspection, my suspicions were confirmed: She had developed bags under her eyes. This is a momentous occasion. I now have proof to suggest that I am currently taking the lead in this competition. But... What if I have also developed these bags? My eyes don't feel very heavy. Or, at least, I think they don't. I can't remember how it felt to have a normal blinking pattern.
I have reason to believe that I have piqued Brian's interest. A few hours ago, he started to fly around my head. Perhaps he has acknowledged my request for friendship? Assuming he has obliged, I happily watched him fly around my head for a few minutes before he eventually returned to the cabinet that he appears to have made his base of operations. Brian, if you can hear this, I know that through this unbearable torture, we will no-doubt become the closest of friends.
Week one, day three
I wonder how the citizens of Equestria are coping with the absence of one of their princesses. I can only imagine that being the harmonious place I have heard it to be, the populace has handled the matter with grace and patience. Perhaps even better, now knowing that they no longer have to fear the wrath of the tyrannical witch Celestia, and that I am keeping her at bay, showing consideration and kindness to the populace. Yes. That's how I'm going to imagine this scenario from now on.
On second thought, I take that all back. BOTH of the princesses in this vile land are evil and tyrannical. Just a few moments ago, Luna came into the room for her conversation with Celestia and deliverance of sustenance, and what did she try to do? She attempted to swat Brian away whilst mid-conversation with Celestia. He wasn't even doing anything offensive of the sort. He was merely taking the opportunity to meet a new acquaintance. This act of assault will not be forgotten, Luna. Thankfully, Brian was able to use his advanced maneuvers to avoid Luna's swings, before hastily returning to his cabinet.
Week one, day four
Today was rather uneventful. Me and Brian shared a quick mental conversation about pomegranate seeds before returning to our posts. I can honestly feel our friendship strengthening. Brian appears to enjoy it, too. Whenever Luna brings by some food, I intentionally drop a small piece from my mouth so that Brian can also obtain the necessary amount of calorie intake to support an average fly.
He also helps me by annoying Celestia, flying in circles around her head to frustrate her. We have a very team-based approach to our situation, and it only serves to further deepen our bond. Perhaps I will take Brian home with me when this is all over. Perhaps as a pet... No, no. Brian is far too important to me in order to be called a 'pet.' A pet is a mere companion that you can easily discard of. Brian is something completely different. He is more than a pet to me.
Week one, day five
I withdraw my statements from a few days ago. I do believe that my eyelids are becoming heavier as the days drag on. I fear that the effects of sleep deprivation have started to affect me and Celestia. If only I had some kind of reflective surface to examine my current state of affairs. Celestia appeared to also be aware of the situation. Her expression is now constantly focused, with her eyes worsening by the day. I fear I will not be able to hold on for much longer.
Luna came by today. I have taken note of the fact that she appears to talk in a very regal manner from time to time, constantly using terms that resemble that of extremely upper-class Victorian speech. It reminded me of home. When this was all done with, would I simply be brought back to my own world? Taken back to my home to be exalted and praised by my brethren? I do hope so.
Week one, day six
Brian gave me a pep talk this morning. I'm not sure if it's my own delusional thinking or if I've just hit a breakthrough in talking fly technology, but I swear I can hear... Not a voice, but something more like a wave. A wave that no-one else can feel apart from me, a wave that only I can understand and respond to. It gives me courage to know that I have such a devoted friend to help me through this torturous conflict.
I have also managed to count the amount of leaves on three large trees visible from the window behind Celestia. I had to re-count multiple times due to my own mistakes. I have now come to the number 3,549. I believe that I counted every leaf, but I may try and count again just to make sure that my assumptions were correct.
Week two, day one
I'm getting so very tired. The weight of my eyelids are overwhelming me. I'm honestly not sure how much longer I will be able to last. Celestia looks to be in the same state as me. I can see the way that her eyelids start to drop whenever she isn't paying attention. But I can't give up now. There's simply too much at stake here. I refuse to give up no matter what happens. I only hope that Celestia will give in before I do...
Brian appears to have noticed my concern. He started asking me why I appeared so unhappy today. I explained to him the situation, detailing how I think that Celestia appears to be in slightly better shape than me. Brian told me that I cannot give up. He said that he was here to support me through this crisis. I honestly cannot thank him enough for what he has done for me. I will see to it that Brian receives the same amount of praise as me when I return home.
Week two, day two
I don't think either of us are going to recover from this very easily. And with this, I've started to notice all the other problems around me. I've started to question what I would do if I lost this. I would be the laughingstock of everyone I came across. I would be resented by my family and friends. I don't think even Brian would stay by my side if I were to lose this.
I explained my problems to the small fly. He listened intently, hanging onto every word I spoke. He told me that he would never stop being my friend, no matter what should happen to the people around me. There were few people in the world as loyal as Brian, and I am proud to have a friend as devoted to my cause as him. I asked Brian why he came here, and why he decided to become my friend in the first place. He told me how he envied my willpower and endurance, and admired me from the window before he actually turned up in the first place.
Eventually, he decided that he would do anything to help me. He flew into the room, determined to support and encourage me to win this duel. In the days that ensued, he learned what true friendship was, and how important it was to him. He explained how he would stay with me no matter what obstacle stood in my way. I was touched immensely by his speech, almost shedding a tear until he told me otherwise, stating that crying would increase my chances of losing dramatically.
Week two, day three
I have an odd feeling at the pit of my stomach that this will be the day that this duel ends. I have been through more turmoil in these past weeks than I have ever went through in my entire life. My vision was blurry and disorientated, I could barely make out the Pony in front of me. After evening fell, I was ready to give up. I had simply been through too much.
Seeing my distress, Brian rushed over to my side, shouting words of encouragement into my ears. Whatever he said, I simply couldn't hear it, my senses were blurred by sadness and pain. I could barely feel myself breathing anymore, my entire body had gone completely numb. My eyes felt extremely heavy, and I could easily tell that they were bloodshot. Getting ready to give up, I slowly started closing my eyelids, ignoring every word of protest that Brian screamed into my eardrums.
In a few seconds, the feeling of my two eyelids colliding felt apparent, for the first time in two weeks, I saw nothing but utter darkness. I still couldn't hear anything, but I'm sure it was just because the room was silent. Brian had stopped shouting, probably recognizing my fate and shocked at the fact that after all this time, I still gave up and lost in the end. I felt pathetic for letting him down.
After a few more minutes of waiting, I finally heard something. But it wasn't a voice. It was Brian. I heard him gasp in shock, sending pangs of guilt through my body. I slowly opened my eyes, feeling moisture coating the surface of them. It didn't feel very good, considering I had just let down my closest friends by giving up on him. I felt truly evil for letting something like this happen.
I'm not even sure if the moisture I felt was from me closing my eyes, or from the tears streaming down my face. As I held my hands to my face, I heard Brian speak again. But his voice wasn't one of anger, or sadness, or pity. No. It was a voice of happiness. In fact, it sounded better than happiness. I heard pure excitement stream from his voice. He started shouting words of praise at me. Words that I felt no longer described me in any way whatsoever. I stared straight ahead, allowing a small respite before my eyes widened in shock.
In front of me stood Celestia. But it wasn't the Celestia I was used to. No, this particular version of Celestia had her eyes closed. For a few moments, I was utterly dumbstruck by the situation. Surely she could just blink after I had lost? What called for Brian's apparent celebration? Brian started to explain the situation to me after calming down. He told me that while I was in the process of closing my eyes, Celestia assumed I had already closed them and imagined that it was now safe to return to a regular blinking pattern. Due to me closing my eyes a few seconds later, I had technically won.
I had technically won.
Week two, day four
"I can't believe I did that... I could have won..." Celestia muttered, her voice muffled by her hooves covering her mouth.
"It's alright, Tia, it was only a staring contest." Luna said, giving her sister a much-needed hug.
"It was 'only a staring contest!?' Luna, that was one of the most important events of my life!" Celestia shouted.
"Equestria has been worried about you. Don't you think it's about time to return to being Princess Celestia?" Luna asked. Celestia sniffled slightly before answering.
"Yes. I suppose. But Luna?"
"Yes, sister?"
"I won't forgive that human for what he did to me. I will redeem my reputation. I shall have my revenge."
Author's Note
Cue *Dun dun DUUUUUUN* Noise.
No flies were harmed in the making of this fanfic.
